Description:Early bandy attributed stick with blade reinforcements c.1870-80s. Handmade wooden stick would presumably have been used to play bandy, a game which was integral in the development of modern hockey (although played with a ball and not a puck). The piece measures approx. 32" long and displays appropriate use and some mild age related wear. The blade has largely split from the shaft however a pair of metal bands applied long ago serve to hold it in place. It is unclear if the bands were part of production or affixed after some initial breakage: VG