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Copy of Super Mario Bros. Video Game Sets World-Record Price of $100,150

 

An unopened copy of Super Mario Bros., the classic video game released by Nintendo in 1985, set a world record for a graded game when it recently sold for $100,150.

 

"Beyond the artistic and historical significance of this game is its supreme state of preservation," says Kenneth Thrower, co-founder and chief grader of Wata Games.

 

Due to its popularity, Nintendo reprinted Super Mario Bros. from 1985 to 1994 numerous times, resulting in 11 different box variations (according to this visual guide). The first two variations are "sticker sealed" copies that were only available in the New York and L.A. test market launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985 and 1986. Of all the sealed copies of Super Mario Bros., this is the only known "sticker sealed" copy and was certified by Wata Games with a Near Mint grade of 9.4 and a "Seal Rating" of A++.

 

 

I don't usually pay attention to the world of extreme collecting...but this is quite something. 100K, eh. Plus, the whole super duper seriousness of "a 'Seal Rating' of A++." is rather surreally entertaining. I wonder what's the difference between grade A++ and A+?

 

As an added bonus they also chime in on one of this hobby's trademark disputes saying that this game "saved the video game industry in 1985". Ok Deniz, if you say so :)

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Yeah... I don't get it either.

 

A little history on why this sold for so much

 

https://www.watagames.com/learn/blog/post/nes-black-box-variant-guide/

 

You saying that is something I don't get. When we talk about "collectable" items. We also have to talk about the ULTRA rare parts of collections. Just like how some comic books sold for far more than this. Or even baseball cards.

 

There are stuff that is almost impossible to find as video games go, and only a small % of them were released, and MOST people (like you or I) would of opened it to play it. This is how it's so rare, not too many sealed copies are known to exist.

 

We are getting into an age of video games where rare stuff will claim a higher dollar.

 

These people picked this up as investment. As collectables go for this hobby, it's an holy grail and when they re-sell it, it will go for much more later...

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A little history on why this sold for so much

 

https://www.watagames.com/learn/blog/post/nes-black-box-variant-guide/

 

You saying that is something I don't get. When we talk about "collectable" items. We also have to talk about the ULTRA rare parts of collections. Just like how some comic books sold for far more than this. Or even baseball cards.

 

There are stuff that is almost impossible to find as video games go, and only a small % of them were released, and MOST people (like you or I) would of opened it to play it. This is how it's so rare, not too many sealed copies are known to exist.

 

We are getting into an age of video games where rare stuff will claim a higher dollar.

 

These people picked this up as investment. As collectables go for this hobby, it's an holy grail and when they re-sell it, it will go for much more later...

Exactly, it's not a collectible and is strictly an investment by multiple partners to flip to future investors. This is why the video game collectible market is doomed to crash like Beanie Babies.

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Exactly, it's not a collectible and is strictly an investment by multiple partners to flip to future investors. This is why the video game collectible market is doomed to crash like Beanie Babies.

 

This is not the same as Beanie Babies, not even close, your not comparing apples for apples here. They were over inflated by a limited release of some styles. There was still many thousands released of them. The company who made them inflated their value claiming very limited, when that meant thousands or more of them. Truth be told, there are some proto type or very, very limited release of Beanie Babies that are worth a lot of money. Look it up if you don't believe me.

 

This is more like a #1 Super man comic book or White Border Honus Wagner baseball card (worth huge money). Most kids read it and treated it like crap. So a flawless mint one is worth HUGE money. This would be an a apples for apples comparison here.

 

This is one of those holy grail type things for video games, a first release, that was EXTREAMLY limited that 99% of them were opened and used.. This is one is factory sealed.

 

This is not going to change the over all video game market. Common games are going to be worth only so much. Rare ones will get a value that will claim a higher dollar if someone is willing to pay for.

 

Keep in mind, the value of something is ONLY worth what other people are willing to pay for... But this is one very special collectable as video games go.

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I wouldn't defend it, but I'll sound like it here, because I understand it, and this is why.

 

What was the one thing video games have lacked for years that coins, cards, comics, and more have already had -- grading services. I mean sure you did have VGA, and did you ever pay attention to them? They were (are) shady as all get out. They refuse to ID their staff, refuse to make their grading standards public. They refuse to qualify or stick to their own standards too. Basically for years you could find collectors people re-submitting games to them repeatedly paying to get a higher grade eventually, which shouldn't happen, yet speaks to their crappiness.

 

Then a collaboration of people from NintendoAge and beyond founded the WATA and they did publish their standards, made them rigid, got true people to solidly grade stuff, they also pulled in qualified people from other collector businesses to help form and work the grading process making this the first legitimate body on the level of your PSA etc type stuff. Finally a trustworthy business that backs their work and product properly and with actual credibility.

 

Now you take a game that was sticker sealed like SMB1 at launch in the test market 1985, which only later in 1986 went to using a plastic seal and a adhered hang tab to it. This SMB1 has the retail hangtab unpunched. The sticker is intact, all the corners, ink, sides, and the rest show little to no wear at all other than what would have come from some NOA employee stuffing it in the original cardboard shipping box in 1985. Somehow this one copy of the game has survived basically more or less untouched by humand hands or the damages of time (UV, dust, moisture, stupid people, etc.) This perhaps is the last game of this level of quality from a tiny window of time when Nintendo was uncertain there would even be a NES presence to stay on the market.

 

Couple that with finally a trustworthy entity, and people wanting to help market their existence, the WATA existence and branding/credibility, and the obvious intent of future showing it off and later intent to profit from it, and $100K isn't all that laughable or deranged. This was a huge marketing move and it worked. Hell it got me researching them and i realized they even do unsealed stuff, single games, manuals (maps/posters), boxes too. I've got some stuff here by chance that is dead mint, but not new, I could only guess if I were into entombing things what they'd be worth having that credible business behind it. I do have even 2 sealed games (yellow metroid nes, pokemon red gb) that may be benefit from it just to guard them more than anything.

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A little history on why this sold for so much

 

https://www.watagames.com/learn/blog/post/nes-black-box-variant-guide/

 

This "history" is written by the president of the grading body, therefore somebody heavily invested in the whole scene and with a clear interest to keep this thing going. I do not dispute the facts of it, it's just that they - plus folks at NintendoAge and other such places - have created their little bubble of extreme collecting. This bubble has little to do with retro gaming but very much with $$$. Sure, it's becoming similar to the art or other "serious" collecting markets, but these have been sick and twisted since time immemorial. It does not affect me directly since so I won't go to war over this, but it's definitely not something I would celebrate.

 

And after reading some opinions about their tactics i'm definitely not a fan.

 

It's also the reason why I've never subscribed to the "it's worth as much as people are willing to pay" trope. It suggests some sort of fair and equal playing field when in reality it's anything but, especially when now we have consortiums of "investors" working closely with "official" bodies, all with the aim of artificially pumping up the value of some item.

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This "history" is written by the president of the grading body, therefore somebody heavily invested in the whole scene and with a clear interest to keep this thing going. I do not dispute the facts of it, it's just that they - plus folks at NintendoAge and other such places - have created their little bubble of extreme collecting. This bubble has little to do with retro gaming but very much with $$$. Sure, it's becoming similar to the art or other "serious" collecting markets, but these have been sick and twisted since time immemorial. It does not affect me directly since so I won't go to war over this, but it's definitely not something I would celebrate.

 

And after reading some opinions about their tactics i'm definitely not a fan.

 

It's also the reason why I've never subscribed to the "it's worth as much as people are willing to pay" trope. It suggests some sort of fair and equal playing field when in reality it's anything but, especially when now we have consortiums of "investors" working closely with "official" bodies, all with the aim of artificially pumping up the value of some item.

 

Ok, I didn't post that to really show the history, it was more of showing the different version of this cart. With anything out there, a value of an item is only shown by what someone will pay for it. You could have something that is "valued" at $10,000 but, if you cant find a buyer that will pay you more than $5000, is it really worth $10,000 ?

 

It's just like any other collectable. Why some comic books sell for so much or even baseball cards. Rare items are normally worth more money, ultra rare items are worth far more. This was a very limited cart, only released in test markets and 99% of them were opened and used. It's why it's so valuable. Look at some other expensive NES games like Stadium Events or even Little Samson (and Little Samson is a really good game), why do you think they get so much for them ? IS this cart any different ?

 

Still I agree $100K is crazy for it(I also think $25K for Stadium Events is crazy too). Anyway about it, 3 investors felt they could make money if it. It will sit for a year or 2 and pop up again. If it sells for more money, then we know where this goes and the value was/is there on ultra rare video games.

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Slightly O/T, but does anyone know how this cart managed to remain factory sealed for so many years? Was it intentionally purchased by a collector back in 1985 and locked away, or was it NOS found overlooked in the back of a warehouse somewhere?

 

I have a few still sealed games (PlayStation and PS 2). In every case, these are games that I have limited interest in actually playing, so I have just never bothered to open them. One or two games (that I did not especially want) came as part of a bundle together with titles that I did want. I have no expectations of being able to retire off the future sale of these sealed games.

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Slightly O/T, but does anyone know how this cart managed to remain factory sealed for so many years? Was it intentionally purchased by a collector back in 1985 and locked away, or was it NOS found overlooked in the back of a warehouse somewhere?

 

I have a few still sealed games (PlayStation and PS 2). In every case, these are games that I have limited interest in actually playing, so I have just never bothered to open them. One or two games (that I did not especially want) came as part of a bundle together with titles that I did want. I have no expectations of being able to retire off the future sale of these sealed games.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/288305-sealed-copy-of-super-mario-bros-sells-for-a-record-breaking-100150/page-2?do=findComment&comment=4223824

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