This Week in Collecting: Original Donkey Kong Art Sells for Record $329,400

The short version: A hand-painted 1981 Donkey Kong arcade flyer artwork, the first public image of Mario, sold for $329,400 at Landry Pop Auctions in a sale that closed October 28, 2026. That is more than double its high estimate and, by the auction house's account, the most ever paid for original video game art.

The piece nearly ended up in the trash. A former Nintendo of America employee pulled it from a pile of materials headed for disposal, kept it for decades, and only remembered it while cleaning out her garage. Now it holds a record that stood at $63,000 until last week.

What happened

The artwork was lot 102 in Landry Pop's "Jumpman: The Beginning of an Icon" sale, a 49-lot auction of original art and artifacts from Nintendo history. Thirty-six of those pieces came from the collection of Donna Darbous, a former advertising manager at Nintendo of America, according to Video Games Chronicle.

The lot is listed as Leslie Cabarga's original art for the North American Donkey Kong arcade flyer. Cabarga, a New York artist and author, painted the scene for Nintendo of America's promotional materials in 1981. It shows Donkey Kong with a barrel while Mario, then known only as Jumpman, climbs toward Pauline. VGC describes it as two layers: a background done in ink and airbrush on cardstock, plus an acetate sheet, similar to an animation cel, with the characters and barrels painted in ink and acrylic. Time Extension put its size at around 19 by 15 inches.

Darbous told the story in the auction's run-up. She said the art was rescued from a dumpster after a storage room clean-out at Nintendo of America, and that she took it with her supervisor's permission. "This is where it all started," she said, as quoted by Time Extension. "This is when the public first laid eyes on Mario."

Landry Pop estimated the piece at $100,000 to $150,000. In mid-October the top bid sat at $80,000. It closed at $329,400, a figure reported by EventHubs, VICE, Dexerto and Game Rant. The buyer has not been named.

"Long before Mario became the face of a multibillion-dollar entertainment franchise, he was a character on an arcade flyer," Landry Pop said in a statement quoted by EventHubs. "The $329,400 result is a striking reminder of how far Nintendo's most famous plumber has come, and how valuable the surviving artwork from his earliest days has become."

How it compares

Original video game art has never traded at this level. The previous auction record was $63,000 for the original Prince of Persia cover artwork, sold in 2023, per reports citing Landry Pop. The Donkey Kong art beat that by more than five times.

The rest of the sale shows how deep the demand ran. Original art of Mario and Luigi brought $17,080 and a Goomba piece sold for $10,370, according to EventHubs. A graded 1985 copy of Super Mario Bros. for the NES fetched $34,160, Dexerto reported.

For scale, art still trails the top sealed games. In June 2026, a sealed Super Mario Bros. graded 9.6 A++ sold for $3 million at Heritage Auctions, a new high for any video game, Digital Trends reported. The record before it was a $2 million private sale in 2021. Back in July 2021, a sealed Super Mario 64 sold at Heritage for $1.56 million, the first game to clear $1 million at auction.

The bigger trend

Retro gaming has moved from basement hobby to blue-chip category since 2021, and the money is spreading beyond sealed cartridges. Buyers are now paying up for the paper trail of game history: concept art, ad art, prototypes and internal company items. Single-owner collections with a clear chain of custody, like Darbous's, are the kind of material that pulls in serious bidders.

Mario is also the strongest name in the hobby. The same character tops the sealed-game record and now the game-art record. Nostalgia for 1980s arcades and the NES is hitting buyers who grew up with those games and now have the budget to chase them.

The wider collectibles market is busy too. Whatnot said toy and hobby sales on its platform were up 140% so far in 2026, according to its 2027 Consumer Trends Report as summarized by ICv2.

What it means for collectors and resellers

You are not going to find hand-painted Nintendo flyer art at a yard sale. But this sale is a useful reminder that the material around a game can carry real value too. A few practical takeaways:

• Do not toss the paper. Store displays, arcade flyers, press kits, magazine inserts, Nintendo Power posters and old promo materials have their own collector market. Printed flyers are not original art, but clean examples still sell.
• Provenance is value. Part of why this piece did so well is that its story was clear and documented. If you own something tied to a company or an event, keep any letters, photos or paperwork that show where it came from.
• Price from sold listings, not asking prices. A record headline will bring out sky-high asking prices for anything Donkey Kong. Check completed sales for the exact item and condition before you buy or list.
• Check your old hardware too. If you have boxed consoles or complete games in a closet, our guide to which old video game consoles are worth money covers what to look for.

If you are not sure what a piece is, Moe can identify it from a photo and show you what similar items have sold for. For a breakdown of where each type of item sells best, see where to sell collectibles online.

What to watch next

Expect more original game art to surface. A result this far over estimate tends to shake loose pieces from former employees, artists and agencies who never thought their old work had value. Watch for other early Nintendo, Atari and Sega promotional art showing up at auction in the coming months.

Landry Pop itself is staying in the headlines. Its next marquee sale, an Action Comics #1 auction, is set for November 17, according to its LiveAuctioneers storefront. And keep an eye on sealed-game prices: the $3 million Super Mario Bros. sale set a new ceiling in June, and the next top-graded copy to hit the block will test it.

Frequently asked questions

How much did the original Donkey Kong art sell for?

Leslie Cabarga's 1981 Donkey Kong arcade flyer art sold for $329,400 at Landry Pop Auctions. The sale closed October 28, 2026, against an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000.

What is the most expensive video game art ever sold?

The Donkey Kong flyer art now holds that title, according to Landry Pop. The previous auction record was $63,000 for the original Prince of Persia cover art in 2023.

Who found the Donkey Kong artwork?

Donna Darbous, a former advertising manager at Nintendo of America, said she rescued it from a dumpster during a storage room clean-out and kept it for decades before consigning it.

Is my old Donkey Kong arcade flyer worth anything?

The record price is for the one-of-a-kind original painting, not the printed flyers made from it. Printed flyers do sell to collectors, with value depending on condition. Check recent sold prices for the same flyer to see what buyers actually pay.

What is the most expensive video game ever sold?

A sealed 1985 Super Mario Bros. graded 9.6 A++ sold for $3 million at Heritage Auctions in June 2026, the current record for a single game.