Mario money

DALLAS (AP) — An unopened copy of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. that was bought in 1986 and then forgotten about in a desk drawer has sold at auction for $660,000.

Heritage Auctions in Dallas said the video game sold Friday.

The auction house said the video game was bought as a Christmas gift but ended up being placed in a desk drawer, where it remained sealed in plastic and with its hang tab intact until it was found earlier this year.

“Since the production window for this copy and others like it was so short, finding another copy from this same production run in similar condition would be akin to looking for single drop of water in an ocean,” said Valarie McLeckie, Heritage’s video game specialist.

Heritage said it is the finest copy known to have been professionally graded for auction. Its selling price far exceeded the $114,000 that another unopened copy that was produced in 1987 fetched in a Heritage auction last summer.

TME – Even unopened, it still won’t work until you blow on it.

Slithering cinders

LEESVILLE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana woman accused of setting fires told investigators she and her boyfriend were trying to get rid of snakes, the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry says.

Robert Lee Ramirez, 34, of Leesville, faces two counts of arson and remained at large Tuesday, department spokesman Veronica Mosgrove said in an email.

Laura Ashley Lee, 34, also of Leesville, was released on $3,500 bond after being arrested March 18 on one count of arson, a news release said Monday.

The two are boyfriend and girlfriend, Mosgrove said in an email Monday.

According to the statement, investigators say Ramirez set multiple fires along the road and in woods owned by others around their home.

Two numbers listed for a Laura A. Lee in Leesville are no longer in service. Mosgrove said she doesn’t know whether Lee has an attorney who could speak for her.

TME – If you’ve got a better plan to get rid of snakes, we’d love to hear it.

Mascot mystery

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — A minor league baseball team in Tennessee has its mascot back a day after it was reported stolen from a ballpark.

The Chattanooga Lookouts announced Wednesday on Twitter that the costume for Looie the Lookout “has been returned home safe.”

Chattanooga Police spokeswoman Elisa Myzal said in an email that an employee of a nearby aquarium found the costume near the team’s stadium.

The Lookouts told authorities that the mascot’s costume was stolen from an office at AT&T Field on Tuesday, according to a Facebook post from Chattanooga police. Looie’s head looks like a big red baseball cap, with a black brim for a nose.

The Lookouts said hundreds of dollars in merchandise and equipment were also stolen. Myzal said none of that property has been returned or located. She said police are reviewing security cameras in the area.

Police are asking the public for any tips on the other stolen items or for information that could help identify suspects, saying callers can remain anonymous. Anyone with tips can call (423) 698-2525.

The Lookouts kick off their season at home on May 4.

TME – You’d think a team named the Lookouts would keep a better eye on their stuff.

GOAT collectible

NEW YORK (AP) — Quarterback Tom Brady is proving he’s the GOAT not just on the football field but also in the collectibles market: A rookie football card just sold for $2.25 million.

The card was signed by the GOAT, a common reference to Brady that stands for “greatest of all time.”

The price fetched Friday night through online sports auction house Lelands broke a football card record that was previously held by Brady. Another of his rookie cards sold for $1.32 million on PWCC Marketplace last month.

“Tom Brady continues to shatter records both on and off the football field,” Lelands President Mike Heffner said in a statement.

Brady began his professional football career with the New England Patriots, where he won six Super Bowls.

He continued his winning ways after parting from the Patriots in 2020 and joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He earned his seventh Super Bowl win when the Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year.

TME – He’s no Jarret Stidham.