Vintage Pokémon video games fetch $2 million in historic transaction

The lucrative market for vintage collectibles extends far beyond rare trading cards, as classic video game cartridges are now commanding astronomical prices among international buyers. 

A collection facility in Dubai recently acquired unopened copies of the first-generation Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow Game Boy games for a staggering US$2 million (~HK$15.6 million). 

This monumental purchase has set a new benchmark, marking the second-largest video game transaction in history.

Pristine first-generation titles acquired by Dubai collector

The exceptional value of these three games, which were originally released three decades ago, stems entirely from their flawless, factory-sealed condition. 

This recent multimillion-dollar acquisition is only surpassed by another record-breaking sale from June of this year, when a first-generation copy of Super Mario Bros. was purchased for US$3 million (~HK$23.4 million).

Rare Nintendo inventory miraculously saved from destruction

In a separate but equally remarkable development for the retro gaming community, someone in Wisconsin recently stumbled upon a forgotten box containing nearly one hundred brand-new Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt game cartridges from over thirty years ago. 

According to American video game collector Jason Ganos, while these titles are among the most famous and widely recognized in video game preservation history, this specific version of the cartridge had never been seen by the public before.

It is believed that this batch of vintage games was originally surplus inventory that Nintendo had scheduled to be destroyed, but someone secretly preserved them for decades. 

Several of the discovered boxes have even received perfect condition ratings from professional grading services, and three of these highly coveted cartridges are slated to hit the auction block later this month.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓