World’s Oldest Hockey Stick on eBay Reaches $50,000

Berwick, Nova Scotia – It is quite likely that hockey sticks were made prior to 1835 as the ice sport, which dates back to ancient Egypt, began to emerge as a popular recreation in the early 19th century. However, one hand carved hockey stick from maple wood dated to between 1835 and 1838 is the oldest known surviving hockey stick.

The stick was made as a gift for William “Dilly” Moffatt by his father so he could play the game with other children on Pottle’s Lake. Since that time it had largely been on display at the local barber shop. For whatever reason, the owner sold it for $1,000 to Mark Presley in 2008.

For his part, Presley went about getting the item properly dated. Mt. Allison University was able to validate the items age using the tree rings on the hockey stick. With credible evidence as to the age of the hockey stick, Presley set out to sell the item and take profit from his investment. He didn’t choose Sotheby’s as the location to auction off this one of a kind historic item. Instead, he opted with the poor-man’s auction site of choice: eBay.

That said, the item has reached the $50,000 mark with plenty of time to increase further.

Its initial price was $10,000. Still one has to wonder if Presley sold himself short by putting the item up for auction on eBay instead of a place more likely to bring in high paying customers. At least he had the good sense to set a reserve price which has yet to be satisfied.

Source:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2014/03/13/worlds-oldest-hockey-stick-tops-50k-in-ebay-auction