Buyer be wary

People love buying old stuff then finding out it's worth a small fortune. Antiques Roadshow successfully cashes in on this premise. People bring in crap from their attics or basements that they bought for $1 at a flea market, which their spouses absolutely despise because of it's gaudy colour and vulgar depictions, to find out that it could pay for a Mediterranean Cruise.

Well something similar has happened to a Quebec man. According to a story on CBC.ca, Bobby Rouillard bought an old looking hockey stick for $3,000 to find out that the wood the hockey stick is made from dates between 1633 and 1666. Rouillard plans to sell it on eBay, hopefully to an NHL player, and is starting the bidding at $1 million dollars because he believes that it is the oldest hockey stick in the world.

If any NHL players or extreme hockey memorabilia collectors read this blog, I beg of you not to buy this stick. As the CBC points out, just because the wood is that old does not mean the stick is as well. If my archaeological classes have taught me anything, it's that certain environments are ideal for preserving very old pieces of wood. Anyone in the mid-1800s could have found a chunk of this wood in a forest or bog and made the stick.

Also, carbon dating isn't 100% accurate. A number of things could have happened to the wood to produce an incorrect or misleading date (I can't remember the specifics because I don't have my North American Archaeology notes with me).

So Ovechkin, just because you have some cash to throw around, don't go buying this stick believing it dates to the 17th century, thus totally changing the history of hockey. Just because the wood may or may not be old, doesn't mean the stick is as well.

*Photo courtesy of zimbio.com