Super Mario 64 might be over 25 years old, but the game is still setting records to this day. A sealed copy of the game has just sold for $1.56 million dollars--the most ever for a video game. The reason behind the demand and staggering price of this version of Super Mario 64 was due to its near-immaculate condition. Sealed, and officially rated a 9.8 by grading company Wata Games, meaning it's almost as pristine as the day it left the factory, Heritage Auctions claims that this is the highest-graded copy of Super Mario 64 in the world.

Super Mario 64 - Wata 9.8 A++ Sealed, N64 Nintendo 1996 USA. Well -- we're a bit speechless on this one. What can we even say that would do this copy the justice it deserves? The cultural significance of this title and its importance to the history of video games is paramount, and the condition of this copy is just so breathtaking that we're really at a loss here. If you have had your heart set on obtaining the highest graded copy of the single best-selling video game on the Nintendo 64 -- the first 3D adventure of Nintendo's mascot, Mario -- we only have one piece of advice: this is not an opportunity to waste.

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[Deleted member 194275]

Somebody please warn the buyer that this game is loaded with bugs.

 

[Julie_Pilgrim]

View attachment 269791

A sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda was recently sold for $870k as well iirc.

brb gonna dig through my dad's things to find something for way more than its worth

 

[pedro702]

there are way too many copies of sm64 out there for this to be worth 1.5 million imo, this is just insane.

 

[diggeloid]

Whenever I see one of these stories of a retro game selling for a bunch of money, it's usually some really old game that was released when I wasn't alive, but I actually had this one when I was a kid. I guess that means I'm getting old :[

I wonder if a brand-new sealed copy of Odyssey will be a good investment for my future retirement?

 

[Bladexdsl]

fools and their money

 

[Rafciu]

Enstein quotes still accurate

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe

 

[depaul]

Auctions should be illegal, or at least regulated by a maximum amount.

 

[weatMod]

Damn, why can't I ever get that lucky to sell a game for that price? lol

this is probably the closest I will ever come
I have a sealed copy like this one because I bought it before I got my blue new N3DS XL from play Asia ,AU model and then needed to buy a EU copy
I wonder what it will be going for in 20 years
this seller wants $129 and he has SEVEN COPIES! so not exactly that rare

but I rememebr seeing one list for like $60,000 or some ridiculous price when it was first announced by Smea

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-...163757&hash=item35ffaeb572:g:L-sAAMXQcVNQ87UR

 

[Mama Looigi]

Auctions should be illegal, or at least regulated by a maximum amount.

What would the fun in that be? An auction is an auction because the person who wants it the most will pay the most and rightly so :3

 

[GTRagnarok]

Here are a couple of enlightening comments about this shit:

 

[munnimann]

Is El Chapo making the sell for money laundering?

I honestly think money laundering is the simple answer here, yes.

 

[pedro702]

Auctions should be illegal, or at least regulated by a maximum amount.

if there was a maximum amount a guy would just say the maximum first and end the auction lol it would be just unfair tbh.

 

[FAST6191]

As with others I am used to this being one of a kind versions of items (dev versions, recalls, low volumes in specific regions, rare glitched versions...) but a super popular launch title... yeah I don't get it, even for a nice condition new in box title (I can understand them commanding a bit of premium for those that want a shiny collection but my estimate of said premium is probably a rounding error or less than the credit card charge, sales tax or similar compared to this). I will have to assume it is some kind of investment or laundering play.

Auctions should be illegal, or at least regulated by a maximum amount.

Some auctions do start from a max and fall from there (see Dutch auction for one style of them) but who would regulate it, why would anybody regulate it (who is really being hurt by this*?) and generally fiddling in the economy at that level is a bad plan -- there are billions of items, billions of needs (my glass of water is worth nothing really to you or I, dying man in a desert... well now. This usually appearing as something is worth what someone else is willing to pay), new things discovered, sources drying up, sources changing radically and all that is just the seconds you spent reading this... fiddling with things often has wildly unintended consequences further down the line (or everybody just starts a black market which is bad for everybody).


*fine art and collectables fall under that... I am not going to say it is all money laundering as I am sure there is one person that likes the item and has serious cash to blow but could be, however when said money launderers are also high society and your biggest campaign donors then politicos care less.

 

[ZeroFX]

Very nice for who bought it! Also, im seeing some poor souls are already acting butthurt here, lets grab some popcorn.

 

[JFizDaWiz]

[redacted]

 

[atreyu187]

 

[wurstpistole]

this is probably the closest I will ever come
I have a sealed copy like this one because I bought it before I got my blue new N3DS XL from play Asia ,AU model and then needed to buy a EU copy
I wonder what it will be going for in 20 years
this seller wants $129 and he has SEVEN COPIES! so not exactly that rare

but I rememebr seeing one list for like $60,000 or some ridiculous price when it was first announced by Smea

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-...163757&hash=item35ffaeb572:g:L-sAAMXQcVNQ87UR

The one and only reason that Cubic Ninja was ever worth money was that it was used as an entrypoint in early to mid 3DS hacking, otherwise no one would have given two shits about that game

 

[munnimann]

Very nice for who bought it! Also, im seeing some poor souls are already acting butthurt here, lets grab some popcorn.

Being able to tell the difference between price and value has nothing to do with being butthurt. Being unable to do it has something to do with idolizing money above common sense.

 

[CMDreamer]

Morons trying to sell their junk "newly-sealed" games at higher prices coming soon...

 

[Jayro]

So was it for charity, or...?