Only Known Sealed First-Production Mario Bros. Headlines Heritage Video Game Auction
The only known sealed first-production copy of Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System will headline Heritage Auctions’ August 28-29 Video Games Signature Auction.
The 1986 game is graded PSA 9.2 A++, and Heritage says that among all known first-production copies of Mario Bros. for the NES, this is the only sealed example.
Mario Bros. began as an arcade game before joining the second wave of Nintendo Entertainment System titles in 1986. Heritage notes that the game introduced floating coins, enemy turtles and Mario’s twin brother Luigi, while also marking Mario’s change from carpenter to plumber.
Evan Masingill, Heritage Auctions’ Consignment Director of Video Games, said the one-of-a-kind copy makes a fitting follow-up to the auction house’s June 12-13 Video Games Signature Auction. That sale was led by the highest-graded copy of the earliest sealed edition of Super Mario Bros., which sold for a world-record $3 million.
“Any time you have a one-of-one collectible, especially in a franchise as iconic as Mario, you know that all high-end pop culture collectors will be watching closely,” Masingill said.
Mario Bros. Traces Back to Wisconsin Collection Find
Like the $3 million Super Mario Bros. cartridge, the Mario Bros. copy dates to 1986 during the NES console’s first wide release. Heritage says that puts it among the first group of games to feature the early gloss sticker seal found on early NES boxes.
The game traces its provenance to the Wisconsin collection discovery from the early 2010s. That same find also produced one of three known sealed gloss sticker copies of Super Mario Bros., a Wata 9.4 A++ example that sold privately for a then-record $100,150.
PSA 9.8 A++ Super Mario 64 Returns to Auction
Another major Mario collectible in the sale is a PSA 9.8 A++ copy of Super Mario 64. Heritage says only five examples in PSA’s census have achieved the grade, and this will be the first one offered at auction in five years.
A Super Mario 64 with the same grade sold at Heritage for $1.56 million in 2021, becoming the first video game to reach a seven-figure auction price.
“This is the first 3-D game for the Nintendo 64, making it a monumentally important title,” Masingill said. “Collectors have waited five years to add one of these in this condition to their collection. It remains an essential collectible that represents a breakthrough moment in both gaming and collecting.”
Super Mario Land Is Sole Highest-Graded Example
Heritage is also offering an extremely rare first-print copy of Super Mario Land. The game was the first handheld Mario console game and a launch title for the Game Boy in North America. Heritage notes that it introduced Princess Daisy and was unusual for the series because it did not take place in the Mushroom Kingdom and featured an alien as the final boss.
The newly certified copy dates to the initial North American launch in the summer of 1989. Heritage says it is one of only three certified first-production examples and stands alone at the top of the census with a PSA 9.8 A+ grade.
“As rare as boxed NES cartridges from the 1980s are, Game Boy game boxes survived even less frequently because of their portability,” Masingill said. “No one saved the boxes.”
Highest-Graded Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega collectors will also find a major rarity in the auction. A sealed Sonic the Hedgehog graded PSA 9.8 A++ is described by Heritage as the highest-graded example of the title.
Heritage says PSA has certified just 59 sealed copies of Sonic the Hedgehog across all variants, compared with 288 certified copies of Super Mario Bros.
Perfect Pokémon Blue Version
Pokémon collectors will have another major video game rarity to chase.
Heritage is offering the sole PSA 10 copy of Pocket Monsters Ao, the Japanese game known internationally as Pokémon Blue Version. Heritage says fewer than 30 unopened copies of the game are known.
The perfect grade is particularly notable because Japanese games from the period were not shrink-wrapped. Heritage explains that grading experts must examine the box hinges and other areas for signs that the package was previously opened.
Even minor surface scuffing, impressions, edge wear or other flaws can prevent a copy from receiving Gem Mint status.
More PSA 9.8 A++ Games
The auction includes several other games in the uncommon PSA 9.8 A++ grade.
Heritage specifically highlights Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007 and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! among those offerings.
The sale will also feature the sole PSA 10 copy of Fortnite for PlayStation 4. Heritage notes that the physical Fortnite release dates to 2017, shortly before video game collecting began growing significantly as a hobby.
“People continue to enjoy collecting physical media,” Masingill said. “People want tangible products and a physical representation of their love for the stories, experiences and enjoyment video games bring.”