Retro game collecting has a habit of making yesterday’s bargain-bin cartridges become tomorrow’s museum pieces. Goldin’s Summer Pop Culture Elite Auction is a perfect reminder of that, headlined by what may be one of the rarest Nintendo discoveries to surface in years. Goldin has opened bidding on more than 400 trading cards, 280 video games, 270 comics and magazines, 250 toys, and dozens of vinyl records and VHS tapes. While the catalog includes everything from Superman to Metallica, gamers have plenty of reasons to pay attention.
The star item is a 1988 NES Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge and manual, part of the recently uncovered Nintendo Wire discovery that revealed a box of previously unreleased copies. The game carries a PSA Gem Mint 10, making it the first NES cartridge ever to receive a perfect 10 from PSA, a milestone that immediately puts it among the most significant graded Nintendo games ever offered at auction.
Gaming history extends beyond cartridges and cards. A Nintendo Power #1 newsstand issue from 1988 appears in the auction with an exceptionally rare population report, while collectors of physical gaming memorabilia will also spot a sealed 2026 Stern x Pokémon Limited Edition Pinball Machine, one of just 750 produced.
Beyond gaming, the auction branches into comic book history with Amazing Fantasy #15 signed by Stan Lee, Superman #1, Iron Man’s first appearance, original He-Man artwork, and signed Metallica vinyl records.
Goldin’s Summer Pop Culture Elite Auction is open for bidding through September 9, with extended bidding beginning at 10 p.m. ET, giving collectors several weeks to decide whether nostalgia is worth opening the wallet for.
