Dumars2001

Ah! Yes, you are correct, it is indeed the 9th release after looking at it again. It is much rarer than the 10th release white seal, but definitely not released in 1985! Thanks.

I saw this copy up for auction at LCG Auctions (Link down below) but I am baffled by the print of this copy and after looking at WATA's Super Mario Bros Variant guide, I still can't figure out what print this copy is. LCG Auctions is saying that it was released in 1985 and the VGA label also says 1985. Below is LCG Auctions' description. Released alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System in late 1985, Super Mario Bros. helped launch the NES into the stratosphere and, by 1990, into an astonishing one third of American homes. Designed by the famed Shigeru Miyamoto, who Time Magazine has called, “the Spielberg of video games,” Super Mario Bros., with over 500 million units sold, has gone on to become the best selling video game franchise of all time. Despite being a Japanese creation, Mario quickly ascended to prominence in American popular culture. In fact, one North American study suggested more children in the United States were familiar with Mario than they were with Mickey Mouse. The New Yorker agreed, describing Mario as a folk hero with as much cultural influence as Disney’s most beloved character. Only in the last few years have factory sealed video games became mainstream collectibles. Instant nostalgia, beautiful display, and the extremely limited supply have boasted the vintage video game space into a white-hot market. Much like Mario led the way with the emergence of Nintendo into American pop culture, he leads the way as the most desirable commodity amongst collectors. Within the last few years, factory sealed high grade Super Mario Bros. games began to eclipse the six-figure mark at auction. And just recently, a record was set on April 2, 2021 when a collector paid a jaw dropping $660,000 for the icon - a factory sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. in nearly pristine condition. Offered here is considered the icon of icons: an original factory sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Highly coveted, this particular version of the masterpiece is also quite distinctive. The sole year date of 1985 adorns the reverse (as not to be confused with later released, lesser desirable copies that contain both “1985, 1989” year dates on back). On the front, the NES white oval seal of quality (SOQ) is coupled with “TM” as seen in earlier releases (vs. “R” in the later releases). Alas, this version of SMB was released in very short supply before Nintendo converted to the ubiquitous release. This magnificent example exudes factory fresh shine and vibrant color. It contains no creasing front or back and the only identifiable imperfection is typical corner wear. It’s professionally encased, authenticated, and graded a solid “70” by Video Game Authority (VGA). The scarcity, importance, and pop culture impact of Nintendo’s Mario cannot be overstated. Perhaps no single imagery from the decade of the 1980’s is as recognizable. It all started here with Super Mario Bros., a gem that would absolutely mark as a cornerstone of any collection. Encapsulated by VGA (70), #79077870 https://auction.lcgauctions.com/bids/bidplace?itemid=17

That is true, and I should have, because everything was 100% intact, but I ended up selling it on Ebay, as a gem mint CIB copy and worked with DOV for another sealed copy (his best available remaining copy) off Ebay.

Yes, you are right, so my game originated from Canada and was sent to the states (opened when it entered the states) and then over to me in Taiwan. Wow, you are old school and remember good ole Dov!

Oops, double post! Sorry!

I feel your pain and I am sorry this happened to you. About 10 years ago, I bought a nice sealed copy of Nes Snake's Revenge from a seller (DOV) in America. He sent it via FedEx. For some reason, it started off in the states, was sent to Canada and then back into the states and ultimately to me in Taiwan. When I opened the package up, it had been opened by customs in the the states (when it came back from Canada) and it did indeed have that dreaded little note saying it was opened by US customs for inspection. I remember being pretty bummed out and made a topic on NintendoAge about it, so I know exactly how you feel. Really sorry to hear this happened to you and I hope you and buyer can work it out.

Yes, I have to 100% agree with you that the WATA one is not $10,000 better than the VGA one!

Well spoken. Very good points!

Lol, you will only get a Capcom poster, if you decided to crack them open!

Yeah, they are listed insanely too high (or not) because a WATA 9.2 sold for $4,800 at Heritage Auctions back on May 3rd, 2020 and we know what a huge difference (spike) there has been in prices over the past 2 months alone.

What a crazy price difference between the 2 grading companies. WATA 9.2 listed for a firm $20,000 https://www.ebay.com/itm/265140420212?epid=167388924&hash=item3dbb99be74:g:RwgAAOSw-cJgiQ VGA 80+ listed for $10,975 with best offer option https://www.ebay.com/itm/184798414693?epid=167388924&hash=item2b06d80765:g:gE8AAOSwCUNgNVeT

I am also happy that Goldin will accept VGA graded games, but I am sure potential sellers will still observe which company (WATA or VGA) will bring the better COMPS between the two companies and of course crossover to WATA, if WATA games are still garnering a significantly higher sales amount compared to VGA, but still great to know that Goldin will accept VGA. Video game grading is probably going to become like sports cards, like PSA, BGS, etc.

Nes Kung Fu WATA 7.5 white seal (later print) sold for $4800. Another crazy sale! It didn't last long and someone just bought it at the seller's asking price, without even messing with the best offer option. Sealed stuff is being bought up on everything these days, especially the older systems! https://www.ebay.com/itm/324592794652?hash=item4b933cfc1c%3Ag%3AKasAAOSwG59ge2vu&nma=true&si=AFE28odtOjHeYSejMOkVwsZpUsA%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Nes Zelda VGA 80 white seal sold for $19,400. Seems like a pretty good deal for the buyer in today's market. It seems like ANY GAME that is factory sealed is selling for a premium these days, especially the Mario's, Tyson's, Metroid's, Pokemon's, Zelda's, etc. Minty CIB's are also going nuts, compared to just a month or so ago. Goldin Auctions entering the fray and accepting VGA games, is only going to increase everything in value/price even more. About a month ago, I wasn't really sure if these prices/sales were real, but with each passing day, it seems like prices continue to go higher and higher on everything and there must be more and more people entering the hobby, because of all these unreal sales and exposure happening now. I honestly think most of these sale prices will look low in the future (because of more and more collectors coming into the hobby, supply is simply not keeping up with demand these days), so I would recommend buying up anything sealed, minty, or rare right now (if you can) and if you have anything sealed, rare or minty, I would hold and not sell right now (even though you could probably get 25x or more than what you paid for for some of your games). Just my humble opinion. These days, if you own some of the sought after titles, you can sell them and buy a new car or house. I still can't believe this explosion and popularity in the hobby and what I am witnessing. https://www.ebay.com/itm/254760167707?hash=item3b50e3a91b%3Ag%3Ai38AAOSwiEFflwqq&nma=true&si=mdOX%2BnMVPOWLIXF1d8vkNA2fV34%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Nes 1987 Zelda VGA 85 appears to have sold for $150,000. If this game cross-grades to a WATA at 9.4 or 9.6, I can see it selling for over $500,000 in today's market. I know this is crazy to say (getting easier and easier to say these days though), but I think the buyer got a "good deal!" Just my humble opinion. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-Factory-Sealed-The-Legend-of-Zelda-Silver-Seal-NES-VGA-Graded-85-/174732824941?epid=5733&hash=item28aee3516d%3Ag%3AtbEAAOSwXmpeuptq&nma=true&si=AFE28odtOjHeYSejMOkVwsZpUsA%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ha! Oh yeah, I always wanted to buy a Ferrari!!

Wow! Every print of a sealed Super Mario Bros is on absolute fire these days!!

I just found this on CertifiedLink's website: All transactions are subject to a three percent (3%) Buyer’s Premium which is in addition to the purchase price, which premium will be rebated if the purchase price is paid on time and under certain payment terms, such as check, money order, or bank wire. So, the sold prices for CertifiedLink look like they don't include any buyer's premium in their final sold price, which makes the comparison of CL's prices and HA"s prices even closer and in some cases, the CL prices beat HA's prices.

I think HA only charges the seller 10% for fees and I read that you can negotiate the seller's fee down, depending on what you are selling and how much you are selling at HA. I am unsure of what CL charges the seller but it is nice to see that they will auction off VGA graded games.

I agree with you, it would have been nice to see some high grade Pokemon and Mario games auctioned off at CertifiedLink yesterday (and see their final prices), but Pokemon and Mario games have been selling for extremely high prices on Ebay over the past few months already, so I am slowly turning into a believer of this massive popularity and high prices in the hobby. I am not saying there weren't any shenanigans going on with that record Super Mario Bros sale for $660,000, but it appears some of these sales are much more legit than I previously had thought. Once again, just my own humble opinion.

Heritage Auction House is 100% the bigger auction house between the two and definitely has much more notoriety, popularity and bidders than CertifiedLink, so the sold prices being so similar, combined with such high sold Ebay prices over the past few months for raw, sealed and CIB games, certainly lends more credibility to me that what is going on in the hobby right now is in fact pretty real! Just my humble opinion at this point.

Well CertifiedLink's Auction ended yesterday and here are some comparisons in price with WATA, VGA and recent Heritage Auctions below. Aside from the Tetris, I was surprised with the little difference in prices. I know this is just a small sample size but this does show that there may not be a big WATA and Heritage Auctions conspiracy going on after all. **The Nes Mike Tyson's Punchout black seal CertifiedLink WATA 6.0 sold for a whopping $29,500!** Nes Tengen Tetris Heritage Auctions WATA 9.6 sold for $36,000 Nes Tengen Tetris CertifiedLink VGA 85+ sold for $10,111 N64 Mario Party 2 Heritage Auctions WATA 9.8 sold for $12,600 & a WATA 9.4 (same day in early April)sold for $4,800 N64 Mario Party VGA CertifiedLink VGA 85+ sold for $3,133 Sega Genesis Maximum Carnage Heritage Auctions WATA 9.6 sold for $6,000 Sega Genesis Maximum Carnage CertifiedLink VGA 85+ sold for $3,600 Nes Bartman Heritage Auctions WATA 8.0 sold for $3,120 Nes Bartman CertifiedLink WATA 8.0 sold for $2,305 Turbo Grafx 16 Bonk's Adventure Heritage Auctions WATA 9.8 sold for $11,400 Turbo Grafx 16 Bonk's Adventure CertifiedLink VGA 90 sold for $10,250 Snes Street Fighter 2 Heritage Auctions WATA 9.6 sold for $7,200 Snes Street Fighter 2 CertifiedLink VGA 90 sold for $9,851 Snes Final Fight Heritage Auctions WATA 9.8 sold for $4,320 Snes Final Fight CertifiedLink VGA 90 sold for $4,544 Nes Willow Heritage Auctions WATA 9.8 sold for $2,640 Nes Willow CertifiedLink VGA 85+ sold for $1,500 Sega Saturn Doom Heritage Auctions WATA 9.8 sold for $2,040 Sega Saturn Doom CertifiedLink VGA 90 (uncirculated) sold for $1,300 Sega Genesis NBA Jam T.E. Heritage Auctions WATA 9.6 sold for $2,160 Sega Genesis NBA Jam T.E. CeritfiedLink VGA 90 sold for $1,000 Nes Wario's Woods Heritage Auctions WATA 9.6 $1,080 Nes Wario's woods CertifiedLink VGA 90 (uncirculated) sold for $659

Nes Kid Klown sealed in today's market selling for $12,350 seems like a steal to me, but Nes WCW Wrestling (especially WCW) and Nes Goonies 2 selling for $7,600 a piece seems unreal to me! But, I guess we should start getting used to these prices in today's market?! Wow! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kid-Klown-NES-Factory-Sealed-H-Seam-/254930446259?hash=item3b5b09e7b3%3Ag%3AK3QAAOSwC1lga600&nma=true&si=mdOX%2BnMVPOWLIXF1d8vkNA2fV34%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Goonies-2-NES-Factory-Sealed-H-Seam-/254930456700?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=mdOX%2BnMVPOWLIXF1d8vkNA2fV34%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc https://www.ebay.com/itm/WCW-Wrestling-NES-Factory-Sealed-H-Seam-/254930469588?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=mdOX%2BnMVPOWLIXF1d8vkNA2fV34%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc

There is no doubt that prices are much higher for graded/sealed games on ebay now, and that there are many new collectors coming into the hobby everyday, but I still don't know what to believe and what is real or not with the prices for some of the games these days. Is it all real or just an illusion?! Below is just one example that has got me baffled by these different price gaps on Ebay and Heritage Auctions. A Sega Genesis Sonic 2 Wata 9.8 just sold for $21,600 (crazy high amount of money for that game!) on April 2nd at Heritage and a Sonic 2 Wata graded 9.4 sold for $5,520 on November 22nd, 2020. Yes, I know that everything in the hobby has supposedly gotten much crazier since late last year, but then I see a Sonic 2 Vga 85+ currently for sale on Ebay for $5,000 or best offer that hasn't sold yet. I know it is VGA, but you would think if a WATA 9.8 sells for almost $22,000 that someone would buy this copy and cross grade it with WATA and probably get at least a 9.6 and possibly the same 9.8 grade that just sold for $21,600. The buyer of the VGA 85+ copy, then could theoretically sell it at Heritage and make a huge profit from buying this VGA copy. How come nobody has bought it?! I honestly don't know what to believe anymore, but I do know that I am anxiously awaiting CertifiedLink's video game (VGA & WATA graded games) auctions to end in 2 days to get a much better read on the sealed video game market, because if you check out some of their auctions right now (I know that the caliber of games being auctioned off at Certified don't match Heritage and most of the games are VGA graded, but if the market has truly exploded, some of these games should go for much higher than what they currently sitting at). If CertifiedLink's final auction prices are at least comparable to Heritage's final prices, then it will add much more credibility for me about these insane prices at Heritage Auctions. Let's all wait and see! So far, that Tyson's Punchout looks like it is going to go for a very high price and the same about the Tetris, so maybe everything at Heritage is the real deal?! https://www.certifiedlink.com/auctions/default.asp?clickType=&pga=2&TypeRads=all&ord1=3&ord1d=DESC&ord2=6&ord2d=ASC&ord3=0&ord3d=ASC&top_search_hiddentext=&pg=1&pgb=2&control_loc=low&nextsectlow=&nextsectlowval=&nextsect=&nextsectval=&nextsecthold=&nextsectholdval=&nexttype=6&lefthandpick=&focused=1&code=&beenheredonethat=1&overridesort2default=&view=2021marcert https://www.ebay.com/itm/SONIC-THE-HEDGEHOG-2-SEGA-GENESIS-VGA-GRADED-85-GOLD-NEW-SEALED-IN-BOX-RARE/143644010508?epid=5520&hash=item2171d9a80c:g:HG0AAOSwefhe-Mp9&autorefresh=true

You are 100% spot on with your content in your post! Very well said and I have to agree with what you wrote!