fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Nostalgia › Article

Ultrarare Nintendo Mario game cartridges discovered in Wisconsin

Nbcwashington · · 693 words · By Anna Wilder; Nicholas Ingram; The Associated Press
Nostalgia Collectibles Market
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Nostalgia

A few years ago, a pop culture store owner in Wisconsin mentioned to Jason Ganos, a well-known Nintendo game collector, that he had a box of Super Mario cartridges that had been sitting in storage for years.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A few years ago, a pop culture store owner in Wisconsin mentioned to Jason Ganos, a well-known Nintendo game collector, that he had a box of Super Mario cartridges that had been sitting in storage for years.

Why it matters

It turned out to be an ultrarare collection of 97 “absolutely pristine” copies of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt, a popular Nintendo game that was released in 1988, Ganos said.

Common ground

Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/ultrarare-nintend…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
info Single Source 1
info
Claim 1: “Ganos and Braun are only auctioning off three of the perfect 10 scored cartridges at Golden Pop’s Culture Auction beginning Friday.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The NY Post reports that three cartridges are being auctioned at 'Golden Pop’s Culture Auction'. Other search results mention 'Goldin Auctions', which may be a different entity or a correction, but the specific 'Golden Pop' detail is only corroborated by the NY Post cross-reference.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The lights in the main auction hall had been deliberately dimmed, while the enormous crystal chandelier focused its brilliance on the central display platform.
https://mochistar.org/story/after-marriage-addiction-the-ice…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This track blends cinematic pop production with K-Pop vocal styling, performed by three fictional vocalists voiced by real life K-Pop stars: EJAE (Kim Eun‑jae) as Rumi, Audrey Nuna (Mira) and Rei Ami …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFN-RdByLLo
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Goldin is the leading marketplace for trading cards and collectibles.
https://goldin.co/
+ 1 more evidence source
check_circle
Claim 2: “The discovery came after the owner, Kevin Braun, of One Stop Wonders in Waukesha, outside Milwaukee, asked Ganos to help him sell some stuff”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (NY Post, Yahoo Noticias, and local news reports) confirm Kevin Braun owns One Stop Wonders in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of American films that are scheduled for release in 2026. Following the box office section, this list is organized chronologically, providing information on release dates, production co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_2026
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of characters who appeared on Seinfeld. This list features only characters who appeared in main roles or multiple episodes; those that appeared in only one are not included here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Seinfeld_characters
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — A one-hit wonder is a musical artist who is successful with one hit song, but without a comparable subsequent hit. The term may also be applied to an artist who is remembered for only one hit despite …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_one-hit_wonders_in_the…
+ 4 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 3: “an ultrarare collection of 97 “absolutely pristine” copies of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt, a popular Nintendo game that was released in 1988”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources, including NY Post and eBay listings, confirm that Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt was released in 1988.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mario is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for the video game company Nintendo. Starring Mario, the franchise began with video games b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_(franchise)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mario Bros. is a 1983 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for arcades. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Players control Italian twin broth…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bros.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the successor to the 1983 ar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.
+ 4 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 4: “Ganos, a hard-core fan covered in Nintendo tattoos and who has operated Nintendo Wire, a news service for Nintendo announcements and nostalgia for over 10 years”
CORROBORATED
Both NY Post and a specialized gaming news report confirm Jason Ganos has operated Nintendo Wire for over ten years.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kirby is a media franchise created by Japanese video game designer and director Masahiro Sakurai. The franchise revolves around the titular protagonist and his adventures on the fictional planet Pop …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_(series)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Splatoon franchise is a third-person shooter video game series developed by Nintendo. The series' music is portrayed diegetically, with fictional musical acts performing the songs as heard in-game…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Splatoon_live_performa…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_50
+ 4 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 5: “The cartridges of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt he had were made in 1993, long after the company discontinued the bundle in 1991.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results explicitly state that these specific cartridges were manufactured in 1993, despite the bundle being discontinued earlier.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mario is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for the video game company Nintendo. Starring Mario, the franchise began with video games b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_(franchise)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the successor to the 1983 ar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Super Mario Bros., a 1985 platform game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, is a popular game in speedrunning. It has seen a consistently high level of attention since 2010, when American …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros._speedrunning
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 6: “There had never been a cartridge rated a perfect 10 at Professional Sports Authenticator video games, Ganos said.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (CTV News via web search and TechEBlog) state that no NES cartridge had previously received a PSA 10 grade until this discovery.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Prior to this discovery, no Nintendo cartridge has ever been given a 10 out of 10 rating by Professional Sports Authenticator video games, the authoritative grading service, according to CTV News. Fiv…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/gaming/general/ultra-rare-nintendo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — PSA is the industry leader in sports and hobby card grading as well as autograph and memorabilia authentication. Submit your collectibles for grading today!A high PSA grade adds status, scarcity, and …
https://www.psacard.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nintendo had once sent the company old NES circuit boards so the gold contacts could be melted down and salvaged. This particular box never made it into the furnace.Five of them received a flawless 10…
https://www.techeblog.com/97-sealed-nes-mario-cartridges-sto…
check_circle
Claim 7: “Five of the 97 Ganos possessed received a perfect score.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that five of the 97 cartridges received a perfect PSA 10 score.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Hidden Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt Collection Worth Millions. A private collection held nearly 100 undiscovered copies of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt — rare variants collectively valued in the m…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/97-copies-of-mario-duck-hunt
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt aren't rare games in and of themselves.Three games from the collection will be listed by Goldin Auctions this Wednesday, including one of the cartridges given a PSA sco…
https://me.mashable.com/games/74822/rare-super-mario-brosduc…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — All 97 cartridges made the journey to PSA, the gold standard for grading collectibles. In a twist that surprised even the experts, five of the cartridges received the highest possible PSA 10 score. Th…
https://console-classics.com/retrogaming/uncovering-97-myste…
check_circle
Claim 8: “The cartridges of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt he had were made in 1993, long after the company discontinued the bundle in 1991.”
CORROBORATED
The NY Post and multiple web search results confirm that Nintendo discontinued the bundle in 1991.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mario is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for the video game company Nintendo. Starring Mario, the franchise began with video games b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_(franchise)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mario Bros. is a 1983 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for arcades. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Players control Italian twin broth…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bros.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the successor to the 1983 ar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.
+ 4 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.