Over the last couple of decades, trading cards and comic books have been big business. And in order to certify the condition of the cards and comic, they are sent into places like CGC and PSA. These companies authenticate the collectible and assigned it a condition grade.
In 2018, a company called Wata Games began to certify and grade unopened video game packages. And now the market for these graded titles has boomed. Over the weekend, a copy of Super Mario Brothers 2 in mint condition was purchased for more than $88,000.
The cartridge was found in a closet in Floyd’s Knob, Indiana. The Mario Brothers game was among a number of others.
The Harriet Group, who helped sell the game through auction noted:
“At first glance, it was a comforting wave of classic Nintendo nostalgia. All the classics were there, Super Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, Qix, and even an NES console. So we did what any children of the 1990s would do: we fired up the console and tested the open games.”
What made this game different, however was its stunning condition. There is an especially booming market for games in near perfect condition.
While the Mario Brothers copy sold for a great amount, it isn’t the highest price ever paid for a unopened game. The all-time record holder is a copy of Super Mario 64 which recently sold for $1.5 million. And a copy of the Legend of Zelda was sold through Heritage Auctions for the sum of $880,000.
