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The world's oldest hockey stick, carved in Canada between 1852 and 1856 and worth an estimated 4.25 million US dollars, is being auctioned off for charity, its owner told AFP Tuesday.
Described as the "single most important piece of hockey memorabilia in existence," it was carved a century and a half ago by owner Gordon Sharpe's great uncle's grandfather, Alexander Rutherford Senior.
Sharpe received it as a gift from his great uncle when he was nine years old and held onto it for 35 years, he said.
It survived a basement flood in Peterborough where it was once stored, a few children's hockey practices and even rough stick-handling by a National Hockey League team chief, Sharpe said.
Phoenix Coyotes general manager Cliff Fletcher grabbed and flexed the stick when it was on display at hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's restaurant in Toronto, Sharpe explained.
"My father and uncle used it when they were young, but the puck they used back then was frozen cow dung," he said. "I also took it to a practice when I was 10 years old. I could take a wrist shot with it and put it in the net."
Of course, that was before he knew its value.
The stick was authenticated almost a decade ago by experts at the Hockey Hall of Fame, Sharpe said, and has been enclosed in a metal and glass display case since.
"An appraiser I dealt with had just sold some vintage French candle holders for two million dollars and said to me: 'What do you think the world's oldest hockey stick is worth?'" he quipped.
Sharpe is selling the stick now because he can no longer afford to insure it, he said.
Online auctioneer eBay.com will entertain bids until December 21, with a reserve bid of two million US dollars, for the stick.
So far, a dozen people have placed bids, including two multinational sports clothing makers, said David Romeo, an agent handling the sale for Sharpe.
Proceeds from the sale will go to charity, he said.
Hockey was first played in Canada in the 1800s. Early paintings and writings depict the game being played on frozen ponds, lakes and rivers in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Ontario and the Northwest Territories.
But most sports historians agree the first modern game with codified rules was played in Montreal's Victoria Rink on March 3, 1875. It ended in a brawl, according to reports.
Canada's former governor general, Lord Stanley of Preston, whose sons and daughter became hockey enthusiasts, purchased a decorative bowl for use as a trophy in 1892 to recognize the country's best team.
The trophy, which became known as the Stanley Cup, was first awarded the following year to the champion amateur team, the Montreal AAA.
It continues to be awarded today to the National Hockey League's championship team each year.
Sharpe's hockey stick is about 60 years older than the league.
The old stick's lie -- the angle of the blade to the stick -- is exactly the same as for most new sticks, Sharpe noted.
"It's surprising that after 150 years, hockey sticks haven't changed much, except for the thickness of the blade." he said.
The blade is also curved a bit suggesting it was made for a left-handed shooter, he said.
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AFP 132054 GMT 12 06
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