A forgotten storage box discovered in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has become one of the biggest finds in video game preservation history. The box contained nearly 100 Nintendo Entertainment System cartridges featuring a rare version of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt that experts had never previously documented.
The discovery has attracted attention from collectors because the cartridges appear to have been produced years after the final known printing of these games. Their unusual labels, hardware components, manuals, and internal boards suggest they may represent a unique production run from Nintendo’s early gaming era.
The collection could potentially be worth millions of dollars, with several cartridges heading to auction. Some copies are in exceptional condition and have reportedly achieved the first PSA 10 grades ever awarded to an NES game.
Jason Ganos of Nintendo Wire explained to WISN that the cartridges remain a mystery among preservation experts. “
These were printed about two years after the last known printing of these games. So no one understands fully why Nintendo made a box of 100 of these,”
Ganos said.
He added that the differences go beyond packaging, noting,
“The back sticker on the cartridge is different. The screws are different. The manual is different. Even the motherboard for the game is different.”
The seller reportedly claimed Nintendo originally sent the cartridges to a metal recovery service to be destroyed for their gold components, but the games survived instead. Three of the rare cartridges are expected to be auctioned, where their historic value could push prices into the millions.
