Rare 1993 Super Mario Bros. Duck Hunt Cartridges to Be Auctioned Online
A collection of 97 near-mint Super Mario Bros. Duck Hunt cartridges, produced in 1993, will be sold in an online auction running until Sept. 9, with three perfect-grade copies offered initially.
A pop-culture store owner in Waukesha, Wisconsin, disclosed a box of 97 Super Mario Bros. Duck Hunt cartridges that had been stored for years. The cartridges, manufactured in 1993—two years after the original bundle was discontinued—are considered the last known production run of the game, according to collector Jason Ganos.
Ganos, who runs the Nintendo-focused news service Nintendo Wire, traveled to California with the cartridges for verification and grading by Professional Sports Authenticator. Five of the units received a perfect 10 rating, a first for NES cartridges, while the rest scored in the high 9s.
The collection will be offered in an online auction hosted by Golden Pop’s Culture Auction beginning Friday and closing on Sept. 9. Three of the perfect-grade cartridges will be listed for sale, with the remaining high-grade copies retained by Ganos and store owner Kevin Braun. The sellers indicated that the items could fetch six- to seven-figure sums, though Ganos declined to estimate a specific value.
Both Ganos and Braun said the cartridges are playable but intend to keep them in pristine condition for collectors. After the current auction, they plan to hold a separate charity auction of additional copies.