A vintage Super Mario Bros. game just sold for over $600k

When I first came across this story/headline, I immediately said to myself, “How in the name of Luigi is that even possible?!” I’m sure most of you would probably have the same reaction, but perhaps minus the Luigi part. Well, it seems that when something goes unused and unopened for so long, its value increases dramatically. I only thought that worked for action figures and vintage comics, but apparently, it’s true for popular video games as well, even 35 years after the fact.

In this blog, we’ll get into the details of this vintage Mario Bros. video game and how it was able to sell for such a large sum of money, that’s actually a new record in the video game industry. You can leave me your thoughts and opinions on this in the comments afterward. But, for now, let’s find out what made this old favorite so highly sought after for collectors with deep pockets.

This particular video game has quite a story to tell. And it goes like this: some 35 years ago in 1986, someone (whose identity remains anonymous) purchased a copy of Super Mario Bros. It’s come out that this was intended to be a Christmas gift that was never given. Based on the events that would take place years and years later, I would say it was a smart decision to never put it under someone else’s tree. They not only left the game in its packing but left it in the bottom of their desk drawer, where it would stay unopened for the next 3 decades or so. Imagine doing that today.

It wasn’t until recently that that anonymous buyer stumbled across the game for the first time in a long time and decided to measure its value. That’s where Heritage Auctions, out of Dallas, Texas, comes in. The auction house decided to have the game graded by a well-respected game grading company (WataGames), who graded the game to be in excellent condition. Specifically, they graded the game at 9.6/A+, which comes as no surprise since it remained unopened and unused throughout its life.

There’s also another factor that was key to the price tag/rarity being increased for this game. It turns out, that when this game was first released and purchased in 1986, Nintendo was thinking about changing the cover to it, which they did the following year in 1987. So, there are very few copies of the 86’ version floating around out there. It seems like the stars were just in perfect alignment after this person bought the game, doesn’t it?

Fast forward to today, and this game suddenly becomes the most expensive video game ever paid for, with it auctioning off for a whopping $660,000. The only other games that ever came close (if you can call it that) was a 1985 version of Mario Bros., an unopened version of Super Mario Bros. 3, and a 1987 Mega Man game, all of which sold for under $160,000 respectively. 

I don’t know about you but I would actually like to know who the buyer and seller are in this case because it’s amazing to think of someone who would leave a Super Mario Bros. game unopened for 35 years and someone who has enough cash to pay such a staggering amount for it. I think it’s fair to say that this game has had quite a journey in its lifetime. It will be tough to conquer the $660k price tag on this game, but who knows, maybe there’s someone else out there with something even rarer. Maybe that someone is...you.

So, let me know your thoughts on the sale of this game in the comments below. And, once you’ve done that, be sure to go searching through your desk, attic, basement, or wherever else you think you might have kept an unopened gem just waiting to be re-discovered. I know we talked about doing this for old trading cards, but it looks like we’ll have to add video games to that list as well.

Until we meet again,

Vince The Prince