DALLAS, TX.- The making of a new category of collectible comes down to a consensus, and a few years ago, circumstances dovetailed: Vintage home video games entered the collector market due to a surge in demand from both veteran and potential collectors to acknowledge the rarity and desirability of these objects. Gen X, as well as Boomers and Millennials, share a deep nostalgia and affection for these games, and the games in turn cooperate as limited editions. In each and every beloved home video game release there is a sense of the history of evolving technologies, narratives, and aesthetics — forces that have sunk into us as powerfully as those from our favorite comics, movies, books, music and more. (And more often than not, the games have formed the basis of our favorite comics, movies and more.) Why not concede the inherent value of this pop-culture phenomenon that kicked off in the 1970s and continues to dominate? The most sought-after examples increased 20-fold in value during the pandemic. Heritage Auctions, already dominant in the realm of comics, trading cards and entertainment memorabilia, was a natural home for this new explosive category, and on July 11, 2021, sold a highest-graded 1996 copy of Super Mario 64 for a whopping $1,560,000.

The video game category continues to seduce and fascinate seasoned and newbie collectors. Heritage is in its fourth year of powerhouse auctions in the arena, and on July 27 and 28 Heritage presents its summer Video Games Signature®Auction. It's packed with the titles and grades that collectors dream about including a copy of 2003's Pokémon Ruby Version graded a dazzling 10.0 A++ by Wata.

"We are very proud of the lineup we've curated for this summer's Signature auction," says Evan Masingill, Heritage's Consignment Director of Video Games. "The auction features a well-rounded selection of offerings that will surely appeal to any collector. From high-grade Nintendo Powers, to an impressive Pokémon and NES black box lineup, to first-time offerings, all of the key titles and franchises you'd want to see are represented."

The above-mentioned Pokémon Ruby Version exemplifies the top of the market: It's a great game with a stellar grade. Wata seldom dishes out a perfect 10 A++, and when it does, it's rarely for a marquee title that's more than 20 years old. This is a drop-dead mint copy. It's from the third generation of Pokémon games, which represents a significant evolution in the franchise. Other Pokémon titles in the auction, in Red, Blue, Yellow and more versions, are stamped with truly enviable grades, including this Pokémon Blue Version Wata 9.8 A++ Sealed copy, and this Pokémon Red Version Wata 9.2 A+ Sealed copy.

The words "sealed" and "hangtab" are favorites among collectors, and when you combine them with the words "Super Mario Bros." you grab some attention. This Super Mario Bros. Wata 8.5 A Sealed Hangtab NES from 1985 is a winner all around: Super Mario Bros., perhaps the most famous video game ever, is indeed the best-selling game for the NES, and it pioneered the side-scrolling platformer genre as it inspired countless imitators.

Another highlight in the auction is this elusive cardboard longbox version of Tekken, from 1995. This Wata 9.6 A+ Sealed copy is the highest-rated Tekken longbox that Heritage has ever offered. Despite the game being incredibly popular, Tekken is indeed one of the hardest-to-find longbox games for the PlayStation, and in rarity, it's on par with Twisted Metal and Resident Evil. Other great titles with high grades abound in this event: Highlights include this Super Metroid Wata 9.8 A+ sealed copy from 1994 that happens to boast the highest grade Wata has ever given to the title across all variants, according to the company's March 2023 pop report; black box hangtab favorites like this Donkey Kong 3 Wata 9.2A Sealed, and this Popeye Wata 7.5 A Sealed (there are zero copies of this rare variant on Wata's March 2023 population report).

And aside from the more than 350 significant games in the auction there's a fantastic collector grail on offer: This Nintendo Entertainment System Console from 1988 — VGA 80+ NM is truly unopened, bundled with a grey Zapper light gun and a Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge, and is the flashback that collectors long for. One of the most important consoles ever released, the NES revived the home video game market in North America during the mid-to-late 1980s. It would be the centerpiece of pretty much any Nintendo fan's collection. After all, you can't play the game without the console. Images and information about this lot and all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/7349. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam, Brussels and Hong Kong.