A 1985 cartridge of Super Mario Bros. has sold for $114,000/£90,300, setting a new world record for the most expensive video game ever sold at public auction.
The game, which has been sealed and unplayed for 35 years, was sold during a public auction earlier this week, knocking the previous record-holder – a 1987 sealed copy of Mega Man, which was sold for $75,000 last year – off the top spot.
According to a press release, "collectors coveted the copy because it has been sealed since 1985 and retained its original hangtab".
In related news, the world's only known Nintendo PlayStation was recently sold at auction for an eye-watering $360,000 (£275,000), generating twelve times its opening bid of $30K. That $360K includes a 20 per cent "buyers premium" fee, but it's still a bargain, really, given how quickly the bid accelerated when the lot was first put up for sale.
"This prototype has been around the world and back again, admired and appreciated by video game enthusiasts from all over," the item description teased when it went up for sale. "Even though this is the closing of this portion of its narrative, it will continue to remain a pivotal piece of video game history no matter where it ends up."
