1989 Topps Nintendo Cards See Sharp Market Surge

1989 Topps Nintendo Cards Are Heating Up

The Nintendo Entertainment System remains one of the most iconic video game consoles ever released, and Super Mario Bros. became the face of the brand for a generation of players. Topps tapped into that popularity in 1989 with its Nintendo set, a release that has drawn renewed attention from collectors as sales have moved sharply higher.

The 1989 Topps Nintendo set includes 93 cards total, made up of 60 scratch-off game cards and 33 sticker cards. The checklist spans six games: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Punch-Out!!, and Double Dragon.

What Is In The 1989 Topps Nintendo Set

Topps divided the release into two main components. The 60-card scratch-off portion covers all six featured games. The 33-card sticker set is more selective, with Mario, Zelda, Punch-Out!!, and Double Dragon represented there. The sticker cards also include gameplay tips for collectors and players.

That mix of game content and interactive features has helped the set stand out within the broader non-sports hobby. It is also part of why sealed packs and graded singles continue to attract interest decades after release.

For more collecting context, read 1960 Topps Baseball High Grades Keep Driving Strong Prices.

High-Grade Super Mario Bros. Cards Are Rising Fast

One of the clearest signs of momentum in the market is the recent performance of 1989 Topps Nintendo Super Mario Bros. cards in PSA 10. According to Card Ladder, the card averaged $183.56 across five sales from January 2026 through May 2026. More recently, however, the numbers moved much higher.

The last two recorded sales, on September 11, 2026, and October 2, 2026, were $535 and $900, respectively. That means the $535 sale represented roughly a 172 percent increase over the earlier average, while the $900 result marked an even larger jump of about 391 percent compared with that same first-half average.

For a card that had already established a collector base, that kind of movement suggests demand is strengthening at the top end of the market.

Scratch-Off Cards Are Climbing Too

The surge is not limited to the most recognizable high-grade cards. A PSA 9 example of the Scratch-Off Punch-Out!! card, card #9 in the set, has also shown meaningful growth.

According to PSA sales data, the card sold for $14.53 on May 19 and then reached $50 on September 30. That is a notable increase in a relatively short period, and it shows that interest is spreading beyond the headline Mario cards.

Cards like this often move differently from the top-tier chase pieces, but the recent results indicate that collectors are paying more attention across the set.

The Biggest Sale So Far Came From Mario Bros. 2

The highest sale reported from the 1989 Topps Nintendo set belongs to a Super Mario Bros. 2 card, specifically the 1989 Topps Nintendo Mario Madness card graded PSA 10. That card sold for $7,700 on October 2, 2026, through a best offer transaction.

The card had been listed at $9,500, but the accepted offer still set a new benchmark for the set. The result was far above the previous sale, which Card Ladder lists at $372 on May 11, 2025.

Looking further back, Card Ladder shows that the card averaged $314 across sales from December 8, 2021, through May 11, 2025. Against that backdrop, the $7,700 sale represents a gain of 2,353.23 percent compared with the prior seven sales. That kind of leap is rare enough to draw attention even in a market known for sudden spikes.

Why Collectors Are Paying Attention Now

Non-sports trading cards have continued to gain traction, and vintage video game cards have benefited from that broader interest. The 1989 Topps Nintendo set sits at the intersection of nostalgia, gaming history, and low-population high-grade examples, which can create sharp price swings when demand picks up.

The recent sales data suggests that collectors are showing renewed interest not only in sealed material, but also in graded singles from across the checklist. Super Mario Bros. remains the most recognizable draw, yet the strong result for the Mario Bros. 2 card and the upward movement in a Punch-Out!! scratch-off card show that the market is looking beyond just one character or one game.

For collectors tracking vintage Nintendo releases, the latest sales trends make the 1989 Topps set one to watch closely as more examples surface and grading results continue to shape the market.

Set Breakdown At A Glance

Release: 1989 Topps Nintendo
Total cards: 93
Scratch-off game cards: 60
Sticker cards: 33
Featured games: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Punch-Out!!, Double Dragon
Sticker set content: Mario, Zelda, Punch-Out!!, and Double Dragon, plus gameplay tips

With recent sales rising across multiple card types and grades, the 1989 Topps Nintendo set has become one of the more closely watched vintage non-sports releases in the hobby.