The year is maybe 1976 and I am just getting into skateboarding because my dad bought my mom a yellow plastic Roller Derby skateboard at the Sears Catalog Store. If your town wasn’t big enough to have a full-fledged Sears, you got a small shop with a handful of tables of merchandise and a counter where you could place orders from the catalog and it would be delivered. My small town happened to be Midland Michigan, a mere 20 minutes or so away from Bay City Michigan, the town that was nearest to where the dart landed on the map on the band named The Bay City Rollers. I was a huge fan of Rock and Roll Love Letter, and of course Saturday Night. Cut to 2009 when Neil covers a Bay City Roller skateboard in Ebay Watch, proclaiming I must be kicking myself for not winning that, and he was correct. I did some digging and kept my eyes peeled for this board, but I didn’t see one again until 2025.
UPDATE: Added a picture of the band actually rolling as well as a second color way!
Despite being an early boy band, the Bay City Rollers were notorious hard partiers. Somewhere in my house there is a book of old paparazzi pics of 70’s punk and protopunk bands. I’m pretty sure there’s a shot of the Bays City Rollers in there, which surprised me when I originally bought it back in the 80’s. Their name is briefly mentioned in a few of those oral history of punk books. I want to say I remember a story of them hanging out with Joan Jett but it’s all a blur. As a glitter/glam band there was a lot of crossover in those days, and you don’t have to just take my word for it, there are other sources.
Check out the image that started the obsession. Remember those camera watermarks that were everywhere back then? What was that, Photobucket possibly? This deck sold for $61 back in 2009, which seems like a steal.
Then, suddenly in 2025, Tm Jamison tags me in a post, there’s one for sale on FB Marketplace for only $50! I jumped on it immediately but predictably there was a bidding frenzy. I don’t know how much it went for eventually, but the seller was kind enough to send me some more pictures.
I tried to get full frame, properly centered images, but this is what I got and I sensed I was already annoying the seller so what you get is a collection of still images and screen caps from the seller’s video. Thanks Andrew from Commerce City, Colorado.
Thanks to Alec Brown for this pic of the Bay City Roller actually riding, or at least pretending to ride skateboards!
And now, more of the skateboard. I thought for sure I’d be able to find the original photo used for this top deck graphic but I couldn’t.
Check out the loose bearings in those “Tuit” wheels from Roller Sports, and the three hole Chicago trucks.
This just in! Take your pick, when it rains it pours, or plate of shrimp coincidence. While trying to find the source of Alec’s image I found an alternate yellow color way of the Bay City Rollers skateboard on Worthpoint. This one comes with the same trucks and wheels so three’s no doubt these were either sold or promotional give-aways that were completes. It’s a fair bet that Rollers Sports was probably the manufacturer.
Even though I wasn’t able score this board, I’m still looking. Check back with me in another 15 years. Until then, enjoy some glam rock from Scotland.
0 comments.