A forgotten box in a Wisconsin video game store has turned into one of the most unusual retro gaming discoveries of the year.

Ninety seven untouched copies of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt for the Nintendo Entertainment System are now being offered to collectors after spending decades in storage. The auction opened Friday, August 14, giving longtime Nintendo fans a chance to bid on cartridges that are notable not just for their condition, but for their unusual production history.

A Forgotten Box Turns Into a Collector’s Dream

The discovery began at a video game and collectibles shop in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Video game collector Jason Ganos was at the store when owner Kevin Braun mentioned an old box of Nintendo games sitting in storage. Ganos, who has spent about two decades collecting Nintendo memorabilia, quickly realized the contents could be far more interesting than expected.

Inside were 97 copies of the classic Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt cartridge. Each cartridge remained untouched in its original plastic bag and was accompanied by its instruction manual.

The box was originally marked for 100 cartridges, but only 97 remained.

For a game that millions of Americans remember from their childhood, finding nearly 100 untouched copies in one place is an extraordinary collector story.

These Are Not Ordinary NES Cartridges

The biggest surprise was not simply that the games were in pristine condition.

The cartridges appear to represent a previously undocumented production variant. Their markings, manuals and internal hardware differ from versions that collectors had already cataloged.

Even more unusual, the cartridges appear to date from 1993, despite Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt having been discontinued years earlier. The game was released for the NES in 1988 and was discontinued in 1991, making the later production date particularly interesting to collectors.

That discrepancy is what turned a box of old video games into a major retro gaming discovery.

Five Cartridges Received Perfect Grades

The condition of the games has also attracted attention from professional collectors.

Five of the cartridges received a perfect PSA 10 grade, a top condition rating that can make a major difference in the collectible video game market. The grading results add another layer of interest because these cartridges were already unusual for their apparent production date and variant characteristics.

The combination of rarity, untouched condition and historical mystery has made the collection especially appealing to serious NES collectors.

The Auction Opens August 14

Most of the cartridges are being offered through an online auction, with bidding beginning August 14 and continuing through September 9.

The owners are keeping some examples from the collection, while additional copies are expected to be offered separately. Some of the proceeds are also planned for a future charity auction.

The final prices could offer a clearer picture of how much collectors are willing to pay for the unusual cartridges.

Why Retro Nintendo Games Still Matter

The discovery highlights the continuing strength of the American retro gaming market.

For many Nintendo fans who grew up with the NES, Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt are more than old video games. They are closely connected to the early days of home console gaming in the United States.

The NES helped establish Nintendo as a dominant name in the American video game market, while the combination of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt became closely associated with the NES Action Set and the Nintendo Zapper.

That nostalgia continues to drive interest in original hardware, cartridges and other gaming memorabilia.

A Box That Could Have Been Lost Forever

What makes the Wisconsin discovery particularly compelling is how easily the cartridges could have disappeared.

According to reporting on the discovery, the games had been considered for scrap before being preserved instead. Had the box been discarded or dismantled, collectors might never have known that these particular copies existed.

Instead, decades later, the forgotten inventory has become the center of attention for NES collectors.

For Nintendo fans, the auction offers something rare in the modern gaming world: a piece of familiar video game history that still has a mystery attached to it.

And now, after sitting quietly in Wisconsin storage for years, 97 pristine Mario and Duck Hunt cartridges are finally getting their moment in the spotlight.