Miyamoto-Signed 3DS XL Heads to Auction

A black Nintendo 3DS XL signed by Shigeru Miyamoto is now up for auction, and for collectors in the UK and beyond, it is a striking piece of Nintendo history. The console was awarded to John Numbers after he won the 2015 Nintendo World Championships, and it is being sold on eBay.

The 2015 event was Nintendo’s revival of its classic competition format, with challenges built around games such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and ExciteBike. For readers following our news coverage, this is the sort of item that sits right at the point where hardware, competition and company history meet.

According to RetroDodo, the console has been held by John Numbers for nearly a decade and is being sold in its original box. The package also includes exclusive cards featuring John Numbers, created by Walter Day after the championships. Numbers has described the item as a “national treasure” and said it has “only been opened a few times”.

It is worth noting that the championship trophy itself is not included in the sale, as it remains with John Numbers. The auction is for the signed black Nintendo 3DS XL and its packaging, which makes the provenance especially important for anyone tracking collectible handhelds.

Bidding has already started strongly, with RetroDodo reporting a current winning bid of $21,000 and more than six days left on the auction. The seller has said international shipping will not be available, and there is even a possibility of hand-delivery to the buyer once the sale is complete.

For collectors, this is a reminder that some consoles are valued for far more than their specs. If you follow Nintendo hardware and the wider retro scene, you can keep up with more stories like this on our news tag, and you can also check the original report from RetroDodo for the auction details.