Gretzky rookie card fetches $1.29 million at auction

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES (FILE - JUNE 14, 2016) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

1. STILL PHOTO OF WAYNE GRETZKY SPEAKING TO MEDIA DURING PUBLIC VISITATION FOR LATE NHL PLAYER GORDIE HOWE AT JOE LOUIS ARENA

BUFFALO, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - FEBRUARY 2, 1982) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

2. STILL PHOTO OF EDMONTON OILERS WAYNE GRETZKY HOLDING PUCK THAT HE SCORED NHL RECORD BREAKING 77TH GOAL OF SEASON IN GAME AGAINST BUFFALO SABRES

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA (FILE - MAY 26, 1988) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

3. EDMONTON OILERS CAPTAIN WAYNE GRETZKY HOISTS THE STANLEY CUP BESIDE TEAMMATES MARK MESSIER (L) AND KEVIN LOWE (R) AFTER THE OILERS WON THE STANLEY CUP OVER THE BOSTON BRUINS

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (FILE - FEBRUARY 10, 2010) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

4. CANADIAN HOCKEY LEGEND WAYNE GRETZKY WAVING BEFORE LIGHTING THE CAULDRON DURING THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE VANCOUVER 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS

STORY: NHL superstar Wayne Gretzky added another record to his long resume on Friday when The Great One's collectable card from his rookie season fetched $1.29 million at auction, becoming the first hockey card to sell for more than $1 million.

A mint condition 1979 O-Pee-Chee card of Gretzky with the Edmonton Oilers during the 1978-79 season broke the previous high mark set by the same card, which sold for $465,000 in August 2016, according to NHL.com.

"Baseball has a much longer history and has a lion's share of the sports collectors' market as a whole, but hockey has its place, and Gretzky definitely goes on the Mount Rushmore of greatest of all time," Chris Ivy of Heritage Auctions told The Canadian Press.

"He's right up there with Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan."

The 59-year-old Canadian is the league's all-time leading scorer and won four Stanley Cups in his Hall of Fame career. He is widely considered the greatest hockey player ever.

"We're very excited and glad it got to (almost) $1.3 million," Ivy said. "It

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