Back in 2002, Nintendo gave out special cards for the Nintendo e-Reader peripheral at E3 to drum up excitement for their new product. Now, one of these cards has surfaced on eBay and is selling for thousands of dollars.
The Nintendo e-Reader was a device that could be attached to a Game Boy Advance, and players could scan special cards through it for various purposes. In the GBA port of Super Mario Bros 3, for instance, these cards could be used to earn extra power-ups, unlock special levels, or play mini-games. During E3 2002, Nintendo gave out packs of cards for the Nintendo e-Reader, and some of these cards were special Kirby cards used for a contest. As this 2007 article on the card explains, they came in three varieties: A large number of common no prize cards, 100 second prize cards, and 10 first prize cards. Winning cards that were redeemed were destroyed in order to prevent them from being used again. This made the first prize cards the rarest Nintendo e-Reader card around.
However, one of these cards has been put for sale on eBay. The seller, whose eBay account dates back to 2005 with a 100% seller rating, says they're running this card's sale as an auction because of the card's rarity and there being no precedent for its value. As for the card's condition, it's listed as "used," which isn't too much of a surprise, as the card has to be scanned in order to prove its authenticity. To prove it's real, the seller also posted a picture of the card with the first prize message on the GBA, as well as the above video showing the card being used and the message being displayed on the GBA.
The E3 2002 Nintendo e-Reader card is currently going for $7,200 on eBay, and the auction will end around shortly before noon Eastern on Thursday.
