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Goodwill sells incredibly valuable NES cartridge for dirt cheap

Someone makes the thrift store score of a lifetime after finding an ultra-rare NES video game for sale with a price tag that may shock you.

Christopher MacManus
Crave contributor Christopher MacManus regularly spends his time exploring the latest in science, gaming, and geek culture -- aiming to provide a fun and informative look at some of the most marvelous subjects from around the world.
Christopher MacManus
2 min read
The holy grail of NES cartridges. GiantBomb

One man's junk is another man's treasure, but as you're about to learn, what Goodwill perceived as junk was actually a very valuable piece of video game history.

Kotaku tells the tale of a North Carolina woman who, upon visiting Goodwill, happened to come across a nearly sealed copy of the 1987 NES video game Stadium Events. She bought the game for $7.99 and walked out of the thrift store with something worth thousands more.

Stadium Events, for those not familiar with its rarity, saw a limited release before Nintendo recalled and repackaged it as World Class Track Meet, complete with Power Pad.

Over the last several years, the few copies of Stadium Events still out there regularly pull in mesmerizing sums of money on eBay, including a successful auction just a few days ago where one with a rip on the back of the box fetched a stunning $11,513. A 2011 auction for a sealed version of Stadium Events resulted in a successful sale for $22,800.

After the miracle find at Goodwill, the unidentified woman visited a local video game store in Charlotte, N.C., and nearly sent its owner -- fully aware of the game's value and its allure -- into a frenzy. The two parties couldn't meet halfway on a deal, and she told the store owner that she'll put it on eBay soon. Unfortunately, her copy of Stadium Events isn't fully sealed, as someone put a cut into the wrapping to access the box.

Regardless of its condition, her $7.99 purchase should still easily pull in more than $10,000. Do you think someone really sold the game to Goodwill as a mistake, or was it, possibly, the work of a Good Samaritan wanting to change someone's fortune?