Everyday folk discovering colossally valuable collectors' items amid everyday junk has been the lifeblood of antiques shows for years, but it's not every day you see a real-life gold-in-the-attic tale play out on eBay.

Last week, North Carolina eBay user lace_thongs35 thought she was putting up an everyday, 80s-era Nintendo Entertainment System (together with five games) up on the popular auction site. But less than an hour after the first bid, the price was over $6,000 -- and on Wednesday, when the auction closed, the final selling price topped $13,000.

Why? Not the console itself, but one of the games bundled with it -- a deeply obscure 1987 release called Stadium Events, a highly sought-after collectors' item. But it wasn't even the game itself that was worth the bulk of the money -- it was the original cardboard box, which collectors value at a breathtaking $10,000. Fewer than 10 complete copies of the game are thought to exist, and retro gaming aficionados consider it one of the hardest-to-find NES games ever made.

Bet you're wishing you hadn't let Mom throw out your Nintendo collection now, eh?

Darryl B. wrote:Funny how that post was just made about Stadium Events recently, then I was surprised to read this article today oh go 'holy crap! I've heard about that game!'

Ter wrote:The more people keep finding these games in their attic, the more the price should go down. This game keeps jumping to astronomical numbers.

BTW, I was curious about someone with a username like "lace_thongs35", so I clicked her profile. Here's what she looks like.