Unearthing Undiscovered NES Cartridges in Wisconsin

Just a couple of hours from Rockford, a major discovery was made. Mind you, this wasn't some warehouse in Japan, but Waukesha, Wisconsin.

A box containing nearly 100 rare Nintendo games was found, and inside were copies of a previously unknown version of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt for the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

I mean, I had Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt growing up; what makes these so special?

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What Makes These NES Games So Rare?

Experts say the cartridges were manufactured two years after the last previously known production run of the now-iconic game franchise. Here's how these found games are different: they feature different everything, like different labels, different screws, different manuals, and different motherboards.

Word has it, the person selling the games says Nintendo sent this pile of gems to a metal recovery company to be destroyed so the gold could be recovered from each, but for whatever reason, maybe it's fate, they were never destroyed.

So those games just sat there, untouched, and remained in pristine condition for decades. Several of those found games received the first perfect PSA 10 grades ever awarded to an NES game, but three of them are headed to auction this month, and people are saying those three games, just by themselves, could sell for millions of dollars.

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Why Old Video Games Could Be Worth a Fortune

While that sounds like a lot of money, a rare copy of Super Mario Bros. previously sold at auction for a whopping $660,000. Just imagine what these newly found mint and one-of-a-kind games are going to go for.

Just take this as a reminder before throwing out that old box of Nintendo stuff from the basement or attic; take a few minutes to Google what's in it first.

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Gallery Credit: Katherine Gallagher

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