【Halinghing】

NFTs are Halinghingall the money-making rage lately, but it seems a good ol' fashioned vintage video game will still make you big bucks at an auction.

Heritage Auctions sold off an unopened, pristinely packaged Super Mario Bros.from 1986 for a grand total of $660,000. According to AP News, it was a Christmas gift. Whoever it was intended for must not have been a huge video game person, because it sat untouched in a drawer for 35 years with all of its original packaging intact.

The back of the most expensive Super Mario Bros. game ever. Credit: HA.com

Perhaps even more bizarre, the seemingly inconsequential packaging was a key factor on whether the game sale would net hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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"This particular copy was produced in late 1986, which means it was one of the earliest copies produced that had plastic shrink wrap, rather than sticker seal, and a perforated cardboard hangtab," said Valerie McLeckie, Heritage Auctions Video Games Director, in a statement. "By early 1987, Nintendo was producing a version that had another new variation to their original packaging.”

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Because of the rarity of the specific game copy and its flawless condition, it was rated at a near-perfect 9.6 out of 10 for auction.

In comparison, the previous record holder for highest game sale at Heritage Auctions was an original Super Mario Bros. 3game, netting $156,000 in Nov. 2020. This, too, was bought and forgotten about, building up value over the years.

Heritage Auctions also sold the 1987 version of Super Mario Bros., rated a 9.4 out of 10, in July 2020 for $114,000. In 2019, the same game sold for $100,150, and in 2017, eBay seller DKOldies sold their version for just over $30,000.

SEE ALSO: 'Breath of the Wild' reinvented Zelda games. 'Bowser's Fury' does that for Mario.

If you somehow still have an interest in buying the latest record-breaking copy, Heritage Auction's website currently allows you to make an offer to the owner for $990,000 or more. You know, pocket change.

Ironically, this particular Super Mario Bros. was priced at only $25 at its 1985 release in the US. So if you don'thave almost a million dollars to blow. try buying a $60 Super Mario game sometime this year and forget about it for a couple decades. It's possible you'll be patting yourself on the back for an incredible investment down the line.

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