Details: This copy is further unique in that it is a "No Code" type, meaning it only says "NES - GP" on the back of the box by the Nintendo logo (other variants have game-specific codes), and is sealed in shrink wrap. What's more, the "TM" marking is missing from the front of the box after the word "System." It's also a "No Rev-A." variant.
An ultra rare version of the original Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System has fetched an astounding $660,000 at auction.
The game in question is a sealed copy of the popular title that put Nintendo on the map in North American in the mid-80s. This particular example carries a 9.6 A+ rating from the Wata game grading service and according to the auction listing, it is both the finest plastic-sealed copy with a perforated cardboard hangtab they've ever offered (of any black box title) and also the oldest sealed copy of SMB to pass through their hands.
At $660,000, the auction represents the most ever paid for a video game. A slightly different version of the same game sold for $114,000 at auction last year.
The seller, who wished to remain anonymous, said the game was purchased in late 1986 as a Christmas gift but ended up being put inside a desk drawer and forgotten about until earlier this year.
"It stayed in the bottom of my office desk this whole time since the day I bought it," said the seller. "I never thought anything about it."