GATINEAU -- The Canadian Museum of History has acquired what it believes is the world's oldest known hockey stick.

The museum bought the piece from a Nova Scotia man who found it in a barber shop.

The simple piece of wood was crafted into a hockey stick in Cape Breton in the 1830s.

Mark Presley was emotional as he handed the stick over to museum curators today.

He says he's happy that all Canadians will be able to share its significance and meaning.

Presley, who purchased the stick from the barber shop for $1,000, was paid $300,000 for it by the museum's National Collection Fund.

The artifact will go on display on Canada Day in 2017.