Sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. raises $114,000 at auction

A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. from 1987 fetched $114,000 at auction. That makes it the most expensive auctioned game ever. The previous record was $100,150 for the same game, but that copy was in less good condition.

The copy that auctioned for the record amount at Heritage Auctions, received a Wata rating of 9.4. Wata Games is an organization that assesses the condition of an old game. The auctioned copy of Super Mario Bros. is still in the seal and is a so-called black box variant with a hang tab. Such specimens are rare and loved by collectors.

Valarie McLeckie, who was involved in the sale on behalf of Heritage Auctions, says to Ars Technica that it is a copy from 1987. The game was first released in 1985. So there are even older versions, but the very first copies were not provided with shrink wrap.

The auction house does not reveal exactly where the game came from, but McLeckie describes its provenance as a find in an attic room. The copy does not come from a collection, but was probably bought in 1987, put away and then forgotten.

A similar sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. in less good condition, with a Wata rating of 8.0, previously sold for $40,200. A copy with a 9.4 rating was sold last year for $100,150. This concerned a variant with a sticker as a seal instead of foil.