A never-before-opened copy of
Super Mario Bros. for the classic Nintendo Entertainment System has been sold — at a recent auction held by
Heritage Auctions — for the steep sum of $100,150 USD; setting a world record that makes it the most expensive graded video game ever sold.
This copy of
Super Mario Bros. was graded with a Near Mint 9.4 and a "Seal Rating" of A++; meaning that this is one of the very first sticker-sealed copies available in the New York and L.A. market during the Nintendo Entertainment System's launch all the way back in 1985 — which also makes the product quite valuable.
Super Mario Bros. is the game that is said to have shaped the video game industry as a whole, being the very first level in the game studied by video game designers even to this day. The game is pretty accessible these days, as it has been available on most Nintendo consoles pretty much since
Super Mario Bros. was released.
While there are some people out there who still own their original copy of
Super Mario Bros., chances of it being sealed and in top condition are slim to non-existent, so the fact that there was still one out there — 34 years after its original release date — is quite impressive.