A bargain at 2.2 million Canadian

The Ottawa Citizen weaves the tale of the world’s oldest hockey stick today. Chris Lackner traces the history of the one hundred and fifty year old piece of hickory that was crafted into a shinny stick. Perhaps the nation’s oldest hockey stick, it is now up for bid on eBay with a minimum bid asked for of $2.2 million dollars, Canadian if you will please and thank you.

The Citizen reports that the Online auctioneer eBay.com is entertaining bids for the item until Dec. 21, with all proceeds going to Fans Charity -- an organization created by Mr. Sharpe to promote Canadian charities and to educate children on the importance of philanthropy.

It’s described as more historical than of the memorabilia vein, but it’s still a practical tool for the dedicated hockey fan. It has very much the same lie as many of today’s sticks and is reported to still fire off a pretty good slap shot, a fact that puts it ahead of many of today’s composite sticks that regularly break in half.

Maybe Alexander Ovechkin should bid on the stick, he tends to go through his sticks in a regular fashion, and maybe a touch of hickory is just what he needs to stay in the game.

WHAT A $4.25M HOCKEY STICK LOOKS LIKE

It pre-dates Confederation and the NHL, so it's no surprise the owner of hockey's oldest stick is looking to score on eBay, writes Chris Lackner.

Chris Lackner
The Ottawa Citizen
Thursday, December 14, 2006

CREDIT: Photo Illustration by Dennis Leung, The Ottawa Citizen, with AFP, Getty Images Gordon Sharpe, owner of this 150-year-old hockey stick, calls it the 'single most important piece of hockey memorabilia in existence.'

At least 150 years after the world's oldest hockey stick was crafted on an Ontario farm, a descendant of its original owner is selling the sporting relic on eBay -- and asking for a minimum of $2.2 million Cdn.

Carved in Lindsay, Ont., between 1852 and 1856, the hand-crafted hickory stick has been appraised at a value of $4.25 million U.S., according to current owner Gordon Sharpe. Mr. Sharpe, 45, received the stick as a boy from his great uncle, whose grandfather -- Alexander Rutherford Sr. -- crafted the stick shortly after settling on new farmland. The blade's slight curve suggests it was made for a left-handed shooter.

When Mr. Sharpe's father and uncle were boys, they played with the stick on a nearby pond -- but pucks were apparently much harder to come by.

"Mostly what they used for a puck back then was frozen cow dung," Mr. Sharpe said yesterday, noting he also used the stick in Cobourg during boyhood hockey practices.

"A few friends have asked me, 'Is that the same stick I used to see you playing road hockey with?' " he added with a laugh.

The stick pre-dates the National Hockey League by more than 64 years and was crafted more than 40 years before the Stanley Cup was first awarded in 1893 to Montreal amateur team by Lord Stanley of Preston, Canada's governor general at the time.

Online auctioneer eBay.com is entertaining bids for the item until Dec. 21, with all proceeds going to Fans Charity -- an organization created by Mr. Sharpe to promote Canadian charities and to educate children on the importance of philanthropy.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's probably the most important piece of hockey history in existence," Mr. Sharpe said. "It's not memorabilia as much as it's a historic item."

Despite the fact his heirloom was made at least 150 years ago, Mr. Sharpe said the stick's lie -- the angle of the blade to the stick -- is the same as many modern sticks and can still fire off a decent slapshot.

"It's amazing to me that hockey sticks have changed so little in all these years," he said. Despite owning the stick for 36 years, Mr. Sharpe said he decided to put the stick up for auction because he could no longer guarantee its safety and preservation, or afford the level of insurance it requires. For much of the last six years, the stick has been on display in a glass and metal display case at Wayne Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto.

The stick's highest certified bid is $2.2 million, said Joshua Gold, the founder and CEO of of Auctionwire, an agency handling the sale for Mr. Sharpe. "Nobody has ever come forward and claimed that something is older, nor has the Hockey Hall of Fame or anyone else brought up evidence to (criticize) the stick's authenticity," he said.

Mr. Sharpe first tried to sell the stick on eBay in 2001, but he said a number of serious bidders -- including a major Canadian brewery -- backed out of sealing a deal. He said he hopes the item's appraisal value and the current market for sports memorabilia will ensure the success of the current auction.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2006
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