Rare Nintendo cartridges discovered in Waukesha storage box

August 8, 2026 - 21:30

A routine storage unit cleanout in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has turned into a treasure trove for video game collectors. Inside a single cardboard box, workers discovered nearly 100 vintage Nintendo Entertainment System cartridges, and among them sat a version of Super Mario Bros. that experts say has never been documented before.

The cartridges were found in a sealed container that had apparently belonged to a former game retailer from the late 1980s. Alongside standard copies of Duck Hunt and Excitebike, the box contained a variant of Super Mario Bros. with a different label design and a slightly altered code on the back. Initial inspection suggests the cartridge was produced during a very short manufacturing window, possibly as a test run or a regional release that never went wide.

Local game appraisers were called in to verify the find. They confirmed that the Super Mario Bros. variant is not listed in any known collector database. While the condition of most cartridges is rough, with faded labels and some corrosion on the connectors, the rarity of the unknown version has driven immediate interest from serious buyers. One collector has already offered a five-figure sum for the single cartridge, but the owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, is waiting for a full assessment.

The rest of the lot includes several other uncommon titles, such as a grey-cartridge version of The Legend of Zelda and a copy of Stadium Events, which alone can sell for thousands of dollars in working condition. The total value of the box is estimated to be well over fifty thousand dollars, though that number could climb if the new Super Mario Bros. variant proves to be one of a kind.

For now, the cartridges are being stored in a climate-controlled facility while experts run further tests. The discovery has already sparked excitement among retro gaming communities, with many hoping that the unknown version will shed light on Nintendo's early distribution practices in the Midwest.