When Scott Amos from Reno, Nevada rummaged through his attic, he unearthed an old unopened video game from 1987: Nintendo's Kid Icarus.
It was a lucky find since Nintendo's cult-classic game could sell for as much as $10,000 in an online auction.
New 'Kid Icarus'
According to Reno Gazette Journal, Amos found the Kid Icarus game cartridge still in a bag from J.C. Penney's catalog department from three decades ago. The receipt indicated that it cost $38.45 when it was purchased on Dec. 8,1988. That amounts to about $80 in modern times.
No one from the family remembers buying the game and Amos' mother thinks that she likely put Kid Icarus in the bag without taking it back out. Eventually, it probably ended up in the attic completely forgotten.
While no one from the family recalls buying or owning the game, Amos said that one of their neighbors used to have Nintendo's Kid Icarus. Back then, he used to play the game and remembers it being difficult, especially since he was never that good at video games.
Amos revealed that he initially thought that it would be worth a couple of hundred dollars. After e-mailing several experts, however, it was revealed that he had something much more expensive and rare.
'Kid Icarus': A Rare Cult Classic
According to Heritage Auctions, vintage game collectors have less than 10 factory-sealed copies, so to find one is fantastic news for collectors. The copy from Amos was rated 8 out of 10 by Wata Games.
"To find a sealed copy 'in the wild,' so to speak, not to mention one in such a nice condition and one with such transparent provenance, is both an unusual and rather historic occurrence," Valarie McLeckie said in a statement on Reno Gazette Journal. "We feel that the provenance will add a significant premium for serious collectors."
Kid Icarus is a game inspired by Greek mythology that followed a protagonist Pit as he rescues the goddess of light Palutena. The game became a cult classic enjoyed by children and adults at the time.
If it sells for the $10,000 that Amos and the collectors expect, he says that his family is planning to spend the cash on something fun.
"I have an older sister, too. We're splitting (the proceeds) 50-50. We're going to do a Disney World vacation next month," Amos said.
The auction ends on Thursday, Aug. 1.
