Baseball cards were a big part of my childhood.

Like my father before me, I collected sports cards, trading some with friends, looking up the value in the latest Beckett magazine, and hoping that as they got older, they would increase in value.

Perhaps my most prized card was the 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie card.

I owned lots of Griffey Jr. cards. He was my favorite player at the time, and I had dreams of his cards someday holding the value of an old Mickey Mantle trading card.

The problem is sports cards were overproduced, losing the value the much older cards still carry to this day.

One research article by Dave Sliepka suggests there could be over 1,000,000 of the famous '89 Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck card.

Ken Griffey Jr.
Photo by Ken Levine/Allsport/Getty Images
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While the card is legendary in pop culture, it's not legendary in value.

To truly carry the financial weight comparable to a rare piece of art, a card must be extremely old, in mint condition, and feature a great player.

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The "Holy Grail" of baseball cards is the T-206 Honus Wagner issued in 1909.

Reportedly, approximately 50 were ever made.

Today, very few exist, making it the most sought-after sports card in history.

Honus Wagner baseball card
Photo by Chris Hondros/Newsmakers/Getty Images
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It was created and distributed by the American Tobacco Company and came in a pack of cigarettes.

The 113-year-old card continues to make history.

This week, it was sold at an auction for a record $7.25 million, the highest price ever paid for a sports card.

If only my Ken Griffey Jr. card could net 0.1% of that, I'd make a cool $7,250.

Maybe we should all start looking through old attics like we're in an 80s movie.

In the hit 1985 movie "The Goonies", Sean Astin's character finds a treasure map in the attic. 10 years ago in Defiance, Ohio, Karl Kissner didn't find a treasure map, he found a century-old baseball treasure...700 mint condition baseball cards featuring the likes of Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Cy Young, and yes, Honus Wagner.

The treasure wasn't in the kind of condition to sell for millions, but did sell for $566,132.

Famous baseball card of Honus Wagner
Photo by Chris Hondros/Newsmakers
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No one individual will take home a giant payday. According to the Associated Press, the money will be divided evenly among 20 cousins. Hey, I wouldn't mind my cousin sending me a $28,306 check after finding buried treasure in my late Grandfather's attic.

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Read on to explore the full collection of 50 images Stacker compiled showcasing various iconic winning moments in sports history. Covering achievements from a multitude of sports, these images represent stunning personal achievements, team championships, and athletic perseverance.

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