Sealed Super Mario Bros. Sells for 3 Million Dollars, Setting the Highest Auction Record in Video Game History

Heritage Auctions, the largest auction house in the United States and based in Texas, announced on June 25 that an unopened early production copy of Super Mario Bros. with the highest grade sold for 3 million U.S. dollars at its “Video Games Signature® Auction” held from June 12 to 13.

The sale surpassed the previous record of 2 million dollars set in a private transaction in 2021, establishing a new world record for video game collectibles.

A Rare Early Production Copy with Gloss Sticker

The auctioned item, Super Mario Bros. PSA 9.6 A++ Sealed [Gloss Sticker, Second Production], is an extremely rare unopened copy of the iconic title that helped Nintendo establish a firm position in the home video game console market during the 1980s.

This copy features the “gloss sticker” used in early 1986. Among works regarded as some of the most important cartridges in video game history, it is considered one of the oldest known sealed copies still confirmed to exist.

The item is also one of only three known sealed copies belonging to the second production variant. This was the first time this variant had appeared at a public auction in sealed condition.

Heritage Auctions Comments on the Historic Sale

Evan Masingill, Consignment Director of Video Games at Heritage Auctions, commented that collectors place great importance on both condition and print run across all categories of collectibles, including trading cards, comics, and video games.

He described this copy of Super Mario Bros. as one of the earliest sealed examples in the finest known condition and a symbol of the pinnacle of video game collecting. He added that, considering its extreme rarity as a test market version released before the nationwide launch of the NES in the United States, as well as the significance of the title itself, it was no surprise that it became the most valuable video game in the world.

Source : ORICON NEWS