'Super Mario 64' Video Game Grabs Record $1.56M As Graded Sealed Game Sales Heat Up

Over the past year, sales of sealed, graded video games have joined the collectible frenzy that has seen strong sales of graded sports cards and Pokemon cards.

What Happened: On July 11, a sealed copy of "Super Mario 64" was sold by Heritage Auctions for $1.56 million.

The game was graded a 9.8 A++, the highest grade given by Wata, a top video game grader.

The record breaks a video game record that was set two days earlier with the $870,000 purchase price of a sealed graded copy of "The Legend of Zelda" for NES.

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Why It’s Important: Over the past 12 months, there have been a number of video games that sold for more than $100,000 including "Super Mario Bros." for $114,000 in July 2020, "Super Mario Bros. 3" for $156,000 in November and "Super Mario Bros." for $660,000 in April 2021, all games originally sold by Nintendo Co NTDOY.

Fractional ownership sites like Rally Rd have created a way for investors to own a piece of the growing video game segment.

Rally Rd has a 1987 "Legend of Zelda" game valued at $115,000 listed as coming soon.

Owners of a 1985 NES "Super Mario Bros" game graded 9.8 A+ turned down a $484,505 buyout offer. The game is valued at $690,000 on the platform going from $50 per share to $230 share since its listing.