Over a dozen classic Nintendo games sold, exceeding $100k each at auction

Over the weekend, we covered two absolutely BONKERS auctions that took place during a vintage games event hosted by Heritage Auctions. On Saturday, we saw a sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda on the NES sell for a record breaking $870,000. Just a day later, Mario was overheard asking Link to “hold my beer,” when a pristine copy of Super Mario 64 sold for an astounding $1,560,000.

 

A sealed copy of Super Mario 64 fetches over $1.5 million, becoming the most expensive video game ever sold at auction. https://t.co/GaFtNGP8Tp pic.twitter.com/SdB1bj5ZCQ

— Nintendo Wire (@NinWire) July 11, 2021

 

But that’s not all that went down this weekend. On top of those two record-breaking sales, an additional 293 Nintendo games went up for auctions, some fetching prices that many, my self included, believe are certifiably insane. Here’s just a few of the highlights:

 

• Chrono Trigger – SNES – (WATA 8.5 A+) – $28,800
• Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! – NES -(WATA 8.0  A) – $84,000
• Final Fantasy III – SNES – (WATA 9.4 A+) – $96,000
• Pokémon Red – GB – (WATA 9.4 A++) – $132,000
• Super Smash Bros. – N64 – (WATA 9.4 A++) – $144,000
• Contra – NES – (WATA 9.8 A+) – $150,000
• Mario Bros. – NES – (WATA 9.0 A+) – $156,000
• Nintendo World Championships 1990 – Grey – (WATA 8.0) – $180,000
• Final Fantasy – NES – (WATA 9.8 A++) – $204,000
• Super Mario Bros. – NES – (WATA 9.0  A) – $228,000
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ) – N64 – (WATA 9.8 A++) – $228,000
• Super Mario World – SNES – (WATA 9.4 A+) – $360,000
• The Legend of Zelda – NES – (WATA 9.0 A) – $870,000
• Super Mario 64 – N64 – (WATA 9.8 A++) – $1,560,000

 

The strange thing here is, with the exception of Nintendo World Championships, all of these games were mass produced and extremely successful. Are there really so few sealed copies of Contra that a price tag of $150,000 is warranted? Can these outrageous prices keep going up, or are we witnessing one of the biggest video game bubbles of our lifetime? While pop culture items have always fared well with well-to-do collectors, the pure abundance of many of these titles may sink these prices in the long run. I’m not an economist by any means, but for your average joe, your money may be better invested in real estate instead of a $144,000 Super Smash Bros.

To see a full list of what sold, you can check out Heritage Auctions site. Keep in mind, if you want to see what they sold for, you need to register for a free account. 

 

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