Described as an artifact synonymous with Canadian culture, a curved piece of maple purported to be the world's oldest hockey stick is up for sale on eBay.

The owner, Mark Presley of Berwick, N.S., says he bought the stick in 2008 for $1,000 from a barber in North Sydney, N.S. who had displayed it in his shop for over 30 years. 

“I paid a thousand dollars and I remember saying to him, ‘half is for the story and half is for the stick’ and then I thought ‘what I am going to tell my wife?’ Because I just spent a fair bit of money on an old piece of wood,” says Presley.

Presley has spent the past six years researching the stick.

A few years ago, researchers at Mount Allison University used tree ring aging to determine how old it was. They say the stick dates back to the 1830s.

“I really had no sense that it would become the world's oldest hockey stick and that's become the bonus of everything, but I guess it's become known as the oldest stick on record,” says Presley.

According to Presley’s research, the stick once belonged to the Moffatt family of North Sydney and was first used by a young boy named William Dilly Moffatt, born in 1829.

“It's truly a remarkable story of survival,” says Presley. “It's amazing to think it's been around for as long as it has.”

Presley says he is passionate about sharing the stick and its story with others.

“I think it's pretty neat, it's not what I pictured a hockey stick would look like,” says hockey enthusiast Andrew MacDonald.

After six years of ownership, Presley says he is prepared to part with the stick. He has put it up on eBay and for the next week, he’ll be considering offers.

Presley says he does not know how much the stick is worth, because he has not had it formally appraised. However, there is already a $10,000 bid on the stick.

While Presley won’t say how much he is asking for, he does say he won’t be letting it go for $10,000.

“There is a fairly high reserve, but that's what it would take to feel OK about letting go and moving on,” says Presley.

The student says, if and when the stick sells, the money will go towards his education.

The online auction will wrap up one week from today.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Alyse Hand and The Canadian Press