GoKawiilis the Verge’s weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.
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A copy of Super Mario Bros., still in the box and sealed with its original sticker, just sold at Heritage Auctions for $3 million. That absolutely crushes the previous record of $2 million, also for a copy of Super Mario Bros., in 2021. That sale also came hot on the heels of a controversial auction of Super Mario 64 for $1.56 million.
Part of what drove the price of this particular copy so high is that, according to Heritage Auctions, instead of shrink wrap, this 19895 second run was sealed with a glossy sticker, which was discontinued shortly after. The site claims it’s the earliest known sealed copy of the game in existence. It’s also graded at 9.6 A++ by Professional Sports Authenticator.
The price of vintage gaming collectibles has been skyrocketing over the last few years. It was only in July of 2020 that Heritage Auctions set the record for the highest price paid for a game at auction, again, with a copy of Super Mario Bros., for $114,000. Six years later, that seems like an absolute bargain.
If the winner of the auction decides to do the unthinkable and break the seal on the game, Heritage Auctions is throwing in an NES console.