01What happened

The story, straight

A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. sold at Heritage Auctions on June 12 for $3 million, crushing the previous record of $2 million set in 2021 for the same game. The copy, from a 1985 second-production run, is sealed with a glossy sticker that was discontinued shortly after in favor of shrink-wrap plastic. Heritage Auctions says it's the earliest known sealed copy in existence and one of only three known from that production run. It received a 9.6 rating from Professional Sports Authenticator. The lot included a boxed NES console.

someone just paid $3 million for a sealed Super Mario Bros. at Heritage Auctions — the game that literally came free with the NES for $150. the thing that made this copy worth more than a house is a glossy sticker seal from a 1985 production run that got discontinued almost immediately for regular shrink-wrap. Heritage says there are only three known sealed copies from that run and this is the earliest. PSA gave it a 9.6. The previous record was $2 million in 2021, also for Mario.

02Spread timeline

Where it actually started

1985Origin
Second-production run of Super Mario Bros. sealed with glossy sticker before switch to shrink-wrap.Nintendo ships a second Mario Bros. production run sealed with a gloss sticker instead of shrink-wrap
source
2021
Previous record: sealed Super Mario Bros. sells for $2 million.another sealed Mario sells for $2M, setting the old record
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Jun 12, 2026
Sealed Super Mario Bros. copy with 9.6 PSA rating sells for $3 million, breaking the record.Heritage Auctions sells the earliest known sealed copy for $3M
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03Source receipts

Every claim, linked

The Verge
Report on the $3 million sale, noting the gloss sticker seal, the 2021 $2M record, and the 2021 Super Mario 64 auction for context
primaryrssreceipt
Kotaku
Detailed report on the June 12 Heritage Auctions sale, including the 9.6 PSA grade, the gloss sticker production detail, and the claim of only three known sealed copies from the 1985 run
primaryrssreceipt

04What's solid, what isn't

What's solid and what isn't

Confirmed
  • A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. sold at Heritage Auctions on June 12, 2026 for $3 million.
  • The previous record was $2 million for a sealed Super Mario Bros. in 2021.
  • The copy received a 9.6 rating from Professional Sports Authenticator.
  • The seal is a glossy sticker from a 1985 second-production run, discontinued shortly after in favor of shrink-wrap.
Disputed
  • Heritage Auctions' claim that this is the earliest known sealed copy from the 1985 production run.
  • Heritage Auctions' claim that only three known sealed copies exist from this production run.

05Why it matters

The editorial take

The $3 million sale marks a 50% jump over the previous record and reflects the continued escalation of sealed-game collecting as an asset class. The gap between this sale and the controversial $1.56 million Super Mario 64 auction in 2021 shows how condition, production rarity, and authentication grading are driving prices into territory once reserved for fine art.

the sealed-game market keeps eating itself. $1.56M for Mario 64 in 2021 felt unhinged, then $2M for another Mario, now $3M. condition and production quirks are turning mass-market cartridges into blue-chip assets. someone out there is treating a pack-in game like a Basquiat.