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For $300,000, You Can Pretend You're a Nintendo World Champion

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Aside from having a magnificent name, Thor Aackerlund also has the honour of being one of only three absolute winners at the famous 1990 Nintendo World Championships.

Aackerlund took out the 12-17 year-old division ahead of 29 other finalists from across America, and for his troubles not only got to keep the controller he played on that day, but was also given a gold statue of Mario.

While the gold cartridges given out during the competition are rare enough as it is - sometimes leading to bizarre stories for collectors - this statue is literally one-of-a-kind, as each of the three pieces given out to the winners obviously carries a different engraving.

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As a result, Aackerlund is selling the trophy and the sealed, custom controller for $300,000. Laugh at the price all you want, but when one of 26 gold carts from the tournament goes for $17,500, one of the three winning trophies will go for a lot more.

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The auction will no doubt attract interest from serious game collectors, but I'd like to imagine it's appealing to bullshit-prone rich folks as well. After all, the front of the trophy only carries the tournament name, not Aackerlund's!

1990 NWC NINTENDO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 1st place Gold Mario Trophy 12-17 Age VGA [eBay]

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Nintendo Champ Selling Statue and Controller [Patrick Scott Patterson]