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'Super Mario' Cartridge Sold for Video Game Record $1.5 Million

Mario and Luigi characters greet visitors in front of Yoshi's Adventure attraction inside Super Nintendo World at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka. (Reuters photo)
Mario and Luigi characters greet visitors in front of Yoshi's Adventure attraction inside Super Nintendo World at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka. (Reuters photo)
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'Super Mario' Cartridge Sold for Video Game Record $1.5 Million

Mario and Luigi characters greet visitors in front of Yoshi's Adventure attraction inside Super Nintendo World at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka. (Reuters photo)
Mario and Luigi characters greet visitors in front of Yoshi's Adventure attraction inside Super Nintendo World at the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka. (Reuters photo)

A sealed cartridge of the legendary "Super Mario" for the Nintendo 64 console sold for $1.56 million, a new record for a video game, according to auction house Heritage Auctions.

"It's the first game to be auctioned for more than $1 million," Eric Bradley, a spokesman for the Dallas, Texas-based company, told AFP.

Heritage had already set a first record on Friday, when a cartridge of "The Legend of Zelda" for the old Nintendo NES console netted $870,000. The copy of "Super Mario 64" dates back to 1996 and uses 3D for the first time.

It is "the only known copy to receive a score of 9.8 A++" from video game expert Wata, which assesses the condition of cartridges, explained Bradley, adding that this score was "the highest a retro game could receive."

Mario, a hyperactive plumber with a mustache and a red cap, is one of the greatest heroes in video game history and contributed to Nintendo's worldwide success.

The character first emerged as "Jumpman" in 1981 in a game dubbed Donkey Kong before being renamed Mario in 1985.

Old video games have enjoyed increasing success among nostalgic gamers for several years.

In April, a 1986 "Super Mario Bros" cartridge for the Nintendo NES sold for $660,000 at auction, also organized by Heritage Auctions.

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Skull Discovered in Hungary May Belong to Legendary King Matthias Corvinus

Like father, like son: Emese Gábor compared the skull of Matthias Corvinus’ son, Janos, to the newly discovered remains believed to be the legendary Hungarian king
Like father, like son: Emese Gábor compared the skull of Matthias Corvinus’ son, Janos, to the newly discovered remains believed to be the legendary Hungarian king
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Skull Discovered in Hungary May Belong to Legendary King Matthias Corvinus

Like father, like son: Emese Gábor compared the skull of Matthias Corvinus’ son, Janos, to the newly discovered remains believed to be the legendary Hungarian king
Like father, like son: Emese Gábor compared the skull of Matthias Corvinus’ son, Janos, to the newly discovered remains believed to be the legendary Hungarian king

A skull unearthed in a medieval Hungarian church two decades ago may belong to legendary King Matthias Corvinus, who ruled the country for more than 30 years and was known for his support of the sciences and arts, experts claim.

The New York Post said that Emese Gábor, a facial reconstruction specialist and portrait sculptor based in Hungary, told Fox News Digital that the potentially royal skull was discovered in the ossuary portion of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Székesfehérvár.

The remains were first discovered in 2002. In an attempt to confirm her hypothesis, Gábor compared the newly discovered skull to that of Corvinus’ illegitimate son, Janos.

What Gábor found led her to believe that the find is indeed that of King Matthias Corvinus, “a friend of the muses,” according to Britannica, who was one of the first European leaders to welcome the Renaissance.

Gábor told Fox News Digital that she discovered an “exceptionally high degree of morphological similarity” between the two skulls.

She created plastic facial reconstructions of the examined skulls in the hopes of helping to tease out the facial features of the long-lost remains.

The skull also conforms to what’s known about Corvinus, down to his age and height, she told the outlet.

“This phenomenon, along with other features — such as the estimated age at death (43–48 years; Mátyás died at age 47) and the body height of 172 cm — provide further support and reinforce the possibility of royal origin.”

Hungarian officials were quick to point out that the claims about King Matthias “are not yet confirmed,” with the Institute of Hungarian Research telling Archaeology Mag that “scientific verification of the hypothesis is ongoing. We will be able to make a final statement after the verification.”

Known as Matthias the Just, Corvinus ruled as king of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490 and earned his moniker by creating a standing army, altering tax codes to be fairer and ushering in judicial reforms.