A sealed copy of Super Mario 64 broke a new record by selling for nearly $1.6 million in an auction that ended July 11.After the auction closed, Heritage Auctions shared the news on Twitter, writing, "#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!"
As mentioned in the tweet, the sale surpassed the previous record set by a rare variant of The Legend of Zelda, which sold for $870,000 on July 9. Those two games are among a handful of other video games that have brought in big bucks over the last year. According to The Verge, that list also includes a copy of Super Mario Bros. that sold for $114,000 on July 10, 2020; a copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 that sold for $156,000 on Nov. 23, 2020; and a copy of Super Mario Bros. that sold for $660,000 on April 2.
Heritage Auctions is also currently selling a Super Mario 64 - Wata 8.5 A+ Sealed, N64 Nintendo 1996 USA cartridge that features a current bid of $6,250 and a Super Mario 64 - Wata 8.0 A+ Sealed, N64 Nintendo 1996 USA cartridge with a current bid of $5,750. Both of those items are described as being in stand-out condition, but not quite as impeccable as the one that's already sold.
The mint-condition Super Mario 64 cartridge is described on the Heritage Auctions website as the "Highest Graded Copy of Super Mario 64." Meanwhile, the official description reads,
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.
First released in 1996, Super Mario 64 was the first Super Mario game to feature 3D gameplay. It was developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo. A remake of the game was released for the Nintendo DS in 2004 and was followed by Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Nintendo Switch in 2020. That release serves as a compilation of Mario 64 2002's Super Mario Sunshine and 2007's Super Mario Galaxy.