Why on Earth Would You Buy That? Part I: The Ghost Cane

Sometimes when I’m attempting to kill a little time, I engage in a guilty pleasure. I find myself perusing the myriad of items up for sale on Craigslist or eBay. Being a paranormal researcher, I’m drawn like a moth to a flame to the items that are allegedly haunted. Now, eBay does have a policy of not selling intangible things like ghosts, ghouls, and demons, but that doesn’t stop the occasional haunted doll or possessed Ouija board from going up for sale. 

John Q. Public might look at these curious objects before continuing their search for that sweet 1970s Velvet Elvis that would just look great in the den. $29.95, I checked and don’t you dare judge me. But others may see these possessed goodies, bust out the old credit card and throw caution to the wind. We all know at least one.

Although some of these haunted objects are completely ridiculous and highly unlikely, haunted objects may just have some merit. In the 1990s, I investigated a house that became spontaneously haunted after an antique butter churn was brought home. Nothing too frightening, but still unnerving, nevertheless.

In this brief series, Why on Earth Would You Buy That, I want to investigate some of these alleged haunted items that have caused quite a bit of consternation for the owners. However, allow me to get the disappointment out of the way first, I won’t be looking at objects such as the sinister Annabelle or the demonically possessed dybbuk box. These famous haunted objects have had movies made about them and have been done to death. Rather, I wanted to explore those lesser-known haunted items that were just as disturbing as their famous counterparts. So, get your Christmas lists ready folks, because you may want to drop some cash on these items…or maybe not once you consider their terrifying histories.

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The Ghost Cane

Not every haunted object has some malevolent entity attached to it that wants to cause untold chaos and sleepless nights for its beleaguered victims. Some allegedly haunted objects have a quaint, somewhat heartwarming story attached to it along with a very benign spirit and Grandpa’s ghost cane is one such item.

When Mary Anderson’s father passed away, he had very few personal belongings to leave his family. One personal possession he did have was a metal cane that he often used to get around the house. While going through her father’s things, Mary was overcome by emotion when she came across the cane. When she took the cane home, she never expected anything out of the ordinary would happen. That was until her six-year-old son reported a string of strange sightings that defied rational explanation.

Within days of bringing the cane into the home, Mary’s young son made the wild claim that his grandfather was appearing to him. He claimed the elderly man would suddenly appear and tell him he loved him with a smile. Mary couldn’t believe what her son was telling her. She did her best to assure the boy that his grandfather couldn’t possibly be visiting him, because, well, he was dead. The boy would have none of that, insisting that his grandpa was visiting him. Mary did the only thing she could think of, she put the cane on eBay. She hoped against hope that someone would buy it and bring some peace to her home. What came next was more shocking than any ghost story.

A few days after putting the cane up for sale, Mary Anderson was shocked to see 132 bids for the cane. When all was said and done the winning bid of $65,000 dollars was made by The Golden Palace, an online casino. Mary was all too happy to be rid of the cane, but there was one stipulation before the buyer could take possession. The new owner would have to write her son a letter assuring him that his dearly departed grandfather’s cane and ghost would be well taken care of which was a request the casino was all too happy to fulfill.

Today, the cane is prominently on display alongside another artifact of the strange which the casino laid out twenty eight thousand dollars – a grilled cheese sandwich that bears a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary. 

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