Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jun 13
Heritage Auctions Sells Sealed 1985 Super Mario Bros. for Record $3 Million
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jun 13

Heritage Auctions Sells Sealed 1985 Super Mario Bros. for Record $3 Million

3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jun 13

Summary

  • $3 million bought a sealed 1985 Super Mario Bros. copy at Heritage on June 12, setting a new record for a single video game sale.
  • A 9.6 PSA grade and an intact gloss sticker seal identified it as an early second-production run copy; Heritage said only three sealed examples are known and this is the earliest.
  • The sale more than doubled the $1.5 million paid for a sealed Super Mario 64 in 2021 and surpassed other headline game sales, underscoring how familiar Nintendo titles dominate top-end bidding.
  • That record comes as collectors still question whether blockbuster retro-game auctions reflect true scarcity or speculation, with a class-action case against grader Wata Games from the 2021 Mario 64 sale still moving through court.

Insights

Your old Nintendo games could be goldmines. What makes one copy worth $3 million and another worthless?
With game prices soaring past $3 million, is this a collector's dream or an investor's bubble?