Home
News
Super Mario Bros.
Gold coin.
A scarce edition of Super Mario Bros. has been auctioned off for an unprecedented $3m USD.
Purchased through Heritage Auctions last Friday, this specific version of Super Mario Bros. earned a 9.6 A++ rating from grading firm PSA and surpassed a previous Super Mario Bros. auction high of $2m set in 2021.
What drives its high price? According to the Heritage Foundation's listing, this copy of Super Mario Bros. is considered a "holy grail" for video game collectors. It was uncovered in a Control Deck NES Bundle and remained untouched for roughly four decades. The winning bidder also receives the Control Deck NES bundle in which it was found—an extra perk for the anonymous wealthy collector.
Moreover, this copy of Super Mario Bros. is a unique version of the retro classic. It was produced during the game's second manufacturing run, resulting in a distinct glossy sticker on the box.
"This specific variant has never appeared in a public auction in sealed condition, underscoring just how elusive it is," the Heritage Foundation stated in its auction description. "The closest parallel is the widely publicized 2019 private sale of the WATA 9.4 A++ second-production copy, a landmark transaction that became the first six-figure video game sale and permanently shifted perceptions of what historically important games could command.
"That moment didn't create the scarcity - it revealed it, bringing mainstream attention to how few early sealed copies truly exist, and how extraordinarily seldom a certified gloss sticker second-production example surfaces at all. With just three confirmed, chances to acquire one are extremely rare."
PSA, the grading company that gave this Super Mario Bros. copy its 9.6 A++ rating, took over video game grading from its subsidiary WATA last year. WATA's founder faced accusations of violating company policies by selling graded stock in 2022, and the firm has faced scrutiny over the years as WATA-rated games have been sold via its auction partner, Heritage Auctions, for ever-higher sums.
The histories of the two companies are linked. Heritage Auctions co-founder James Halperin—who was penalized $1.2m for fraud in 2004—was previously a WATA investor and advisory board member, and Haspel has known Halperin for many years.
A series of progressively costly auctioned games have been sold by Heritage Auctions over time. A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. rated 9.4 by WATA went for $114k in 2020, and in 2022 a sealed 9.6 WATA-rated copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for a noteworthy $660k.