The prices of collectibles have routinely started selling for high enough prices that some collectors and investors have had to grapple with affordability and availability. What has happened is that collectibles have become an alternative asset class. One segment within collectibles that has caught fire is vintage video games. When Super Mario Bros. was worth more than $500,000 it was almost hard to believe, but is a pristine copy of Super Mario Bros. now worth $2 million?

Apparently, the new Super Mario Bros. price tag is $2 million for a 9.8 Wata Games graded example. Rally Rd. has the pending buyout and those who invested in 2020 are going to be rather happy.

The grading for the Nintendo notes that its rarity is just 1 of 14 for this ‘Hangtab Variant.’ This also compares to a recent $1.56 million sale with some variations.

The fractional ownership Rally Rd. app sells shares of high-end collectibles in a manner that mimics the bid/ask mechanism of the stock market. They had a 1985 NES Super Mario Bros. video game valued at $690,000 as of the May 14, 2021 trading window. The game had an initial offering market cap price of $150,000 back in August of 2020.

According to Rally Rd.’s own description:

Just two years after the video game crash of 1983, Super Mario Bros. was released in the U.S. as one of the 17 original “Black Box” games for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The overnight success of the NES and Super Mario Bros. saved the video game industry and spawned a beloved media franchise. #85MARIO is the single highest graded sealed hangtab copy of Super Mario Bros. ever offered, receiving a grade of 9.8 A+ from Wata Games. One of only 14 sealed hangtab copies graded by Wata, #85MARIO was unknown to the hobby until its recent discovery, making this its first public offering.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates collectibles as an alternative asset class. This includes vintage video games. It is now undeniable that collectors and hobbyists are competing directly against investors for the exact same asset. The collectors have a passion to own memorabilia or a collectible for quite a long time. The investor segment in collectibles is solely buying an asset to sell at a later date for a profit. In the end, the capital used to buy these assets would have otherwise been invested into stocks or bonds.

There is little more to report than the pending buyout because it has not been completed yet.

Image from Rally Rd.