A sealed copy of Super Mario 64 in “breathtaking” condition sold for a world record $1.56 million this weekend, according to auctioneers.
The unidentified buyer’s purchase of the game, which came out in 1996, broke a record that was just set on Friday by the sale of a The Legend of Zelda game, Heritage Auctions in Dallas said on Sunday.
“What can we even say that would do this copy the justice it deserves?” the auction house said in a description for the Mario game, which it identified as the iconic character’s first 3-D presentation. “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.”
The unopened version of Super Mario 64, which sold more copies than any other game for the Nintendo 64 system, is one of less than five unopened copies of the game, Heritage Auctions said in an announcement.
?#HERITAGELIVE #WORLDRECORD!! Super Mario 64 – Wata 9.8 A++ Sealed, N64 Nintendo 1996 USA just sold for $1,560,000 at #HeritageAuctions, smashing previous mark of $870K, set Friday at Heritage for The Legend of Zelda! https://t.co/SUgiijkkzL#SuperMario #Nintendo #N64 #WATA pic.twitter.com/rHpTuZl95l
— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) July 11, 2021
“It seems impossible to overstate the importance of this title, not only to the history of Mario and Nintendo, but to video games as a whole,” Heritage Auctions specialist Valarie McLeckie said in a statement, calling the item “a true prize for any serious collector.”
Before the Sunday sale, a sealed version of The Legend of Zelda for NES Nintendo, released in 1987, made the record for highest-selling video game after it was purchased for $870,000 on July 9.
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The record holder before Zelda was another Super Mario Bros. game from 1985, also for the NES system, which sold for $660,000 on April 2.
