Toys

Super Mario Bros. Video Game Sells for $100,150

February 19, 2019 By Brian 1 Comment

High-grade example of Nintendo’s 1985 classic release still sealed after 34 years

DALLAS, Texas (February 14, 2019) — An unopened copy of Super Mario Bros., the classic video game released by Nintendo in 1985, set a world record for a graded game when it recently sold for $100,150.

“Beyond the artistic and historical significance of this game is its supreme state of preservation,” says Kenneth Thrower, co-founder and chief grader of Wata Games.

Due to its popularity, Nintendo reprinted Super Mario Bros. from 1985 to 1994 numerous times, resulting in 11 different box variations (according to this visual guide). The first two variations are “sticker sealed” copies that were only available in the New York and L.A. test market launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985 and 1986. Of all the sealed copies of Super Mario Bros., this is the only known “sticker sealed” copy and was certified by Wata Games with a Near Mint grade of 9.4 and a “Seal Rating” of A++.

“Not only are all of NES sticker sealed game’ extremely rare, but by their nature of not being sealed in shrink wrap they usually exhibit significant wear after more than 30 years,” Thrower said. “This game may be the condition census of all sticker sealed NES games known to exist.”

A group of collectors joined forces Feb. 6 to purchase the game, including some of the biggest names in video games and collectibles as a whole. The buyers include Jim Halperin, Founder and Co-Chairman of Heritage Auctions of Dallas, Texas; Zac Gieg, owner of Just Press Play Video Games in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rich Lecce, renowned coin dealer, pioneering video game collector, and owner of Robert B. Lecce Numismatist Inc of Boca Raton, Florida.

“Super Mario Bros. is not only the most recognizable game of all time, it saved the video game industry in 1985,” said Wata Games President, Deniz Kahn. “In terms of rarity, popularity, and relevance to collectors, this game has it all. Mario is the most recognized fictional or non-fictional character in the world, more so than even Mickey Mouse. Super Mario Bros. launched the world’s largest game franchise and this copy is the only known sealed example from Nintendo’s test market release.

“I would have loved nothing more than to be a part-owner, and even though this game was already certified, I didn’t want the remote perception of any conflict of interest due to my position at Wata,” Kahn said.

Gieg called this example the equivalent of the valuable comic book, Action Comics #1. “This is first appearance of Superman of video games,” he said. “We all knew how hard it is to find an open copy of this version in nice condition, but to find one still sealed is truly something I thought I would never see, even after selling vintage video games for over 20 years”

“More and more collectors from other fields are discovering how much fun it is to collect video games,” says Lecce. “It’s a very exciting time for our industry, especially with Heritage Auctions entering the secondary market for collectible vintage video games. With upcoming movie projects and three Nintendo-themed Universal amusement parks slated to open in 2020, the impact and popularity these characters have on our culture will be that much more apparent to new collectors entering the market.”

Wata-certified video games have been selling for record prices ever since Heritage began auctioning them in January. While many video games sell regularly for five figures, breaking the six-figure mark shows that the hobby’s upward trajectory indicates no signs of slowing down, Kahn said.

“I’m very happy with our purchase of the Super Mario Bros., considering the impact the release of this game had on the world and continues to have,” said Halperin. “The first Signature Auctions featuring Wata-certified video games run this February 21-23, and while this copy won’t appear in this auction, it just may end up in an auction sometime in the future.”

Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

Batgirl Puzzle Canister

December 14, 2018 By Brian 2 Comments

Ask any collector what the best part of collecting is, and the reply you will most likely hear is that it’s the “thrill of the hunt.” Finding an item that you have been hunting for years, is cause for a great deal of excitement for a collector. We all have stories of spotting a holy grail only to have it snatched away at the last second, or remembering a toy from our childhood that we have never been able to find. These are the tales that keep collectors up at night, wondering about the one that got away.

One of the other joys about the hunt is finding an item you never even knew existed. This happened to me recently while scrolling through eBay listings.

I was searching for vintage Batman items, and came across a listing for a Batgirl canister puzzle that I had never seen before. I have been collecting these puzzle cans for awhile because I love the way they fit in with my collection and they look fantastic on the shelf. These puzzles were produced by the American Publishing Corporation in 1974. I recently managed to acquire the entire Super Foes line which consists of the Riddler, Penguin, and Joker puzzles, and also found a Supergirl and Catwoman puzzle. There aren’t a ton of 1970’s female comic book toys out there, so those two were exciting to find, but I didn’t realize there was a third one in the series–Batgirl.

I had to have it, and put up a ridiculously high bid, since I knew it might be years before I saw another one for sale. After seven days of waiting, no other bids were made, and I got it for the low asking price of ten bucks — it’s worth a whole lot more to me. Like a lot of vintage items, people aren’t specifically searching for lesser-known items like this, and I honestly think it just flew under the radar of other collectors. Every now and then you get lucky.

Now, I’m left wondering if there are more out there? Maybe a Wonder Woman or Aquaman puzzle exists. Of course there are Batman and Superman puzzles, but does anybody know if there are more puzzle canisters in this series that highlight other villains or heroes?

Have you ever stumbled across an item that you never knew existed, and instantly knew you had to have it for your collection?

The evolution of a collection

December 7, 2018 By Brian 4 Comments

As mentioned in my last post, winter is the time of year that I tend to reorganize my collection. There’s just something about this time of year that makes me reassess what interests me, and what I want to see on the shelves. Of course, vintage Batman toys are my primary focus, but over the past few years, I have really focused on Marvel Comics items from the 60’s and 70’s.

I collect older items that look good on the shelf. I don’t buy items to stash away in boxes, so in order for an item to find its way into my collection, it has to have a good look, and for me, it doesn’t get much better than Marvelmania. The above photo shows the main shelves in my cave after a bit of work, but there’s still a ways to go. It’s amazing to think how these shelves have changed over the years…

As you can see from the photos above, my collecting pursuits have shifted away from 80’s toys, and I haven’t bought a King Kong toy in years! I wonder what these shelves will look like in another five or ten years. Stay tuned to find out!

Rare Action Figures up for Bid at Heritage Auction

July 19, 2018 By Brian 1 Comment

A prominent collector and Dubai resident is auctioning the world’s rarest Star Wars action figure prototypes next month, a 33-piece collection which is estimated to sell for as much as $360,000.

The owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, pursued only the rarest examples of the toys released in the late 1970s at the beginning of Star Wars mania. Officially titled “The Dubai Collection,” it includes mint condition figures for Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo and prototypes never intended to be seen by the public – including the world’s rarest Star Wars action figure.

A prototype figure of a character named Bib Fortuna is one of five examples known to exist. Bib Fortuna first appeared on film in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi as gangster Jabba the Hutt’s sniveling chief of staff. Retaining its original stitched red cape, the figure is expected to sell for $30,000.

“This legendary figure never saw production and today no genuine Bib Fortuna examples are known to exist on a card, even as samples!” said Aaron White, an expert in vintage comic books and original comic art at Heritage Auctions. “Star Wars action figures from the late 1970s and early 1980s are highly collectible, but these prototypes are glued and painted by hand, making them the most valuable figures you could ever own.”

A 1977 hand-painted “first shot” prototype of Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, made so early in the production process it does not feature copyright stamps, is estimated to sell for $25,000.

A “first shot” prototype was created to test the functionality of a toy’s steel production molds. An independent third-party service graded the condition of every toy in the collection and deemed many of them to be the world’s finest examples known to exist.

“The entirety of the collection is in near mint condition,” White said. “Many figures are the finest existing examples ever graded – there are none like them anywhere in the word.”

A rare 1977 action figure of villain Darth Vader (est. $25,000) features an early “double telescoping” lightsaber – a true rarity that is in high demand among collectors. A rare, 1985 Canadian edition of a character named “Yak Face,” only released in Canada and Australia, is unopened and attached to a bilingual backing card (est. $15,000).

“Demand for vintage Star Wars collectibles has increased after the release of the new films,” White said. “These figures have always been collectible, but in the last three years or so individual figures are now selling for five figures.”

One unusual find features the original title of the space saga’s 1983 sequel. A printer’s proof card for the popular character, Boba Fett, refers to the movie as Revenge of the Jedi, which was ultimately changed to Return of the Jedi. It is expected the card alone may sell for $7,000.

Additional rarities from the collection include:

The single highest-graded example of the famous 1978 Luke Skywalker action figure, one of the most valuable of all Star Wars action figures.
An “engineering figure” of fan favorite Boba Fett, from an ex-Kenner Toys employee who worked in the internal department that did testing on figures and comparisons with production figures. Engineering figures were used in the final stages of pre-production.
The highest-graded example of a rare Jawa Star Wars action figure.
Rare, early action figures from Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe and Wrestling Superstars toy lines that have become hot collectibles.

The collection of rare action figures crosses the auction block Aug. 2-4 in Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art Auction live in Dallas, Texas, and online on HA.com.

Images courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com

A final visit to Geppi’s Entertainment Museum

June 4, 2018 By Brian 1 Comment

Yesterday afternoon, I braved a monsoon, flash floods, and falling trees on the Beltway, to make it to Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in Baltimore one final time. Last week, it was announced that Steve Geppi, founder of Diamond Comic Distributors, had decided to donate a large portion of his massive pop culture collection to the Library of Congress, and as a result, Geppi’s museum would close later in the week. Like many people, I was caught off guard by the announcement, and scrambled to make it to Baltimore for one last visit.

While I commend Steve Geppi for his incredibly generous donation, I am definitely saddened to see his museum close. I have lived outside of D.C. for over 30 years, and can say that I have never been to the Library of Congress. I find it hard to believe they will have his collection on any sort of permanent public display, and just picture these items being stored away in some warehouse like in the closing scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It just feels like we lost a valuable pop culture resource this week.

If you weren’t able to make it to the museum, here are some photos to show you why I’m so bummed about it closing…