A 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for a record-breaking $12.6 million at an auction early on Aug. 28 morning.

The card, which features Mantle, the greatest switch-hitter in baseball history, broke the previous record for a baseball card held by rare Honus Wagner at $6.6 million.

Issued by the trading card giant Topps, the card also broke the record for any item of sports memorabilia, which was previously set when Diego Maradona's famous "Hand of God" jersey was sold for $9.3 million.

"We always knew this card would shatter records and expectations. But that doesn't make it any less of a thrill to be part of an auction during which a single item breaks the eight-figure threshold for the first time," Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage, said in a statement.

The card was especially valuable due to being so well-preserved. The Sportscard Guaranty Corporation graded the card "Mint+ 9.5," according to Heritage Auctions.

"It bears the finest qualities any 1952 Topps can possess: perfect centering, registration, and four sharp corners," Ivy said.

"That this Mantle rookie card remained in this condition for 70 years is a true miracle," Ivy added.

Heritage Auctions said an anonymous baseball fan from Rye, New York bought the card during the first session of the Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction.

Anthony Giordano, 75, brought the card to Heritage Auctions three decades after he bought it in 1991 for $50,000, a record-breaking price at the time.