A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the NES just sold for $3 million, which is a historic moment for video game collecting. The sale happened on June 12 during Heritage Auctions’ Video Games Signature Auction. According to Heritage, the copy is the highest-graded example of the earliest sealed edition of Super Mario Bros. and beat the previous video game record by $1 million. That earlier record was a $2 million private sale in 2021, also for a copy of Super Mario Bros.
Why this isn’t just any other Mario cartridge
The $3 million copy is graded PSA 9.6 A++, which points to an exceptionally well-preserved sealed game. Heritage says it is from the rare gloss-sticker second-production run, dating to the early days of Nintendo’s NES era in the US. This version came before shrink-wrap became the standard. So it was sealed using a glossy sticker, making it a particularly desirable variant for collectors. Heritage says only three sealed copies from this production run are known, and this is the finest of them.
The backstory also adds to the mystique. This game was discovered only a few months ago inside a brand-new Control Deck NES console bundle, meaning the sealed cartridge had reportedly remained untouched for nearly 40 years.
Retro games are now serious luxury collectibles
Super Mario Bros. is not just an old game with a famous plumber on the box. It is the title that helped turn the NES into a home console powerhouse in the 1980s and made Mario one of the most recognizable characters in entertainment. For collectors, this is more than just a playable cartridge.
While $3 million is a staggering number, it puts a sealed NES game in the same conversation as fine art, rare comics, trading cards, and luxury watches. For most people, Super Mario Bros. is a childhood memory. But the winning bidder now has a seven-figure trophy.
