On Friday, Super Mario Brothers, the original version for the Nintendo Entertainment System, became the highest-selling video game of all time when it clocked in around $114,000. The game, still wrapped in its original plastic, was purchased by an undisclosed bidder at a Heritage Auctions’ Event.
Video game enthusiasts know that Super Mario Brothers is arguably the most iconic game of all time, spawning a litany of games, sequels, merchandise, and other media, that have lasted decades. Nintendo still produces different games in the franchise today, many of which are best-sellers.
Rolling Stone reported today that the auction bidding beat out the previous record of $100,000, also held by a Super Mario Brothers game in its original sealing.
Valarie McLeckie, the Video Games Director for Heritage Auctions, claimed the value was very high, and if any game would secure such a price, it would be Super Mario Brothers. Valarie added that everyone there knew the bidding would be strong, but no one expected it to reach $100,000+.
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In addition to being in perfect condition, the fresh copy of Super Mario Brothers came with “hang tabs,” a short-lived form of the game’s packaging. According to Heritage Auctions, the game got such a high price on account of not only the game’s legacy but also its packaging.
Nintendo featured hang tabs on their games for a short amount of time, shortly before they switched to using shrink-wrap to seal the games rather than stickers. This Friday, Nintendo games and products earned the auctioneers around $700,000.
Other games to go for a high price included Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, which went for $50,000, as well as another copy of Super Mario Brothers, although the third installment of the franchise, Super Mario Brothers 3. It was a rare, first-pressing, version of the game with the word “Bros” printed on the left side of the front cover.
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Rolling Stone says that only around 10 of them exist on the planet today. It sold for $38, 000.
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