Retro video game auctions continue to break all records, as an original cartridge from the first Super Mario Bros. was sold for $2 million, or €1.7 million. Another Mario game, Super Mario 64, already occupied first place before this sale.
Video games are becoming art objects like any other. Lately, interest in retro titles, in their original form, soared. Unsurprisingly, it is above all the iconic titles that are fetched for astronomical amounts. So, last April, a cartridge of the first Super Mario Bros. on the NES was sold for 560,000 euros. Earlier this summer, a cartridge of The Legend of Zelda cost 746,500 euros to its new owner. Shortly thereafter, it was Super Mario 64’s turn to set a new record of 1.3 million euros.
At this rate, it’s almost every month that the retro game market pushes the limits of auctions. A trend that is confirmed once again with a sale of 2 million dollars, 1.7 million euros for, again, the first Super Mario Bros. At that price, the buyer leaves with an unopened cartridge, almost in good condition. sine qua non to this type of sale. The auction took place at Rally, a website specializing in the sale of collectibles.
We don’t stop retro video game auctions anymore
Rally purchased the “only” cartridge 140,000 dollars (119,000 euros). The site then turned down an offer of $300,000 (€255,000), obviously not generous enough for its taste. It was finally a collector who wanted to remain anonymous who battled the cartridge after the most expensive sale in video game history. We only know about him that he “It invests large sums of money in the video game world”.
However, The new record probably won’t last long, according to the exponential evolution of the market, which started at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic. Another Mario game, or another saga, may well take over in a few weeks. “I think we’re starting to see the natural progression of ‘What else? What are the things that have gained value since my childhood that I miss? ” “, said Rob Petrozzo, creator of Rally, to explain this new type of phenomenon.
Source: The New York Times