A 1985 copy of the original Super Mario Bros. for the NES recently sold for a ridiculous amount of money breaking the record for the most expensive video game ever sold. The copy of Super Mario. Bros sold for $114,000, beating the previous most expensive video game by $14,000. Incidentally, the previous most expensive title was also a copy of Super Mario Bros., which sold for $100,150.
In the 1980s, the cost of a classic NES title was anywhere from $10 to $60, similar to the cost of modern video games. While new copies of Super Mario Bros. sold for $60 in 1985, the most expensive copies now sell for about 1,900 times its original worth. The insanely high price is not because of the rarity of the game, but because the game's condition was maintained and it was given a score of 9.4 when graded by professional video game evaluators, Wata Games.
The $114,000 copy of Super Mario Bros. was sold via a live auction held on the popular collectible auction website, Heritage Auctions. The copy is pictured stored inside a protective plastic case with the 9.4 Wata rating posted on the outside of the protector. The game was sealed in its original plastic which was given an A+ rating, and the black box containing the game was given the actual number rating. While the rating of the previous most expensive game ever sold remains unknown, the description of the listing on Heritage Auctions stated that an 8.0 Wata rated copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for $40,200.
It is not unusual for collectibles kept in such great condition to sell for a ton of money. Rare editions of comic books have sold for literal millions of dollars because of their age and how well they have been maintained. However, this copy of Super Mario Bros. is special because of its record-breaking price tag. The $114,000 copy of Super Mario Bros. is now the most expensive video game to be sold of all time. But will it maintain that title for long?
While the previous most expensive game held its title for over a year and a half, older video games from the 1980s and 90s grow more expensive over time. The buyer of the $114,000 copy could sell the copy in a years time for a larger amount of money then it was bought, and could then break the record again. As long as the condition of the Super Mario Bros. game is maintained, the game's value should theoretically increase over time.
Source: Heritage Auctions