Though this sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was originally listed for $310,000, (about $389,000 CAD), the title ended up selling for $660,000 (roughly $829,000 CAD), making it the most expensive game ever.
This number nearly triples the cost of the previously most expensive video game, a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 for $156,000 (approximately $196,000 CAD) that sold back in November 2020. A copy of Super Mario Bros. also sold for $114,000 (about $143,000 CAD) back in July 2020.
Heritage Auctions says the following about the sale:
“Not only is this the finest plastic-sealed copy with a perforated cardboard hangtab we’ve ever offered of any black box title, it is also the oldest sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. we’ve ever had the opportunity to offer. This is only the fourth version of Super Mario Bros. ever produced, and its window of production was remarkably short. Just to paint a better picture of how short this really was — the nationwide release for the console came in mid to late 1986, and black box games distributed for that release did not have the “Game Pak NES-GP” code. It’s worth mentioning that Nintendo managed to add the trademark symbol to the Nintendo Entertainment System on their game boxes by the beginning of 1987. That certainly doesn’t leave much time at all for this variant to be produced in-between the two!”
You can check out the auction at this link. The auction lists the sealed game as “Wata 9.6 A+ sealed,” indicating that it’s in near perfect condition.
Since its release back in 1985, Super Mario Bros. has sold 48.24 million copies, making it the highest-selling Mario title ever released, with Mario Kart for the Wii coming in at 37.38 million and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch at 33.41 million.
All things considered, it’s great to know that my current house is currently worth roughly the cost of a sealed Super Mario Bros.
Source: Heritage Auctions