Childhood image of Mike Trout found hidden on homeowner's basement wall

Finding a valuable painting in a basement happens every so often, but finding a baseball-related image of a superstar in the depths of your house — on a wall, no less — has to be even more unusual. That's what happened according to Reddit user DimensionsInTime, who said they moved some old boxes to reveal this drawing and signature in the childhood home of Mike Trout.

The silhouette on the left, showing the hand-drawn image of a young boy, is clearly labeled with a handwritten "Mike Trout" in what might one of the earliest Trout autographs on record. The figure on the right reportedly belongs to Mike's brother Tyler.

The discovery does come with some provenance because DimensionsInTime said that they purchased the Millville, N.J. house from Mike's parents.

While it's clearly no Shroud of Turin, the skeptics on Reddit are having a field day debunking the mysterious — and possibly collectible — find, while the believers are already planning ways to view it for themselves.

Either way, it will be hard to see or prove now. The image of the young Angels All-Star wasn't cut from the wall or preserved in any way. And, according to DimensionsInTime, they've already painted over the artwork.

And to think what they could have charged for admission.

[MLB.com]