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How 97 Copies of an Unreleased Version of Super Mario Bros. Duck Hunt Were Discovered in a Wisconsin Warehouse
A collector in Waukesha, Wisconsin has uncovered a box of 97 unreleased variant copies of Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt for the NES, a find experts are calling one of the most significant in retro gaming history. Jason Ganos, who runs the website NintendoWire, stumbled upon the cache while helping local shop owner Kevin Braun sell off old stock, only realising its significance after grading specialists flagged the cartridges as either fakes or previously unknown variants.
The box, marked as shipped on 1 December 1995 with labels in both English and Japanese, had sat untouched in Braun's storage unit for six years after being acquired from a seller whose grandfather reportedly worked for a precious metal recovery service. Of the 100 cartridges originally listed, 97 individually wrapped copies remained, each preserved in plastic and accompanied by a manual. Five copies have since been graded a perfect 10 by PSA, reportedly the first time this has happened in the grading company's history, underlining the rarity and pristine condition of the discovery.
In short
- 97 unreleased Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt NES variants found in Wisconsin
- Cartridges sat in storage for six years before being identified
- Five copies graded a perfect 10 by PSA, a first for the company
Explained simply
Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt was one of the most popular games for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 1980s. Unreleased versions of games from this era rarely exist in multiple copies, making them extremely valuable to collectors.
A collector in Waukesha, Wisconsin discovered 97 copies of an unreleased variant whilst clearing old stock at a local shop. The cartridges had been in storage for six years after being acquired from a seller whose grandfather worked in precious metals recovery.
The cartridges are in pristine condition, and specialist graders have awarded five of them perfect scores for the first time in that company's history. Such discoveries of rare variants in excellent condition are significant within the video game collecting community.
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