This Donkey Kong Jr. Educational Game Tanked At Launch But Is Now Worth Almost $2,000

We’ve all heard about sealed copies of Super Mario Bros. selling for millions of dollars. It seems a new record keeps popping up every few years, with the latest one sitting at $3 million for a 9.6 A++ graded sealed copy of the game. While that’s life-changing money, it’s kind of understandable why it was sold for so much. Super Mario Bros. is one of the most important and industry defining video games of all time. Its impact on games cannot be stated enough. However, not all of Nintendo’s games are quite that popular. 

Like every developer, Nintendo has had its share of flops over the years. And, it’s not just obscure titles either, as even behemoths like Metroid and Donkey Kong have managed to fumble on occasion. For instance, remember that time Nintendo was trying to make educational games? I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t, as it didn’t last very long. The company even roped in Donkey Kong Jr. to take a break from tossing barrels to teach kids math instead. Needless to say, Donkey Kong Jr. Math bombed at launch, but that hasn’t stopped it from being worth almost $2,000 today.

A Rare Nintendo Educational Game Went For Almost $2,000 At Heritage Auctions 

As spotted on Heritage Auctions, a Wata 6.5 CIB rated copy of the game was recently sold for $1,937. The big question here is, why? Donkey Kong Jr. Math wasn’t the most popular game; In fact, many of us may have not even heard of it. The simple answer is that it’s rare. There aren’t too many copies of it floating around, considering production on it ceased pretty soon after it launched. According to the population report, there are only seven such copies in existence, with none of them being sealed. It’s also among only 30 games that featured a black box, made for the Nintendo Entertainment System between 1985 and 1987

“The game was received so poorly upon release that Nintendo ceased the development of other games in the Education series. In fact, it is the only US NES game in that series,” reveals the description. “The box has edge and corner wear, tiny tears on the top corner on the back, and several small creases, with the largest being a 1″ crease on the top spine.”

So, the next time you’re feeling down about yourself, just remember that if a Nintendo educational game which rated so badly that it shut down an entire series could eventually go on to be worth almost $2,000, it isn’t too late for you either. 

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