Given how popular Super Mario and Nintendo are these days, it's no surprise that rare items pertaining to both tend to generate a lot of interest when they come up for sale.
As spotted by Mario Museum, a rare trophy has just been sold in Japan which proves this point. Despite being a rather small promotional item for a Japan-only release, the Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally trophy sold for ¥212,475 ($1,383 / £1,142).
In case you're not aware (I wasn't), this trinket was awarded in a competition held back in 1988 to find the top 100 players in each of the game's three car classes – which means 300 of these were issued. Winners would have their names inscribed on the trophy, but this example is an unused sample and, therefore, has no name, making it much rarer.
Released for the Famicom Disk System in 1988, Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally is the sequel to Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race. Both titles feature Mario, with his sibling Luigi making it onto the cover artwork for the sequel.
The game supports the Japan-exclusive Famicom 3D System, a set of goggles that affords the player a 3D-like view of the action. The game is seen by some as an ancestor of the later Super Mario Kart series.