Aside from having a magnificent name, Thor Aackerlund also has the honour of being one of only three absolute winners at the famous 1990 Nintendo World Championships.
Aackerlund took out the 12-17 year-old division ahead of 29 other finalists from across America, and for his troubles not only got to keep the controller he played on that day, but was also given a gold statue of Mario.
While the gold cartridges given out during the competition are rare enough as it is – sometimes leading to bizarre stories for collectors – this statue is literally one-of-a-kind, as each of the three pieces given out to the winners obviously carries a different engraving.
As a result, Aackerlund is selling the trophy and the sealed, custom controller for $US300,000. Laugh at the price all you want, but when one of 26 gold carts from the tournament goes for $US17,500, one of the three winning trophies will go for a lot more.
The auction will no doubt attract interest from serious game collectors, but I’d like to imagine it’s appealing to bullshit-prone rich folks as well. After all, the front of the trophy only carries the tournament name, not Aackerlund’s!
1990 NWC NINTENDO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 1st place Gold Mario Trophy 12-17 Age VGA [eBay]
Nintendo Champ Selling Statue and Controller [Patrick Scott Patterson]
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