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History and Authentication Facts of The World's Oldest Hockey Stick

Information provided by The Hockey Hall of Fame, Lindsay, Ontario Public Archives, TSN Legends of Hockey Video Series, Peterborough Examiner, Melville Rutherford and Gord Sharpe.

1828 Alexander Rutherford born in Glasgow Scotland, carver of the hockey stick.
   
1851 Family of Alexander Rutherford including 5 year old son Alexander Jr. move to Lindsay, Ontario area in Fenelon Township.
   
1852+ Hockey stick carved and used by Alexander Rutherford Sr. while living on the family farm Lot 14, Concession 5, Fenelon, outside of Lindsay Ontario.
   
1856+ Hockey stick passed on to son Alexander Rutherford Jr. and used to play hockey in the late 1850's and 1860's.
   
1881 Oldest hockey stick in the world that The Hockey Hall of Fame could verify which was made almost 25 years later.
   
1902 Melville Rutherford, son of Alexander Jr. born in Lindsay, Ontario.
   
1920's Hockey stick passed on to Melville Rutherford from his father that was carved by grandfather in early 1850's.
   
1970 Hockey stick passed on from great uncle Melville Rutherford to nephew and present owner Gord Sharpe of Cobourg, Ontario.
   
1999 Phil Pritchard, Director of Aquisitions for The Hockey Hall of Fame and leading authority on hockey sticks confirms that The Hockey Hall Of Fame has never come across a hockey stick carved in the 1850's. The oldest stick the Hall Of Fame can verify was made in 1881 and any other sticks they have been associated with were shaped in the 1860's at best. The $2 million US value put on the hockey stick is based on public spending on rare items and was not determined by the Hockey Hall of Fame.
   
2000 Ottawa Citizen article states the hockey stick is more than 60 years older than the 83 year old National Hockey League. The Hockey Hall of Fame promotes the sale of the stick hoping the buyer will donate the stick to The Hall of Fame.
   
2001 Gord Sharpe donates world's oldest hockey stick to be sold for $2 million U.S. dollars with proceeds going towards cancer research.
   
2002 World's Oldest Hockey Stick being sold to raise $1 Million dollars for cancer research gains undisputed recognition in front of over 100 million viewers.

AUTHENTICATION FACTS
 1. Through direction from the Hockey Hall Of Fame the history of the stick was  traced through the Lindsay Public Archives to verify the stick was carved between  1852 - 1856 by Alexander Rutherford Sr. of Fenelon Township near Lindsay, On.
 
 2.The shape and design of the stick matches historical accounts and pictures (TSN  Legends Of Hockey Video Series - Lord Stanley's Legacy) of the first forms of  hockey sticks used in the 1850's when the game has been said to have originated.
 
 3.Comparisons made with other sticks associated with the Hockey Hall Of Fame  show the evolution of the hockey stick moving from a one-piece carved stick  progressing to sticks carved with smooth, thinner shafts and flatter blades and then  to two-piece sticks somewhat like the sticks of today.
 
 4. Mr. Sharpe has had the stick in his possession for over 30 years (1970) and the  stick has only passed through 2 relatives from the original carver - Alexander  Rutherford Sr. who carved the stick between 1852 - 1856 and passed on to his  son Alexander Jr. (1850's - 1900's) to his son Melville Rutherford (Early 1900's -  1970) then given to nephew Gord Sharpe in 1970.
 
 5. In the 58 year history of the Hockey Hall Of Fame the Director of Acquisitions  and one of the leading authorities in the world on hockey sticks, Phil Pritchard  states "The oldest verifiable hockey stick that the Hall Of Fame can date is to  1881. The Hall Of Fame has not witnessed any verifiable stick carved in the  1850's other than Gord Sharpe's stick".
 

 6. March 7, 2001 interview between Mike Davies of the Peterborough Examiner  and Phil Pritchard of the Hockey Hall Of Fame:
 "The Hockey Hall Of Fame's Director of Acquisitions says he has no reason to  doubt the authenticity of a hockey stick Gord Sharpe proclaims is the world's  oldest. He has his paperwork that dates it back to this date which, for anybody  who wants to buy it, thats the ideal thing you want. Pritchard said he has no  objection to the way Sharpe has used his name, or the Hall, in trying to sell the  stick. I wish him all the best with it and hopefully he sells it. When he first  approached us I said "Gord, whatever we can do, our ultimate goal is we'd love to  have it in the Hall."
 

 7. NOTE: The Hockey Hall Of Fame cannot be known as the authenticator of the  stick or set the value of it. The $2 million value put on the stick is based on public  spending on rare items such as:

Persons Paid : $3 million for home run baseball
  $83.7 million for rare painting
  $3 million for round of golf with Tiger Woods
  $2.3 million for rare stamp
  $2 million for vintage french candle holders
  $1.25 million for rare baseball card
  $1 million for set of golf clubs
  $30.8 million for rare manuscript

 After numerous conversations with the television and news media, world antique  appraisers and NHL hockey players, evidence has concluded the hockey stick  would be worth $2 million U.S. to a collector or celebrity.
 
 8. World's Oldest Hockey Stick being sold to raise $1 Million dollars for global charities gains undisputed recognition in front of over 100 million viewers and has never been contested for its authenticity.
 
9. The World's Oldest Hockey Stick has been appraised at over 4 Million Dollars US, and has been on display at Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant from June 2001 - Present. The Stick sold in December 2006 on e-Bay at the reserve bid of $2 million (US).
 
DECLARATION OF PROVENANCE OATH:
 "At age 9 (1970) while standing on the porch of my great uncle Melville Rutherford's (born  1902) farmhouse (built 1852 outside Lindsay, Ontario), he came through the trap door of the  house with this old long stick. A person on the deck said "What the heck is that?", and I said  with eyes wide open "it's a hockey stick!." Melville chuckled and handed me the stick and  said I could have it. Me being 9 and Melville being 68, I automatically asked him if he carved  it. He chuckled once again and said "No, my grandfather (Alexander Rutherford, born 1828)  carved it here on the farm and gave it to my dad (Alexander Rutherford, born 1847) when he  was your age. He then went on jokingly to tell of when his grandfather used the stick (prior to  giving it to his son around 1857), the main object used as a puck was frozen horse dung and  how catalogues were used as shin pads at one time. (stick carved and used between  1852- 1856)."
 Uncle Melville had kept this old stick because his grandfather had carved it and he wanted to  pass it on to someone that would appreciate it and put it to good use. Hopefully we are  fulfilling his wishes. 



witnessed by: Reverend Anne Moore
statement by: Gord Sharpe

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World's Oldest Hockey Stick, at Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant.  
World's Oldest Hockey Stick, appraised at over $4 million US and was auctioned on e-Bay in December 2006 and sold for the reserve bid of $2 million US, with proceeds helping global charities through fanscharity.com. The stick was regularly on display at Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant, Toronto, along side the World Charity Award.



The stick crafted by the grandfather of Gord Sharpe's great-uncle is more than 60 years older than the 83-year-old National Hockey League.



Sharpe says "the sale of the stick has helped raise millions of dollars for global charities through the fanscharity.com World Charity Award program at Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant & Studio, 99 Blue Jays Way, Toronto."