Rare copy of 'Super Mario Bros.' for the NES sells for over $100,000

A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System has been sold at auction for over $100,000, Heritage Auctions announced on Thursday. That's some serious coin.

This copy of Super Mario Bros. not only contains one of the most popular games of all time, it also happens to be a pretty rare copy of said game. Not only is it in great condition, it is currently the only known copy of Super Mario Bros. that is sticker sealed. That explains why it broke the record for the highest selling price for a graded game, netting $100,150.

There's only two variations of Super Mario Bros. that came with sticker seals, according to Wata Games, which graded this game before sale. Nintendo used to use sticker seals before it started using shrink wrap to seal its games, and this particular iteration of Super Mario Bros. packaging only came to test markets in New York City and Los Angeles in 1985 and early '86.

So this game survived without ever being opened and, not only that, being barely damaged at all despite not coming with shrink wrap. Pretty impressive.

The box itself is graded by Wata Games as a 9.4, neat mint, and the sticker seal has a rating of A++.

The rarity and condition of this particular Super Mario Bros. game has a huge impact on its price point. The same game without a sticker and with a hangtab sold for $30,000. While this one is the only known copy in its condition, the version that sold for $30,000 was one of a dozen.

Rarity and peculiarities mean a lot in the collecting world.