A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros just sold for a truly ridiculous amount

When it comes to classic games, it's hard to beat Super Mario Bros. The first game in what is certainly one of the most iconic gaming franchises of all time, Super Mario Bros. has stood the test of time and is still the favorite of speedrunners and retro gaming enthusiasts alike. It also is apparently a favorite of retro collectors, as a sealed copy of the game in mint condition recently sold at auction for a ridiculous amount of money.

If you thought the sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 that sold at auction in November for $156,000 was something, then you might want to sit down, because Heritage Auctions has announced that the sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. you see pictured above just sold for $660,000. That is a huge sum of money, and it's enough to make this the most expensive video game ever sold.

What makes this copy of Super Mario Bros. so special? For starters, the game has a Wata 9.6 A+ rating, which is exceedingly rare for a game so old. On its website, Heritage also explains that this is the oldest copy of Super Mario Bros. that has ever passed through its doors. The copy even has its cardboard hangtab intact, and Heritage notes that it's missing the trademark icon from the "Nintendo Entertainment System" text on the box, which means that it's from an early production run of the game.

With all those qualities added up, it seems that we've got the perfect recipe for a runaway action that winds up at a price far higher than any other video game that came before it. When that Super Mario Bros. 3 copy sold back in November, we weren't expecting the record to be broken so soon, but apparently our expectations were not in line with reality.

Considering that this copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for more than four times what that copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 sold for, we're tempted to argue that we won't see this record broken anytime soon. Since all bets are clearly off, though, we'll just keep our mouths shut and look forward to next excessively expensive video game auction to wrap up.