sfgate

Four decades from the morgue in SF

SFGate has posted some pictures in a feature called Four decades of skateboarding in San Francisco. It’s part of their Let’s Go to the Morgue! series where they dig up old photographs from the San Francisco Chronicle. Better versions of the picture, along with a little commentary are on the SFGate blog. The earliest photo […]

flex-trol

Weird old board of the month: Flex-trol

A Flex-trol skateboard, apparently the first one on the Interwebs, as I couldn’t find a single image of one anywhere. I’m guessing the name is combination of “flex” and “control.” Yeah I know, wild guess. This skateboard is fitted with a tension and torque control bar. The trucks are held at a fixed distance by […]

prohibited

Vintage skate harassment

Original vintage no skateboarding poster on sale at Antikbar. Published by the British Railways Board in 1978, it will set you back £325.00 or about $560. Pretty cool, but not that’s a steep price. There must be a British Railways Board collector’s scene.

grentec

Grentec Leisure Products

I love the packaging from 70’s era skateboard parts. These parts are shrink-wrapped on a display card for hanging up on pegboard hooks, as if you could go to your local grocery or toy store and pick up a few items for your skateboard. Check out some goods from GT, aka Grentec Leisure Products.

cracked

Cracked guide to Skateboarding

It’s the Cracked Guide to Skateboarding, published in the September, 1976 issue of Cracked Magazine. As a kid, not knowing the history of which came first, I still somehow managed to grok Cracked as a somewhat inferior imitator of Mad Magazine. That didn’t stop me from pouring over each issue I came in contact with. […]

dollardog

Eat the Rich

The age old story of an insanely wealthy boy and his dog’s misadventures on a time traveling skateboard. How a comic book character as weak as Richie Rich got a spinoff title is a mystery. Richie must have been pretty popular. The number 2 issue of Richie Rich & the Dollar Dog, (February of 1978) […]

spiderman-rocket-racer

Spiderman vs the Rocket Racer

It’s 1978 and the Rocket Racer is back in Volume 1 #182 of The Amazing Spiderman. I haven’t seen the first appearance of the Rocket Racer, but the storyline mimics the ’90s animated Spiderman series, except the Rocket Racer in the cartoon is a teenager, while the original Rocket Racer is drawn more like a […]

betty-veronica

Betty & Veronica in Wheel Zeal

I’ll join you too… The official title of this publication is “Archie’s Girls Betty & Veronica.” Archie’s been skating since the 60’s. His previous appearances here have only cover-only affairs, but this issue (#250 October, 1976) actually has a skateboarding story inside. Archie gets away with murder as far as the ladies go. I don’t […]

richie-rich

Richie Rich

This is Richie Rich #163 published in February of 1978 by Harvey Publications. As a child, I never understood the appeal of Richie Rich. Why would anyone want to read about a kid who was absurdly rich unless he was also Batman? In 1978, Richie is on the forefront of the novelty skateboard trend with […]