A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System sold for a staggering $2 million, making it now the most expensive video game ever sold. According to The New York Times, the game was sold through the website Rally, which works like an investment company. Rally purchases collectibles like Super Mario Bros. (which was bought for $140,000), and then users can purchase shares in that item. When someone makes an offer to sell the item, shareholders vote on whether or not to accept the offer and divide the profits. In this case, a $2 million bid was made by a single anonymous buyer.
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There has been an explosion in interest in older, sealed games over the last few months. In July, a sealed copy of Super Mario 64 sold for $1.56 million, making it the record holder until now. This trend is very recent, though. In late 2019, a guest on Pawn Stars attempted to sell a sticker-sealed, test-market copy of Super Mario Bros. for $1 million. That copy of the game had a 9.4, A++ rating from Wata Games, but host Rick Harrison thought the asking price was far too much, and turned it down.
“I think Mario hit him on the head with a pipe wrench,” Harrison said at the time.
From The New York Times’ reporting, it seems that the Super Mario Bros. cartridge that was sold by Rally was not a test-market copy of the game. Presumably, that would make the copy that was declined on Pawn Stars worth quite a bit more! The thing to keep in mind is that the demand for collectibles can significantly grow and change over time; the market for Pokemon cards has similarly exploded over the last year. However, these investments can often be a gamble if and when prices come crashing down. Mario is one of the enduring characters in all of gaming, so it’s possible this item could have legs, but it’s difficult to say how long the bubble might last.
Are you surprised this copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for so much? Do you think sealed video games will be the next hot item to sell? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
