Comber man purchases shuffleboard in private sale that could actually be worth $50K

Step into the garage of Derek Meyer and you'll find plenty of collectibles — including sports memorabilia and pop culture posters.

But one item he recently acquired has already become his most prized possession yet.

"I've been looking for a shuffleboard for about two years. A buddy of mine called me up and said there's one for sale and the price was good," said Meyer.

"Once he brought it here, I knew it was something special."

That's because some of the artwork on the shuffleboard hinted to the Comber man that it was much older than he originally thought.

Additional characteristics such as the material of the plugs, a classic Canadian Shuffleboard Congress seal and a build number of "1003" engraved into the side of the board have also peaked the interest of historians and museum officials across North America.

A classic Canadian Shuffleboard Congress seal and a build number of "1003" engraved into the side of the board (Sanjay Maru / CTV News)"I've been contacting people in Phoenix, Michigan, New Jersey and I've talked to museums up in Huron County," said Meyer, adding his mouth "dropped" when he heard the estimated value of his shuffleboard.

"I've heard numbers from six to $50,000 ... It's going to be a goldmine for me and my family."

The purchase of this vintage shuffleboard coincides with another — completely unrelated — find for a Windsor filmmaker.

Michael Evans said he received photos from a woman who found them in a dumpster at AKO Park in East Windsor.

"She called me and asked me to get them and do something with them," said Evans, adding the photos appear to date back to the 1930s. "I scanned them in high resolution to really zoom in on some of the details."

According to Meyer, his shuffleboard was pulled out of the former Alpha Kai Omega fraternity building — a perfect setting for a shuffleboard, Evans said.

The filmmaker added he believes the photos were tossed in the dumpster during renovations of the former frat building.

"They would've got together and there were a lot of parties there, a lot of late nights, that kind of stuff. So I wouldn't be surprised if there was a shuffleboard table in there as well."

Meyer said he's continuing to stay in touch with historians and appraisers across the U.S. and even Huron County.

But he plans on keeping the shuffleboard firmly in his clutches, until someone comes along with the right price.

Meyer would not disclose exactly how much he paid for the shuffleboard — but did say it was significantly less than what historians have estimated.