Melted down Mario Cartridges turn out to be worth way more than gold

For retro collectors, the holy grail often lies in finding something truly unprecedented—a hidden treasure tucked away in an overlooked box. This is exactly what happened to Jason Ganos, a passionate self-described Nintendo super fan, when he unearthed a collection of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridges that redefined rarity.

The discovery wasn’t made in a museum; it was found through the dusty corners of a local retro game shop. A friend provided the opportunity for Ganos to find a box filled with 97 pristine Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridges for the NES, seemingly in perfect condition. What made this find exponentially more exciting than just finding rare games was the realization that these were not merely old; they were an undocumented historical variant.

The story of the carts begins when the box landed in the hands of a metal recovery business owner during the 1990s. Originally intended to be melted down and salvaged for the gold on the contacts, the box instead sat dormant in a garage for over two decades. It was only later, through Ganos’s network, that this hidden trove surfaced.

When Ganos discovered the collection, his initial shock wasn’t about their value, but their impeccable condition. Seeing 97 games, neatly wrapped with crisp manuals, made him realize he had stumbled upon something extraordinary. As he began sharing photos with high-end collecting groups, the true depth of the discovery emerged: the back labels were unlike anything previously documented.

The difference was subtle but monumental. Instead of standard English text, the labels featured multiple languages, and the manufacturing codes on both the cartridges and instruction manuals differed significantly. These discrepancies pointed to a production run in late 1993—a variant that had never before been seen by collectors.

Even the instructions held secrets. Where known manuals referenced “maintenance or repairs,” Ganos’s set featured the alternative, “maintenance or service.” This small textual shift, combined with manufacturing dates that post-dated every known Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt bundle, sealed the find as an unparalleled piece of gaming history.

The conclusion was thrilling: what Ganos and his contacts had found was not just a box of pristine games, but an undiscovered variant of one of Nintendo’s most iconic titles. The collective realization that these were the very last production run, showcasing an undocumented version of the classic, instantly elevated their status.

To verify this astonishing claim, Ganos arranged for the 97 cartridges to be graded by PSA, with several achieving a perfect score of 10. The potential market value remains fluid and hotly debated among collectors, though experts acknowledge that these artifacts hold immense historical weight.

The owners plan to split the collection, setting up auctions in the near future to determine the true worth of this remarkable find. The quest for the most unique pieces of retro gaming is clearly just beginning, and this box of 1993 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt carts has set a new, fascinating benchmark.