Sealed copy of Super Mario 64 sold for R22 million

Over R121 million was spent at an auction for classic video games that ran from 9 to 11 July.

The item that drew the biggest bid was a sealed 1996 copy of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 gaming console, which sold for R22.3 million.

The Video Games Signature Auction hosted by Heritage Auctions saw a total of 493 games go up for sale. From a collector’s perspective, it seems that even some relatively recent titles can already be considered modern classics.

Featured games were for platforms from the original Nintendo 64 up to the more recent Xbox 360.

This included games such as The Elder Scrolls, Assassin’s Creed, Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, and Minecraft. Numerous post-2000 titles sold for multiple times their original market value.

Super Mario 64 received the highest bid, becoming the most expensive video game ever sold. A 1987 early-production unit of The Legend of Zelda took second place at R12.5 million, and a 1991 Super Mario World copy came in at third-highest, selling for R5.2 million.

The most expensive game sold for the original Playstation console was a 1997 copy of Final Fantasy VII, which sold for R2.1 million.

Taking the spot for the most expensive original Xbox game was a 2001 copy of Halo Combat Evolved, selling for R447,900.

Gears of War was the Xbox 360 title that drew the highest bid, with the 2006 copy going for R206,700.

The most expensive Playstation 2 title was a 2002 copy of Kingdom Hearts, which sold for R112,000.

A plethora of Grand Theft Auto titles were up for auction, and a 2004 Playstation 2 copy of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas attracted the highest bid — going for R163,600.

Minecraft also featured at the auction, with a 2012 Xbox 360 copy selling for R79,300.

A 2011 copy of Skyrim for Xbox 360 was the only title from the past decade to feature at the auction, and it sold for R8,600.

Here is a list of the top 10 items with the highest selling prices:

Now read: Internet addresses worth R1.8 billion seized