A Shigeru Miyamoto-signed New Nintendo 3DS XL awarded to 2015 Nintendo World Championships winner John “Numbers” Goldberg has topped $21,000 on eBay, turning a handheld prize into a five-figure Nintendo collectible.
The auction has drawn 56 bids after going live in late May, with several days left before the early-June close, according to Notebookcheck. The device is in mint condition, includes Miyamoto’s signature and a Mario sketch, and comes with its original packaging and limited-edition collector cards featuring Goldberg.
Miyamoto-Signed 3DS Prize Turns Provenance Into the Main Event
The price is not about the New Nintendo 3DS XL as hardware. It is about documented Nintendo history in one object. Goldberg received the handheld as the first-place prize for winning the 2015 Nintendo World Championships, a competition that consisted of five rounds of classic and unreleased Nintendo games.
Goldberg has now decided to sell the prize after keeping it for nearly a decade. He announced the listing on social media and framed the sale as a difficult personal decision rather than a routine collectible flip.
“Alright, this is a big one, and I have thought about this for a while, but I’ve gone and put my prize 3DS, from the 2015 Nintendo World Championships, up on eBay. It was signed by Shigeru Miyamoto himself! I do wonder if there will be any takers on this. Guess we’ll see how it shakes out!”
The strongest counterpoint is obvious: a New Nintendo 3DS XL is not rare enough on its own to explain a bid above $21,000. Notebookcheck cited a comparable renewed New Nintendo 3DS XL fetching as much as $500 on Amazon, which makes the gap unusually stark.
| Item | Source-cited context | What appears to drive value |
|---|---|---|
| Comparable renewed New Nintendo 3DS XL | As much as $500 on Amazon | Hardware value |
| Goldberg’s signed prize unit | Above $21,000, 56 bids | Miyamoto signature, Mario sketch, championship provenance, condition |
That contrast is the story. The auction is pricing the object as a documented artifact tied to Miyamoto, Goldberg, and Nintendo’s 2015 championship revival — not as a used handheld.
Nintendo Collectors Are Paying for a Signature They Rarely See
Miyamoto’s involvement is the multiplier. The source material says he rarely signs items outside special events, and this unit carries both his signature and a Mario sketch drawn on the spot. For collectors, that combination matters because it gives the item more than a name on plastic; it gives it a visible creator mark tied to Nintendo’s most recognizable character.
The 2015 Nintendo World Championships connection adds another layer. Related reporting from eTeknix describes the event as a summer 2015 E3 competition inspired by Nintendo’s 1990 tournament, with challenges on Nintendo 3DS tied mostly to NES classics including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. Goldberg won the overall competition and received the signed black Nintendo 3DS XL as a prize.
The counterpoint: the auction has not closed. A high bid is not the same as a completed sale, and the final number could still depend on buyer follow-through, auction visibility, and confidence in the item’s condition and provenance. That matters for anyone trying to treat this as a benchmark.
Still, the case for collector interest is stronger than a normal celebrity-signature listing. The package includes the original box and a set of limited-edition collector cards featuring Goldberg, created by gaming archivist Walter Day. Goldberg’s championship trophy and golden Mario statue are not included, which narrows the sale but also clarifies exactly what bidders are chasing.
For readers tracking Nintendo hardware from a different angle, this auction sits far from the consumer-side frenzy around details like the Hidden Switch 2 HDMI Cable Sends Buyers Tearing Boxes Apart. It is also a different kind of handheld story than component speculation such as May 28 Leak Throws Intel Arc G3 Into Handheld Race: here, the premium comes from event history, not performance.
Final Sale Could Shape Expectations for Signed Nintendo Hardware
If the auction closes at or above the current level, the sale could become a reference point for modern Nintendo competition prizes. That does not mean every signed console suddenly has a five-figure floor. It means collectors will have a public data point for a rare mix: official Nintendo prize hardware, a known winner, Miyamoto’s signature, a Mario sketch, original packaging, and a documented event backstory.
Goldberg is also limiting delivery options. Notebookcheck says he is not willing to ship the console internationally and is considering hand-delivering it to the buyer because of the item’s delicate nature and provenance. That restriction could cut the bidder pool, but it may also reassure a buyer who wants the item handled with unusual care.
The factors likely to matter from here are straightforward:
- Authentication confidence: Bidders need to trust the signature, sketch, and ownership history.
- Condition claims: The listing’s mint-condition status is central to the premium.
- Auction reach: More visibility before the early-June close could push the price higher.
- Delivery terms: No international shipping may limit some buyers.
- Uniqueness: The Mario sketch and championship tie make this difficult to compare cleanly.
What would weaken the benchmark argument is a failed transaction, a sharp retreat before closing, or a post-auction dispute over condition or provenance. Until the sale is completed, the cleanest read is narrower: this auction shows how quickly a modern gaming collectible can break away from its underlying hardware value when rarity, creator association, and documented ownership align.
The Bottom Line
- The auction shows how provenance can turn common gaming hardware into a five-figure collectible.
- Miyamoto’s signature and the Nintendo World Championships connection are driving value far beyond the device itself.
- The 56-bid auction signals strong demand for authenticated Nintendo history among collectors.
