Kirby eReader Card Long-Thought Destroyed Is Up For Thousands Of Dollars At Auction

Though rumored to have been destroyed, an eBay seller has reportedly uncovered an incredibly rare Nintendo eReader card from E3 2002 and threw it up for auction, where it's currently bidding for thousands of dollars.

The card in question is a first-place Kirby eReader card from Nintendo's E3 2002 show floor. At the time, attendees were given a promo pack containing these potentially prize-winning cards emblazoned with iconic Nintendo characters. They came in three variants--first, second, and third place--with only 10 first-place cards being printed. The seller--andersoncentraal, who has 100% feedback on eBay--posted pictures of the first-place card.

It's worth noting that the card hasn't been independently verified. However, andersoncentraal did upload a video allegedly showing the card as a winner.

According to the listing, the card hasn't been redeemed or graded. However, it's apparently good for a Limited Edition Gold GameBoy Advance Pokemon/NYC Store Limited Edition handheld. It's unclear how anyone would redeem the prize, though the card is currently selling for $8,100 USD.

It's rumored that these eReaders cards have been destroyed. Attendees typically walked over to a scanner at the Nintendo booth to find out whether they won. If the card was a winner, they'd hand the card over to Nintendo to receive their prize, and Nintendo would then presumably destroy the cards.

Though if people forget to turn them in, Nintendo couldn't destroy them. And there just so happens to be a pack of eReader cards on eBay for $4,400. It's possible a first- or second-place card could be in there.

This is just the latest collectible selling at auction for an absurd amount of money. A sealed copy of The Legend of Zelda for NES sold for $870,000 USD, while an unopened copy of Super Mario 64 fetched $1.56 million. There was also the sale of the rare NES game Stadium Events, which ending up topping off at $41,977--though that sell wasn't a traditional auction.