‘Super Mario 64’ copy sold for $1.5 million becomes most valuable game collectible
A Wata A++, 9.8 graded sealed copy of Super Mario 64 was recently sold for $1,560,000 or ₱75,308,250 on Heritage Auctions yesterday.
This copy had surpassed the sell price of the previous The Legend of Zelda game that was sold for $870,000 on July 9 and has taken the Zelda variant’s title of the most expensive video game ever sold.
The first record was at $660,000 for a Super Mario Bros. cartridge.
However, the Super Mario 64 copy has an advantage with its A++, 9.8 rating, which according to Wata is the highest rating a game could hope to get, as the Zelda variant only has an A, 9.0 rating.
Super Mario 64 is the first ever 3D game in the Mario series that was released for the Nintendo 64 console in 1996.
It is also acknowledged as the best-selling Nintendo 64 game and the second best-selling console game in the US in 1997.
“Well—we're a bit speechless on this one. What can we even say that would do this copy the justice it deserves? The cultural significance of this title and its importance to the history of video games is paramount, and the condition of this copy is just so breathtaking that we're really at a loss here. If you have had your heart set on obtaining the highest graded copy of the single best-selling video game on the Nintendo 64—the first 3D adventure of Nintendo's mascot, Mario—we only have one piece of advice: this is not an opportunity to waste,” said Heritage Auctions on the games auction page.
Collectors have been experiencing a boom in their industry lately as retro video game and console auctions have become more and more frequent through the years.
Pokémon cards are also experiencing this popularity, along with the digital collectibles known as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens).
(Images from Heritage Auctions)
