Of all the fast-moving elements in a typical game of ice hockey, the puck is the hardest thing to follow. Pucks are routinely hidden from view by a player’s stick, slapped across the ice at impossible speeds, and then cradled by teammates through a thicket of defensemen on their way to the net. Sometimes the only way to know a goal has been made is when the scoreboard lights up.

Antique and vintage pucks, ideally in the box, are treasured prizes for collectors. In the 1930s, Spalding made pucks for the NHL. In the 1940s, C.C.M. distributed Tyler pucks, which were used by hockey’s American League. Monarch, National, and Lund were other widely used brands of that era.

A little bit of wear and tear on a game-used puck gives these compact collectibles character, sort of like the smile of a player who’s missing a few front teeth. Because they're ...small and relatively inexpensive, you can amass quite a collection of pucks from well-known NHL teams like the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, beloved-but-departed regional favorites like the Minnesota North Stars, and even junior-league teams such as the Kingston Frontenacs of Ontario, Canada.