If you grew up in the United States playing Nintendo games, you're probably familiar with Nintendo Power. This was Nintendo of America's own video game publication, which featured news, tips, and tricks for the latest Nintendo titles for a low monthly cost of $3.50.
Well, recently, a copy of its first issue (with a score of 9.8) went under the hammer, as part of a Heritage Auctions' live event, with the magazine fetching a staggering $108,000 from an unknown bidder. That's quite the markup!
Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), the entity responsible for grading the magazine, celebrated the news on its website earlier this month. In the post, it claims this is the highest amount ever received for any issue of Nintendo Power at auction, with the previous record held by another CGC-certified Nintendo Power #1, which sold in November 2022 for $24,000 and had a lower grade of 9.4.
Grading of video game memorabilia has obviously become a bit of hot button topic over the last few years, with allegations of artificially inflated prices and other less-than-stellar business practices. We can imagine this latest bit of news won't necessarily warrant a universally positive reception from collectors, with many still concerned about how these high-profile auctions may impact the cost of the hobby for your average video game fan.
If you're interested, you can watch the full auction below. The final bid was $90,000, with 20% of that amount added as part of the buyer's premium: