Wisconsin store owner, Nintendo superfan discovers dozens of ultra rare vintage Mario Bros. game cartridges: ‘Holy Grail’

Nypost · Aug 11, 2026 · 724 words · By Associated Press

Nostalgia Collectibles Market

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What to know about Nostalgia

Wisconsin store owner, Nintendo superfan discovers dozens of ultra rare vintage Mario Bros.

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

Wisconsin store owner, Nintendo superfan discovers dozens of ultra rare vintage Mario Bros.

Why it matters

game cartridges: ‘Holy Grail’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Common ground

Add The New York Post on Google 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.

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.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Nostalgia story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Five of the 97 Ganos possessed received a perfect score?
How does this story connect Nostalgia with Collectibles Market over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/tech/wisconsin-store-owner-nintendo-superfan-disco…

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 80% 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 6

info Single Source 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “Five of the 97 Ganos possessed received a perfect score.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that five of the 97 discovered cartridges received a perfect 10 score from PSA.

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web search NEUTRAL — 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/5

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web search NEUTRAL — Five were formed by Heart Management, who held auditions to create a boy band. The group were signed by Simon Cowell and BMG / RCA. In November 1997, Five released their debut single, "Slam Dunk (Da F…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_(group)

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Nestled high above LoHi on the fifth floor of 2930 Umatilla, El Five boasts spectacular, unobstructed views of the downtown Denver skyline. The menu is an homage to the Mediterranean and …
https://www.opentable.com/r/el-five-denver

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Claim 2: “There had never been a cartridge rated a perfect 10, on a .01 scaling basis at Professional Sports Authenticator video games, Ganos said.”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web search results confirm Ganos's statement that no NES cartridge had previously received a perfect 10 grade from PSA.

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 — Five received a perfect 10 from Professional Sports Authenticator’s video game grading service. Ganos said no NES cartridge had previously received a perfect score from the service. Three of the five …
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/rare-super-mario-cartridge…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — According to Ganos, no cartridge had ever received a perfect 10 from Professional Sports Authenticator's video game grading service. But five of the 97 received a perfect score.
https://engoo.com.tr/app/daily-news/article/ultrarare-ninten…

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Claim 3: “an ultra rare collection of 97 “absolutely pristine” copies of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt, a popular Nintendo game that had been released in 1988”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the collection of 97 copies of Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt and its release year of 1988. One source specifically mentions the 'absolutely pristine' description and the 1988 release date, while an eBay listing also cites 1988.

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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)

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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.

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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.

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “Ganos and Braun are only auctioning off three of the perfect 10 scored cartridges at Golden Pop’s Culture Auction beginning Friday.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the discovery of the cartridges and the PSA 10 scores are corroborated, the specific detail about auctioning exactly three of them at 'Golden Pop’s Culture Auction' is not corroborated by the provided evidence. The evidence mentions they are 'heading to an online auction' or 'three... will be auctioned online', but does not specifically name 'Golden Pop's Culture Auction' across multiple independent sources.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Super Mario Bros. — компьютерная игра в жанре платформера, разработанная и изданная компанией Nintendo для платформы Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Является наследником игры Mario Bros. (1983) и…
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nearly 100 rare NES Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridges were found in Wisconsin, including PSA-graded examples with the first ever perfect score.
https://planetherbs.com/rare-nes-super-mario-bros/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nearly 100 rare Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt Nintendo cartridges were discovered at a retro gaming store in Wisconsin. There were 97 individually wrapped cartridges, with five cartridges receiving a pe…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/mario-duck-hunt-game

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Claim 5: “the company discontinued the bundle in 1991”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly state that Nintendo discontinued the Super Mario Brothers Duck Hunt bundle in 1991.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “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 sources confirm that these specific cartridges were manufactured in 1993, which was after the bundle was discontinued in 1991.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “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”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant Wikipedia entries for 'Jason' (Greek mythology), 'Jason Voorhees', and 'Kirby'. There is no evidence in the provided text confirming Jason Ganos's tenure at Nintendo Wire or his tattoos.

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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)

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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…

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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

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “The discovery came after the owner, Kevin Braun, of One Stop Wonders in Waukesha, outside Milwaukee”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources (including Yahoo Noticias) explicitly state that Kevin Braun is the owner of One Stop Wonders in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

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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

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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

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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…

+ 3 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.