As time passes, the prices of retro video games has been climbing. Despite the price rising, the demand to purchase them has largely remained the same. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a situation where price gouging has become more noticeable or, in the case of a game that released more than 20 years ago, they’ve sold for very abnormal prices.
Popular auction house Heritage Auctions recently concluded an auction of a sealed copy of Super Mario 64. In fact, the sealed copy was in such an amazing condition that the WataGames gave it a 9.8 rating on their scale. There is less than 5 sealed copies of this game in this condition, and it resulted in the copy selling in the auction for $1,500,000.
This price has broken a new record for a single video game auction. Amazingly, the previous record-holder had managed to do that only a few days ago. On July 9th, a rare copy of The Legend Of Zelda on the NES sold for $870,000. The record-holder from before that was an NES copy of Super Mario Bros that sold in April for $660,000.
What a joke! I bet he/she hasn’t even got an N64 to play it on. ( just a shelf to display it in all its unplayed, unopened glory ).
Probably not an avid gamer. They are rich, after all.
This is like a baby at birth, keep it sealed for decades and the owner is rich because of its worth.
I have an Un-Olened Sealed Coppy of Donkey Kong Country 2 on SNES with the Kaybee Toys Sticker still intact and the Plastic Eyelet for hanging on a shelf. I would never open it as its too valuable to me.
I only got it because my mother forgot to give it to me one christmas and it ended up in a closet for over a Decade.
This is the true definition of throwing money away. Though I don’t bother with unopened, sealed copies of games (usually), I get sick to death of the high prices of retro games. Even plain cartridges with no box or manual are too expensive for me to do anything but just look. I can’t even collect retro games anymore because of the prices. I’m so thankful that I stocked up on a near complete NTSC collection of NES games (also many PAL and unlicensed) before prices got as out of hand as they are now.
Years ago I bought just the cartridge of the N64 game “Clayfighter 63 1/3 Sculptor’s Cut” for $50 on ebay. I remember thinking I was crazy for spending that much money on just a cartridge with no box or manual. But I just saw this same game (cartridge only) on ebay selling for $850. It is NOT worth that much. But I’m sure glad I bought it when I did.
Why did I ever open my copy.