Rare sticker-sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. sells for $3 million
A sealed second-production copy of Super Mario Bros. for NES, featuring a glossy sticker seal used briefly in 1986, fetched $3 million at Heritage Auctions, marking it as the most expensive video game ever sold at auction.
Heritage Auctions has sold a rare sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System for $3 million on Friday. The game is from the second production run and features an intact glossy sticker seal, a packaging method Nintendo employed only for a short period in 1986 before switching to shrink wrap. According to the auction house, only three such copies are known to exist, and this one is the best preserved, graded PSA 9.6 A++.
The game remained untouched for 40 years, still boxed with a launch edition NES Control Deck, in its original packaging with the plastic intact. It originates from the Los Angeles test market era, during Nintendo's early expansion into the United States. Heritage Auctions described it as "the most significant video game ever offered at auction," as it represents the moment Super Mario Bros. transformed console gaming from a struggling novelty into a permanent part of cultural history.
Because games from that time were not protected by plastic, finding an example in such pristine condition decades later is exceptionally rare. The auction house noted that this specific variant has never appeared in a public auction in sealed condition, underscoring its extreme rarity. The sale sets a new record for a single video game, reflecting the enduring appeal and historical importance of the iconic title.
