An unexpected find turned up recently in Harrisburg, PA, at the Keystone area Hanover store. Someone dropped off an NES console and 27 games, all still in their original packaging. The Goodwill NES auction went on to become a record-breaker for the store. In fact, it brought in $30,002. Chances are the person who dropped this off might be regretting it now.
Nichole Garcia is a donated services representative. She is trained to look for higher-value donations. After coming across the brand new vintage Nintendo console with 27 games in mint condition, she knew she had something special. The console was auctioned off first, netting $650+. At this point, she knew the games would fetch a good price, too. Garcia commented on the unusual circumstances, saying:
My brother-in-law sells collectible items and knows about Nintendo systems and games. I’ve picked up a thing or two from him and thought these cartridges would be of interest. When they were posted to our shopgoodwill.com site, I sent him a link. He thought they would sell for well over $10,000. I had no idea the final bid would land where it did but was thrilled.
Goodwill Photo: A vintage console and 27 games in mint condition made Goodwill some extra cash.
The initial bid on the 27 games was a mere $9.99. However, it wound up catching the eyes of 143 bidders. As they battled it out for the Goodwill NES auction prize, it surpassed $30,000. That makes it the highest-selling item sold by auction at the Keystone Area Goodwill.
The proceeds from the cartridges and all items sold on shopgoodwill.com support Goodwill’s mission programs that help people with disabilities and other barriers to employment build skills, find jobs and grow careers. In the latest fiscal year ending June 30, revenue from Goodwill’s e-commerce site reached $3.2 million.
You may recall that Super Mario 64 recently set a huge new auction record for Heritage Auction. That record has now been held by three different games this year, currently at $1.56 million. While that’s in its own league, the Goodwill NES auction is still quite noteworthy.
