Sealed copy of Super Mario 64 sells for $1.56M in record-breaking auction
An unopened copy of Nintendo’s “Super Mario 64” sold at auction Sunday for a whopping $1.56 million, shattering the previous record amount paid for a single video game which was set just two days earlier.
Dallas, TX-based Heritage Auctions noted that it’s the first time a single video game has ever sold for more than $1 million.
Super Mario 64 was released in 1996 and quickly became a classic.
It was the first video game to feature the world-famous Mario character in 3D, Heritage Auctions said in a statement, and it was the best-selling game on the Nintendo 64 console.
The game received the highest possible A++ grade from video game grading company WataGames, Heritage Auctions said, meaning it was preserved in nearly impeccable condition.
Heritage did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment on who bought the game.
The record-breaking sale came just two days after a sealed copy of Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda sold at auction Friday for $870,000, setting a world record that didn’t last the weekend.
Valarie McLeckie, Heritage’s video game specialist, said in a statement that the auction house was shocked to see a game sell for more than $1 million so shortly after the record-setting auction of the Zelda game.
The sale also underscores the degree to which the market for collectibles has exploded during the pandemic.
A new world record for a video game sale! A sealed Super Mario 64 just sold for $1,560,000 @HeritageAuction. Watch Sophie Duncan with the call. pic.twitter.com/grpeoJPxjy
— Tommy Noel (@TommyNoel) July 11, 2021
Everything from sports and Pokemon cards to non-fungible tokens have soared in popularity over the past year with multimillion-dollar auctions and companies positioning themselves to support the growing industry.
To be sure, within the collectibles market, the Mario franchise holds an especially pronounced nostalgic lure.
In April, an original 1985 edition of “Super Mario Bros.” for the Nintendo Entertainment System sold for a then-record setting $660,000.