In Wisconsin, a pop culture store owner recently turned to Jason Ganos, a prominent Nintendo game collector, with an intriguing find: a box of Super Mario cartridges that had been in storage for years. What Ganos discovered was an ultrarare collection of 97 pristine copies of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt, a game released in 1988.
Upon examining these cartridges, Ganos realized they were not only a variant of the game but also represented the last known production date. Most of these cartridges are set for an online auction, running until September 9.
Ganos, deeply embedded in the Nintendo community with over 10 years of experience operating Nintendo Wire, expressed his disbelief about the discovery. The box’s contents struck him as special immediately, likening it to finding a “Holy Grail.” This happened after Kevin Braun, owner of One Stop Wonders outside Milwaukee, asked Ganos to assist in selling various items, including common Nintendo games and Pokémon cards.
I still don’t quite believe that any of this is happening.
The cartridges originated in 1993, two years after Nintendo ended the bundle’s production. Braun and Ganos speculate they might have been warranty replacements or part of an unfulfilled retail bundle.
Aware of their potential significance, Ganos flew to California, nervously carrying the 97 cartridges to have them verified and graded by video game experts. Professional Sports Authenticator had never rated a cartridge as a perfect 10 before. Remarkably, five of the 97 received this top score.
Ganos believes this grading holds historical importance, as an NES cartridge had never achieved such a rating before. Ultrarare video game cartridges with unique production backgrounds can fetch six- to seven-figure sums in the collector’s market, and Ganos notes the untouched condition of this collection adds to its value.
Currently, three of the cartridges with perfect scores will go on auction at Golden Pop’s Culture Auction. Ganos and Braun will keep one of these perfect copies, along with others that are highly rated.
Finding uncirculated stuff for me is exciting. This game was the first video game I’ve ever played.
Ultimately, Braun and Ganos plan to continue their auction ventures with a charity auction following the current one.
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