Nintendo World Championships Champion Puts 3DS Up for Auction, Bidding Starts at $20,000

Imagine owning a one-of-a-kind Nintendo 3DS XL, personally signed by the legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, which was the grand prize at the 2015 Nintendo World Championships. While you may not have clinched victory in that epic esports showdown, you can still feel like a champion by snagging this handheld on eBay. Just be prepared to shell out at least $20,000.

Recently, John “Numbers” Goldberg, the champion of the 2015 Nintendo World Championships, decided to auction off the 3DS he won during the event.

“Alright, this is a big one, and I’ve thought about this for a while, but I’ve put my prize 3DS from the 2015 Nintendo World Championships up on eBay,” Goldberg shared on X. “It was signed by Shigeru Miyamoto himself!” He added, “I do wonder if there would be any takers on this. Guess we’ll see how it shakes out!”

As of now, the 3DS has already attracted 52 bids, reaching $20,100, with a week left in the auction. One of the photos he shared shows his NWC championship trophy, which he clarified is not part of the sale.

From his posts, it’s clear that Goldberg is taken aback by the interest in the console. He mentioned on his eBay page that the auction’s popularity exceeded his expectations, and instead of risking shipping issues, he would prefer to hand-deliver the system to the winner if possible. On a side note, a film about John Numbers transporting his beloved 3DS across state lines while dodging mishaps and reflecting on his esports journey sounds like a perfect adventure. A24, take note!

For those unfamiliar, the Nintendo World Championship is an official competition sanctioned by Nintendo, with three editions so far: 1990, 2015, and 2017. Each event saw competitors from across the U.S. battling it out in various Nintendo games. The finals of the 1990 championship featured a custom NES cartridge with mini-games based on Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris, with one of these cartridges later selling for over $100,000. Although the championship has been quiet for a while, it inspired the upcoming 2024 speedrunning game, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition.

In the championship that Goldberg won, he triumphed over a mix of celebrities, casual gamers, and pro players to take home the title. The final showdown against world record-holding speedrunner Narcissa Wright took place in the then-unreleased Super Mario Maker, giving a sneak peek at the challenging levels that would soon be unleashed. Interestingly, Wright, the runner-up, also received a signed 3DS from Miyamoto. So far, it seems that the existence of this duplicate hasn’t diminished the value of Goldberg’s eBay listing at all.

This NES remix for the speedrunning era is incredibly intriguing.