Super Mario 64 copy sells for record-breaking $1.5 million
0A copy of the video game 'Super Mario 64' has sold for a record-breaking $1.5 million (£1.1 million).
The 1996 title launched the Nintendo 64 console and is considered to be one of the most influential 3D platform games.
The sale dwarfed the record of an original Legend of Zelda cartridge that had been set just two days before with the auction house revealing that there were "fewer than five" copies in such good condition.
Super Mario 64 marked the iconic Nintendo character's first move into three dimensions and is considered by many to be one of the best video games ever made.
Heritage Auctions, the company behind the record-breaking sale, was taken by surprise at the huge price the game attracted.
The cartridge had received a 9.8 A++ rating from the video game collectable firm Wata as it is in near-perfect condition with an intact seal.
Valarie McLeckie, a video game specialist for Heritage Auctions, said: “It seems impossible to overstate the importance of this title, not only to the history of Mario and Nintendo, but to video games as a whole.
"This is Mario’s debut appearance in a 3D world, and it was the most popular – bestselling – video game for the N64. Considering this, and the fact that there are fewer than five sealed in this grade according to Wata, this copy is a true prize for any serious collector."
McLeckie expressed shock that the million-dollar mark had been exceeded after the Zelda title sold for $870,000 (£744,000).
She said: "After the record-breaking sale of the first game in the Zelda series on Friday, the possibility of surpassing $1m on a single video game seemed like a goal that would need to wait for another auction.
"We were shocked to see that it turned out to be in the same one!"