Vintage NES Game Super Mario Bros 3 Fetches An Insane Amount At Auction

Every once in a while, we catch wind of classic video game auctions that wind up fetching seriously impressive sums of money. Today, we're hearing about one that is perhaps more impressive than any other video game auction that came before it: a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 that sold for a whopping $156,000 at auction over the weekend.

That, according the auction organizer Heritage Auctions, is enough the make this copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 a record-breaking one. Specifically, Heritage Auctions says that this copy has "set a world's record for the highest price paid for a video game at auction." That's a rather specific record, but apparently it's a record nonetheless.

The auction opened bidding at $62,500, with 20 bidders eventually bringing the price up to that final amount of $156,000. A similar Super Mario Bros. auction held in July managed to hit a final bid of $114,000 and was the previous record holder before this copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 came along. So, what was the difference between the two games?

This copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 was graded slightly higher than July's copy of Super Mario Bros., with a rating of Wata 9.2 compared to the earlier game's rating of Wata 9.0. Aside from the slightly higher rating, this copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 also has a rare box variant, with the "Bros." part of the title aligned along the left side of the logo instead of the right side, which was a much more common find on store shelves back in the day.

So, for now at least, that copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 with its high Wata rating and a rare box variant is at least the highest-priced video game the folks at Heritage Auctions have ever sold. We'll see if another game comes along to steal the crown, but given the price this game managed to fetch, that will indeed be a big task.