WAUKESHA — An assortment of near-mint Nintendo game cartridges — including 97 copies of the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt bundle — that had been tucked away in storage for years is headed to auction after a local shop owner alerted a well-known collector, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
Discovery in a local shop
Kevin Braun, owner of One Stop Wonders in Waukesha, told collector Jason Ganos about a box of Super Mario cartridges that had been sitting in his store. Ganos, who operates Nintendo Wire and is a high-profile Nintendo enthusiast, flew to Wisconsin after hearing about them and described the contents as an "absolutely pristine" set of cartridges.
“I still don’t quite believe that any of this is happening,” Ganos said. “I just think it’s kind of serendipitous that this happened. It’s just still very bizarre to me.”
Ganos said the lot contains what appears to be a previously unrecognized variant of the 1988 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge. Notably, the cartridges in the cache show a production date of 1993 — two years after the bundle was officially discontinued in 1991 — a detail that has prompted collectors and experts to speculate about why they exist.
What the find means to collectors
Ganos described the discovery in dramatic terms, likening the moment to unearthing a "Holy Grail" for Nintendo collectors. He and Braun have not yet publicly offered a valuation for the cartridges, but confirmed the majority will be sold in an online auction that opens this week and runs through Sept. 9.
- Number of cartridges: 97
- Game bundle: Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt
- Original release year of the bundle: 1988
- Production date on the discovered cartridges: 1993
- Auction close date: Sept. 9
Why the cartridges might exist
Neither Braun nor Ganos has confirmed the precise reason for the later production date. They said possible explanations include warranty replacement runs or leftover bundles produced for retailers that were never distributed. Those are hypotheses based on the cartridges' unusual manufacturing date and the rarity of such finds; no definitive paper trail was described in the reporting.
What is clear to collectors is that the condition and the uncommon production date make the lot unusual in the market, where rarity and provenance drive interest and prices. Ganos, who has covered Nintendo collecting for over a decade, said he immediately recognized the significance upon seeing the box.
Local angle and broader interest
The discovery highlights how local shops and estate sales remain important sources for cultural artifacts that later gain national attention. For a small business in Waukesha, the find could turn into a substantial financial opportunity; for collectors, it is a rare chance to acquire a piece of video game history.
Auctions of this kind often draw attention from international buyers as well as hobbyists and investors, so the sale could attract bids from well beyond Wisconsin. Braun originally obtained the lot from a customer who had held the cartridges for years; he said the family initially considered the items scrap but retained them until the store bought the collection.
Next steps and where to see the auction
Ganos and Braun have organized the online auction for the majority of the cartridges, with bidding scheduled to continue through Sept. 9. Specifics about the auction house or platform and starting prices were not detailed in the AP report. Interested buyers and observers should watch announcements from the sellers or Nintendo Wire for links and further auction information.
| Detail | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Cartridge condition | Described as pristine |
| Production year (on cartridges) | 1993 |
| Bundle original release | 1988 (bundle discontinued 1991) |
For collectors and residents curious about the auction, following Nintendo Wire and announcements from One Stop Wonders will be the most direct way to get sale details. The discovery serves as a reminder that significant finds can turn up in small, local businesses — and that Wisconsin remains a place where pop culture history can resurface in unexpected ways.
Peter Vandenberg is the state correspondent for WE NEWS.
