Miyamoto Himself Made This Original Sketch Of Mario 22 Years Ago, And it’s Currently Worth Over $10,000
Trying to imagine Nintendo without Shigeru Miyamoto is like imagining the 1996 Chicago Bulls without Michael Jordan, or The Fellowship of the Ring without Sam, or even the Z Warriors without Goku. It just wouldn’t be the same. The video game legend gave us Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Star Fox, Pikmin, and provided vital input in many other projects. He’s essentially Mr. Nintendo. There are very few individuals who have become so iconic in the video game industry, and Miyamoto is unquestionably on top of that list. Almost everything he created turned into gold, and some of his projects even shaped the video game industry as we know it today. While you’ve definitely played something he had a hand in, what if you could own something directly created by him?
Like this original sketch of Mario that’s currently going for $10,500 at Heritage Auctions. Miyamoto made the sketch of his most famous character at E3 2004, and it has somehow found its way onto the auction lot. Of course, since it’s a Miyamoto original, the valuation is hardly surprising. While I’ve called it a sketch, it’s actually Shikishi, which is a traditional Japanese style artwork done on art boards made out of washi paper, with borders decorated with gold or silver. This one features Mario, a Fire Flower, and Miyamoto’s unmistakable signature running across it. It hasn’t been graded, but it remains in excellent condition. To be honest, I think this is one of the few times a grade wouldn’t even matter.
This Shigeru Miyamoto Original Sketch Of Mario Is A Star Level Collectible
This isn’t just a a sketch of the world’s most popular video game character by its creator, though. Mario and Miyamoto stand for so much more than that. The sheer impact that Super Mario Bros. had on video game design and development is almost unparalleled. World 1 – 1 is a blueprint on which so many 2D sidescrollers based their entire game upon. Now, I wouldn’t dare attempt to analyze why collectors are willing to spend upward of $10,000 on this artwork, but I can say that its value has been ever so increased by the fact that it was created at E3 2004.
The now defunct video game convention was once the biggest gaming event on the calendar. Unfortunately, the last edition of the event took place in 2021, and it never came back due to a number of reasons. Along with being a Miyamoto original, this piece of art is also a relic of a bygone era, where fans would look forward to E3 for new game announcements and reveals. Of course, an original Miyamoto sketch of Mario would undoubtedly go for a massive price wherever it was drawn, but this little tidbit adds a layer of history to it which can’t be replicated. There aren’t many video game developers out there that can claim to have the same impact as Miyamoto has on the industry, and there aren’t many characters more popular than Mario. This one of a kind item is not just a piece of original artwork, but a piece of video game history.