Rare Super Mario Cartridges Discovered in Wisconsin
Several years ago, a pop culture store owner in Wisconsin alerted Jason Ganos, a renowned Nintendo game collector, about a box of Super Mario cartridges stored away for years. This turned out to be an extraordinary find for Ganos.
The collection included 97 pristine copies of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt, a popular Nintendo game from 1988. According to Ganos, these cartridges represented a new variant of the game, marking the last known production date.
Most of these cartridges are set to be auctioned online starting Friday, with the auction lasting until September 9. Ganos expressed his disbelief, stating, “I still don’t quite believe that any of this is happening.”
Ganos has been deeply involved in the Nintendo community for over a decade, even running Nintendo Wire, a news service dedicated to Nintendo announcements and nostalgia. Despite his expertise, he hesitated to predict the value of the games, recognizing their uniqueness the moment he saw the box.
“It’s like pulling out like a Holy Grail,” Ganos remarked, admiring the cartridges’ immaculate condition.
The discovery occurred after the store owner, Kevin Braun of One Stop Wonders, reached out to Ganos for help selling various items, including common Nintendo games and Pokémon cards. Braun had acquired the box of Mario cartridges from a customer years ago, with the family initially viewing them as unsellable metal scraps.
The cartridges, produced in 1993, were surprising, as Nintendo had stopped the bundle in 1991. The reason behind their production remains unclear, with Braun and Ganos speculating they might have been for warranty replacements or an abandoned retail bundle deal.
Recognizing the potential value, Ganos quickly traveled to California with the 97 cartridges, nervously navigating airport security. Arriving safely, he met with experts to authenticate and grade the cartridges, assessing their worth.
Remarkably, five of the cartridges received a perfect score at Professional Sports Authenticator video games, an unprecedented achievement for NES cartridges. Ganos anticipated historical significance for these top-rated items, emphasizing their connection to many childhood memories.
In the collector’s market, ultra-rare video game cartridges, especially those with unique production histories, can command prices ranging from six to seven figures. The pristine condition of these cartridges contributes to their high potential value.
Ganos refrained from estimating the total worth of the collection, noting their incomparable nature to past collectibles. While no figures were finalized, he speculated values could range significantly, potentially reaching thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
For now, only three of the perfect 10 cartridges will be sold at the Golden Pop’s Culture Auction. Ganos and Braun are keeping several, including one perfect 10 each and a few high-scoring ones.
The games are functioning, but Ganos prefers preserving their pristine state. “Finding uncirculated stuff for me is just like super exciting,” he said, reflecting on the personal significance of Mario Duck Hunt in his life.
Following the current auction, Braun and Ganos plan to organize a charity auction, further extending the impact of their remarkable discovery.