Graded Super Mario Bros. NES Cartridge Hits $75,000

Heritage Auctions is offering a PSA 9.0 first-production copy of the classic game with nearly two weeks left in the bidding.

Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Collecting

Flat-color retro graphic illustration of a centered cartridge-shaped pixel-block silhouette on a cream field in red, black, and cyan.
A graded first-production copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System has drawn a $75,000 bid at Heritage Auctions with nearly two weeks left. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Heritage Auctions is selling a PSA 9.0 graded first-production copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the current bid has reached $75,000 with almost two weeks remaining. The copy includes its original sticker and manual.

Why it matters

The auction reflects continued strong demand for high-grade vintage video game cartridges, particularly early Nintendo releases. Prices for top-condition examples have climbed sharply in recent months.

The auction's current bid stands at $75,000 for a PSA 9.0 graded copy, compared with a $40,000 sale for a PSA 8.5 matte sticker variant months earlier. The auction ends November 20, 2026, and the final price has not yet been determined.

The players

Heritage Auctions

Heritage Auctions is a Dallas-based auction house that regularly sells high-value collectibles, including vintage video games.

Nintendo

Nintendo is the Japanese video game company that developed Super Mario Bros. and released the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The details

The auctioned cartridge comes from the first production run and has a matte sticker seal, which is characteristic of the limited test-market release of the Nintendo Entertainment System in New York. Heritage Auctions is offering it as part of a video games lot focused on late-1980s NES cartridges.

Timeline

  1. October 1985: Nintendo releases the Nintendo Entertainment System.

  2. June 2026: A factory-sealed PSA 9.6 copy of Super Mario Bros. sells for $3 million.

  3. November 20, 2026: The Heritage Auctions bidding closes.

Season Trajectory

The $3 million factory-sealed sale in June 2026 set a benchmark that places this $75,000 graded copy within a broader tiered market for early Nintendo cartridges. High-grade examples of the game continue to draw strong interest as scarcity increases.

Collectors considering vintage game purchases can see how sealed and high-grade examples are priced relative to opened copies. Buyers weighing a bid should factor in grading condition and the auction's closing date.

The takeaway

Condition and packaging strongly influence the value of vintage game cartridges. Collectors interested in high-grade copies should compare recent sale results before placing a bid.

What happens next

The Heritage Auctions bidding for this Super Mario Bros. cartridge closes on November 20, 2026.

Further reading

Explore more stories in the Collecting section for additional coverage of valuable vintage games and other collectibles.

Source note: This article includes information reported by Comicbook.

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