Video game collectors are incredibly dedicated to the hobby and are often willing to spend jaw-dropping amounts for copies of rare games. But nothing can compare to a recently completed auction for a sealed copy of Super Mario 64. The sealed and graded Super Mario 64 has sold for $1.56 million, an unprecedented amount of money not just for this specific game but for any game, ever. This $1.56 million price tag for Super Mario 64 is easily the highest sale price for a game yet.
The auction was carried out at Heritage Auctions, which is currently holding a Video Game Signature Auction between July 9 and July 11. The item is a boxed copy of Super Mario 64 originally made for release in the United States in 1996. What makes the game particularly rare and valuable, however, is the condition of the unopened box. It was given a 9.8 garding by Wata Games, a service that grades and seals games, giving it a "Like New" condition.
Even then, it's difficult to understand why this specific game sold for such an unbelievable amount. The condition of the Super Mario 64 box alone certainly lends the game an extreme rarity, as there are few copies of the game that remain boxed let alone boxed in near-mint condition. Mostly, though, it just goes to show that there are video game collectors out there willing to spend that much money to have the game. They likely aren't picking it up to collect all of Super Mario 64's stars, though.
Heritage Auctions has never sold a copy of Super Mario 64 with a 9.8 Wada grading before. However, it has sold a copy graded at 9.6. The just slightly worse-graded copy of Super Mario 64 sold for just $13,200 and sold the same day. Needless to say, just that small step up in quality was enough to persuade one buyer that its rarity was worth the cost. But it isn't just the rarity, as a 9.8 copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sold for $870,000. There must be something about Super Mario 64.
The giant leap in price could perhaps have been driven by another recent auction. Heritage Auctions recently sold a copy of the 1990 US release of The Legend of Zelda for $870,000. It was only graded 9.0, but given its age stands to be quite rare, as well. It's possible that collectors saw the incredible price of that auction, which finished on Friday, and drove this copy of Super Mario 64 that much higher.
What this means for the future of video game collections remains to be seen. The demand for Wada-graded rare video games is clearly entering a boom period. These prices could climb all the higher. A lot of video game players will be looking through their parents' closets hoping to find forgotten birthday presents.
Super Mario 64 releases in 1996 for the Nintendo 64.