Image via eBay
Over the weekend, a vintage game collector auctioned an original version of Nintendo World Championships. With the starting bid set at $4,999, the game sold for nearly $100,000 on eBay. This game cartridge is compatible with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) that was released in 1985.
The rare video game cartridge had a ripped cover where someone meagerly scrawled “Mario” across the front in blue ink. Obviously, the game’s previous owner did not foresee the value of such a game.
There were only 116 copies of Nintendo World Champions issued upon its release; hence its rarity. This game was created for the real-life video game Nintendo World Championships in 1990 that toured through 29 cities. All 90 semi-finalists were offered entry for their progress within the competition.
The game contained three abbreviated versions of the popular Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris. These mini-games were designed to match the format of the real-life competition. The player would have a time limit to successfully complete the three games, while gaining as many points as possible.
The very rare gold edition of Nintendo World Championships
The competitors in the Championships were given six minutes to complete games while racking up points. The winners would attain a trophy, a trip to Universal Studios, and an assortment of other prizes.
Golden cartridges were also issued as part of a similar competition held through Nintendo Power magazine.
According to the tech connoisseur and Computer and Video Games editor Chris Scullion, this game is “considered to be the Holy Grail among Nintendo collectors.”
In 2011, this same game in better condition appeared in a charity auction for $11,000.
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