Empty N64 Super Mario game box signed by creator sells for thousands

By Jack Fifield

An empty box has sold for more than £8,000 ($10,720) and a collection of five trading cards for over £12,000 (over $16,000) as part of an auction of retro video games and memorabilia.

A box which originally contained the 1996 Nintendo 64 game "Super Mario 64," signed by Mario creator and "father of modern gaming" Shigeru Miyamoto, has sold for £8,450 ($11,325).

It was part of multiple collections of trading cards and retro video games sold by Ewbank's Auctioneers in Surrey last week — which made a total of £200,000 (more than $250,000).

The box was signed by Miyamoto at an event at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street, London, on Feb. 21, 2003 — the first and only public appearance and signing event attended by Miyamoto in Europe.

A collection of five Pokémon trading cards inspired by Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" sold for £12,350 (more than $16,000).

A first-print factory-sealed copy of the Game Boy Advance game "Pokémon Emerald," released in Europe in 2005, sold for £4,940 (more than $6,000) — while a sealed copy of 2000's "Pokémon Yellow," released for the Game Boy, sold for £3,640 (more than $4,000).

Overall, the top 10 trading card lots in the auction made a combined £43,940 ($58,880) in the same sale.

Ewbank's specialist James Spooner said: "Pokémon are the most collectible of all gaming cards of this type, with a massive global following and collecting base worth tens of billions of dollars.

"The majority of lots in this sale sold over estimate — some way over estimate — demonstrating the powerful attraction for both Pokémon, as well as other trading card series.

"However, it is the boost in demand and prizes for retro video games here that has been most noticeable."

In addition to video games and memorabilia, a copy of 1963's The Amazing Spider-Man No. 1 — which features the origin of Spider-Man retold, sold for £4,160 (more than $5,000).

Earlier this month, Sony, which manufactures PlayStation consoles, announced it would be ending the production of physical game discs — meaning new games would only be available to download digitally.

The auction house says it believes the decision may have helped boost demand for retro video games and consoles.

A rare Japan-exclusive Panasonic Q — which could play Nintendo GameCube games and watch DVDs sold for £1,235 ($1,655).

Auctioneer Andrew Ewbank said: "A key factor has been PlayStation's decision to stop selling physical product, so fans have been clamoring to get their hands on historic games and consoles that are now sought-after collectibles."