A sealed copy of the rare Nintendo Entertainment System game Stadium Events has sold for $41,977, the seller has confirmed to Kotaku.
While the owner had originally attempted to sell the game through an eBay auction earlier this month, the winning bidder did not pay, the seller said in an email. But after speaking with a serious buyer, a private deal has now been struck, and payment has changed hands, making this one of the highest confirmed prices a single game has ever sold for.
Of all of the games that Nintendo officially licensed for its 8-bit NES, Stadium Events is by far the rarest, because it was only on shelves for a brief window of time before it was pulled and replaced with World Class Track Meet. Last year, ESPN The Magazine ran an extensive feature about the game’s history and the collectors who covet it.
A loose cartridge can sell for nearly $10,000; a copy with its original box and manual for well north of $20,000. This particular copy is one of only a few that are still in the original shrinkwrap.
As part of the deal, the seller says the game’s condition was assessed by the Video Game Authority, where it received a grade of 85+ out of a possible 100, which is very good indeed.
Selling a high-value collectible can be a nerve-wracking experience, and it can come as a huge relief to a seller to finally have the transaction completed. “With all the hassles of the auction, we were blessed with this buyer,” the seller said. “He was a man of his word, trustworthy, and deserves the highest graded Stadium Events completely!”