A routine sort through a box of NES cartridges in Wisconsin turned into a major find for retro collectors. Jason Ganos, assisting with a sale of old games, came across 97 copies of an unreleased version of Super Mario Bros. + Duck Hunt. As detailed in the original report, the discovery was entirely unexpected and has sparked fresh interest in Nintendo’s early cartridge history.
A Box Full of History
When Ganos opened the box, he expected to find common used games. Instead, he found dozens of identical cartridges bearing a label he didn’t recognize. The cartridges contained both Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on a single cartridge—a combination that was never officially released by Nintendo. The standard NES pack-in titles like Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt or Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet are well-known, but a standalone two-game cartridge without a third title was an anomaly.
Super Mario Bros. itself remains one of the games that changed the gaming world, so any variant attracts intense interest. Ganos quickly realized he had stumbled onto something unusual and began researching the cartridge’s origins.
Why the Cartridge Never Released
The unreleased cartridge likely stems from a period when Nintendo was experimenting with game bundles for different regions or packages. The two-game combo may have been a cost-saving measure or a test run that never made it to retail. Without formal documentation, the exact reason remains unclear, but the fact that 97 copies survived suggests they were produced in a small batch for internal testing or promotional use before being scrapped.
For collectors, an unreleased NES game variant in such quantity is rare. The discovery not only adds to the lore of Nintendo’s North American operations but also raises questions about what else might be hiding in warehouses and attics. The enduring legacy of Mario means even minor cartridge differences command high prices and scholarly attention.
Mario’s popularity has stretched across decades, leading to modern oddities like the Amiibo memory quirk in Mario Party 10. Yet the simplicity of the NES era still holds a unique fascination.
GamerHeadlines Takeaway
The unearthing of this obscure cartridge variant is a reminder that gaming history is still being written through physical discoveries. While digital preservation dominates today, the tangible artifacts of the past can rewrite what we know about industry practices. For now, those 97 cartridges will likely become prized possessions for dedicated collectors, each one a piece of a puzzle Nintendo never meant to release.
