With spring right around the corner, it seems only fitting that Comic Connect would welcome the season change with a new Event Auction! Event Auction #53 features hundreds of books, original art, video games, and videotapes from all eras. These Event Auctions are a personal favorite. There's something for every type of collector, and there have even been some record-breaking prices at these events as well!

This auction in particular features items from Nicholas Membrez-Weiler, who was the youngest finalist during the 1990 Nintendo World Championship.

Who is Nicholas Membrez-Weiler?

We can't talk about Nicholas Membrez-Weiler without first talking about The Nintendo World Championships (NWC). A gamer's dream contest, NWC is a nationwide video game competition series, organized by Nintendo of America.

Born from the minds of marketing geniuses Steve Grossman and Jay Coleman, the first NWC was in 1990. It toured through 29 American cities, bringing in half a million hopeful competitors. It was in that inaugural year that Membrez-Weiler competed in nine NWC city tournaments across the country - when he was just 7 1/2 years old.

The tournament was divided into three separate age groups: 11-and-under, 12-to-17, and 18-and-over. Membrez-Weiler won the 11-and-under age group in Seattle, earning him one of 90 places in the finals at Universal Studios in Hollywood. He was the youngest finalist to reach the world championship.

More than 30 years after becoming the youngest gamer in the inaugural Nintendo World Championships, memorabilia from the event is up for auction at ComicConnect, and the history behind the pieces is enthralling for any fan of the industry.

"One of the coolest aspects of playing video games is competing against your friends to see who shall reign supreme! The first Nintendo World Championship in 1990 was the pinnacle of this type of competing spirit. Young Nicholas at age 7 competed across the country from Seattle all the way to Florida. The only thing as cool as him competing at such an early age was his dad’s foresight to hold onto all these items for over 30 years. The grey cartridge, ticket stubs, stickers, t-shirt, backstage pass, tombstone name placard, baseball caps, newspaper clippings, and of course his trophy are now all up for auction."

ComicConnect President, Vincent Zurzolo.

These personal items are the most unique things I've seen come up for auction. Items from the 1990 Nintendo World Championship tend to be highly collectible, so if you're looking for items to watch, here are a few standout pieces from an absolutely amazing collection.

1990 Nintendo World Championship Seattle Finals Cup

Nicholas was the Seatle champion for the 11 and under group, an impressive feat. These cups come up for auction every blue moon and command high dollar amounts. As of this writing the cup is already over $400, but it wouldn't surprise me if it went over $1K.

This cup has wear on the base, but still displays well and would be an excellent addition to any collection.

1990 Nintendo World Championship Youth Participation Shirt

Vintage tee shirts are highly collectible, especially early Nintendo ones. This Signal brand shirt in particular was designed for the 1990 Nintendo World Championship and features a bright, colorful design on the front with a few well-known Nintendo icons, including Tanuki Mario and Link! The shirt was also customized by Nicholas himself on the back.

This is a very cool piece of video game history and is overall a unique collectible. Nintendo shirts from this era tend to sell between $100 - $200 on eBay, but due to how scarce this shirt is it could go for more.

1990 Nintendo World Championship Grey Cartridge 

Out of everything in this collection (and overall auction), this is arguably the most valuable item offered.  These cartridges were given to competitors and employees during this championship but seldom do they come up for sale. This one in particular features Nicholas's VIP sticker on it.

These cartridges all had three modified competition games on them; Super Mario Brothers, Rad Racer, and Tetris.  In July 2021, Heritage sold a 6.0 WATA-graded cartridge for $69,000. This CGC blue label 6.5 is stunning. This is the rarest video game one could own, and as such, the price will likely go higher than the previous sale.

Read more about this amazing collection - it's loaded with nostalgia that anyone who ever dreamed of playing in the competition will enjoy.

Check out this video for even more info!

Check out all the video games in the auction!

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.