Rare commemorative Game & Watch handheld sells for $ 9,100 at auction

In recent weeks, we’ve seen one retro Nintendo game after another break the record for the most expensive video game sold at auction. In early July, a copy of THE Legend of Zelda went for $ 870,000. A few days later, a mint version of Super Mario 64 sold for $ 1.56 million. Now another Nintendo collectible has set a sales record, but this one is a little different.

Over the weekend, a special commemorative edition of a Game & Watch system sold for around $ 9,100 on Yahoo Japan. As most Nintendo fans know, the Game & Watch predates the much more successful Game Boy. What makes this unit unique is that it was commissioned by Game & Watch creator Gunpei Yokoi after Nintendo sold over 20,000 million units of the handheld. Before this weekend, this version of the console had never hit the market before.

What is not clear is the number of Nintendo Game Commemorative Edition units produced. According to Beforemario, a blog dedicated to the games and toys the company made between the 1960s and 1980s, the unit is “extremely” rare. “If I had to guess I would say there have been more than three made [one for each of the individuals pictured on the plaque], but again, just a guess, ”John Hardie, director of the National Videogame Museum in Fresco, Texas, told Ars Technica..

Considering the current state of the video game collectibles market, what appears to be a one-of-a-kind historical artifact sold for so little is surprising. Part of this could be the result of the Game & Watch market. As Ars Technica points out, you can find common versions of the handheld for around $ 50. Rarer variants like the Ballon Fight can go up to $ 2,000 if they are in good condition.