Sealed Super Mario Bros Sells for $3M Setting New Record for a Video Game

https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/highest-graded-super-mario-bros.-sells-for-record-3-million-at-heritage-auctions.s?releaseId=5484

by HelloUsername • 1 month ago

29 12 1 month ago

ha.com

vunderba• 1 month ago

From the article:

the iconic game whose popularity established Nintendo’s dominance in home console gaming in the 1980s, sold for $3 million on Friday afternoon in the first session of Heritage Auctions’ June 12–13 Video Games Signature® Auction, hammering the previous $2 million record set in a 2021 private sale.

I wouldn’t trust any auction run by Heritage. They’re reasonably known for turning video games into speculative assets rather than collectibles, and they’ve helped drive up prices for actual fans who just love the games.

Further they’ve been embroiled in scandals alongside Wata Games, with allegations of price manipulation.

Good article about this:

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/report-alleges-auct...

thatguy0900• 1 month ago

Investing has ruined basically every collectible hobby at this point, to the point wizards themselves thought it was acceptable to try to sell 1000$ packs of cardboard cards. Noone cares about the people who just want game peices to play a game

AdmiralAsshat2• 1 month ago

Considering that Super Mario Bros came with the console, this feels like nothing more than a flex. Or money laundering.

DANmode• 1 month ago

Do you have a copy?

AdmiralAsshat2• 1 month ago

Of the cartridge, yes. As do about 58 million other people.

Not sealed in box, no. But usually a product going for a price like this is predicated on rarity, not just historical value. That's why Detective Comics #27, Action Comics #1, Amazing Fantasy #15, etc. command a pretty penny. Those comics didn't have circulation in the millions back in the day...

vikingerik• 1 month ago

The rarity is that very few copies ever existed of a standalone boxed SMB.

Not every console came with SMB. One very early package didn't have it, and one later package included SMB3 instead. So SMB was sold as a standalone for these cases, but very few units were needed or extant.

ElProlactin• 1 month ago

If I discover time travel I wouldn't tell anyone, but there would be signs.

nubinetwork• 1 month ago

These collectors markets are such a scam. It's literally just a cardboard box, you could print one right now for under $10.

marysol5• 1 month ago

"Fine Art is a scam, it's just a painting"

rasz• 1 month ago

Karl Jobst covered it last time. Its is again a "sealed" Mario copy being sold by and bought by same parties, a FAKE sale to pump the market up.

Hugsbox• 1 month ago

Yeah idk why Heritage Auctions are even still attempting this nonsense, everybody knows it's a big load of horseshit.

Sealed Super Mario Bros Sells for $3M Setting New Record for a Video Game

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