Pokemon Red and Yellow games sell for more than $100,000 each

It might be worth having a rummage around in the toy box after two classic Pokemon games sold for a staggering sum.

A Pokemon game from the 1990s considered one of the “hardest to find” has sold at auction for a record $114,000.

The sealed Pokemon Red, from the first generation of Pokemon games, broke the world record for a price paid for a Game Boy collectable.

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The Pokemon Red game. Picture: Heritage Auctions

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Heritage Auctions, a Texas-based auction house, described it as being in unrivalled condition.

It expected the copy to “sell for well into the five-figure range”, and it did at $US84,000.

“Hands down one of the most sought-after games in the Pokemon franchise,” it said of the Game Boy Nintendo 1998 game.

“It has a reputation among collectors of being the hardest to find from the first generation of Pokemon games.”

Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue were the first two Pokemon games introduced to US audiences.

Two graded and sealed Pokemon Game Boy games sold for $84,000 and $78,000 today in @HeritageAuction video game auction, both records for price paid for a Game Boy collectible. pic.twitter.com/wBP4ybeKxN

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 20, 2020

A copy of Pokemon Yellow also went under the hammer for $US78,000 ($106,800).

Heritage Auctions said it hadn’t offered many copies in “near mint status”.

“And this copy really takes the cake,” the listing states.

Asked on Twitter whether they are “that rare”, Action Network reporter Darren Rovell replied: “As long as they were never opened!”

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The Pokemon Yellow game. Picture: Heritage Auctions

The two games were each given a 9.8 grading from professional grading company WataGames.

“Not only is it the highest grade that one could hope to achieve from Wata, it’s also from an early production run – pixels never looked quite so good!” Heritage Auctions said of the Pokemon Yellow copy, featuring franchise mascot Pikachu on the front.

“This game also was the first to allow a Pokemon to follow and interact with the player whilst on their journey to the Elite Four.”

Another world record was set with the auction-winning bid of $US156,000 ($A213,600) for a highly-graded copy Super Mario Bros. 3 game – more than five times its estimated sale price.

#heritageLive: WORLD RECORD!! Super Mario Bros. 3 - Wata 9.2 A+ Sealed ["Bros." Left, First Production], NES Nintendo 1990 USA brings $156,000 – more than five times its estimate and the highest price ever paid for a video game. #AuctionUpdate #VideoGames #SuperMarioBros pic.twitter.com/7v3wykH63u

— Heritage Auctions (@HeritageAuction) November 20, 2020

The six-figure sum comes down to one specific detail on the packaging, not the game itself.

“Copies of this game with ‘Bros.’ formatted to the left on the front of the box (on top of Mario’s glove) are very rarely found in sealed condition, and many collectors have been on the lookout for years, but often come up dry,” Heritage Auctions said.

“When a sealed copy does come along, it brings a hefty premium compared to the later ‘right Bros.’ version, as this version is considerably more rare.”

Originally published as Pokemon Red and Yellow games sell for more than $100,000 each