A Bill Barilko hockey card with ties to Chatham-Kent and signed by the Tragically Hip has fetched a winning bid of $6,240 on e-Bay.
There were 97 bids over the last week for a signed copy of the card that inspired the song called "Fifty Mission Cap."
Blair Babcock had the card for sale because his father died in 2007 from the same cancer that killed Hip frontman, Gord Downie.
Some of the proceeds will be donated to the Larry Babcock Memorial Fund at the Chatham-Kent Community Foundation.
Hugh Logan, executive director of the foundation, is glad the card connected with people.
"It's an amazing piece of history and an amazing piece of Canadiana, and I think a lot of people were really excited to get an opportunity to own it and that's what makes the numbers go up," says Logan.
The Hip wrote the song “Fifty Mission Cap” from the information on this hockey card. Barilko scored an overtime goal in 1951 to win the Leafs the Stanley Cup. The 24-year-old disappeared that summer during a fishing trip, and his body wasn’t found until 1962, the next time the Leafs won the Cup.
Logan is surprised the card got so much attention and says the money will put the fund over $70,000.
"The money we're going to get from that is going to push us over the $70,000 mark. That's pretty exciting, and we're pleased and happy to be part of the Babcock family and this memorial fund," Logan says.
Logan says the interest from the perpetual fund will benefit three local charities.
"Last year, we gave $2,200 from that fund, and this will probably push us up to the $2,800 or $2,900 amount that we can give out each year," says Logan.