Super Mario Bros. Game Sells for $100K

Sealed cartridge is from 1985 test launch
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 15, 2019 12:17 AM CST
Super Mario Bros. Game Sells for $100K
Visitors walk around a figure of Super Mario at the Panasonic Center in Tokyo.   (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

A copy of the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. has sold for a stunning $100,150 at auction, believed to be a record for a single game. But gamers hoping their own copy of the hugely popular game could be worth a fortune are likely to be disappointed, the Verge reports. The cartridge bought by three collectors, who will jointly share ownership, is a sealed, near-mint condition copy that was only available in New York City and Los Angeles during the test launch of the NES. "In terms of rarity, popularity, and relevance to collectors, this game has it all," says Wata Games president Deniz Kahn, per CNET.

Kahn, whose company grades and authenticates games, says the cartridge is the only known copy from the test launch still sealed with an intact sticker on top. Kahn tells Kotaku that the buyers are "huge video game collectors" who wouldn't have paid six figures unless they "truly thought the value was there." "I’ve always said, video games are going to go the way of comics, or cars, or coins; it’s only a matter of time until a video game sells for a million dollars," Khan says, adding that he believes the first $1 million game will likely be a sticker-sealed Mario. (More Super Mario Brothers stories.)

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