Collecting Bones - and other skateboarding hardware of the era.

T-Bones

Early Bones Brigade era

Ever since I entered the world of boardsports, some thirty years ago (I had to think then, is it really thirty years, scarily, it is), I have been drawn to skateboard hardware, in a big way.  There are many things that add to the appeal, I love the graphics, the imagery and the banding has always struck a chord with me.

My being a young grom in the mid eighties coincided with the emergence of so many great things in skateboarding.  It was pre selling out, the brands were still relatively small and the boards still had unique shapes.  The videos that came out of the houses of Powell Peralta, H-Street and Santa Cruz defined the era, perfectly.  While my first love was surfing, I always did prefer the skate aesthetic.

I really like the level of detail that was applied at this time, as well as the authenticity of the products.  There was also something about the quality that made each item seem as though it had been hand made by someone who loved their craft - it is true that many decks were hand pressed in the US at this time.  The graphics were pure art and the boards were a thing of beauty, in fact they seemed to be made of something more than plywood, such was the quality of the finish. Wheels came in a wide array of bright and bold colours that just looked fantastic.  They were bright, bore neat graphics and the look and feel of the polyurethane all combined to give them such a great form.  Trucks were robust and cast from sturdy metals, they looked tough and meant business. Added to all of this, I couldn't help but feel that a small piece of Californian magic was included with each item, which is a little bit dreamy, but coming from me, is no surprise!

Recently I fully rediscovered this world and the excitement I get is still there, more so in fact as a healthy dollop of nostalgia is also added to it now.  I am so stoked that these things are available again, even the most obscure items have been reissued.  I have bought several such things in recent years, convincing myself that I am going to start skating again in a big way.  When in actual fact, I am buying them for the love of the item, nothing more, nothing less. A fact that I have only recently become comfortable enough with so as to afford some honesty, with myself!  I have to admit that I have felt a little bit guilty in doing this, for these things are designed to be used, buying them just to look at seemed more than a bit extravagant.  And to anyone observing it might well look as though my actions were those of a guy in his forties, who is having a bit of a mid life crisis.  But this is not the case, I love the look and feel of these things, plain and simple.

For many years I was alone in my appreciation, or so I thought.  Most people I know have moved on from skating and have been removed from the whole thing for too many years to get excited about it.  While the friends I have who do still skate tend to go for the functional hardware of the current time, the lolly stick board and the little wheel set up that has been pretty much ubiquitous for more than twenty years now.  For them the decks and hardware from the past does not provide the performance that progressive skating requires, thus they have moved on in a different way.  Safe to say, there are very few people in my life who can relate to the skate hardware from a different time, my excitement was often something that I could only share with my partner, who I am pretty certain is not really in to this stuff, but I thank her for being enthusiastic about my musings none the less!

So recently I was super stoked to discover that I am not alone.  There is an entire community of folks of a similar age who have the same love for skate hardware that I do.  I was introduced to this world by chance, when I bumped into an old friend who told me about it, and based on the conversation that we had, invited me to join.  I did, that day.

Here I have found a group of people who take their collecting seriously, who appreciate the hardware of the eighties as much as I do. Added to which there is a lot of trading going on, so I predict a few new arrivals to the collection before too long.  But I have to say that it really does make me happy that I can now share my knowledge of this world with people who have the same level of interest.

The love of skateboard hardware has always been with me, its great to share this with people who get it, at long last.  I have been asked which brands I want to collect, but in truth I honestly do not mind. I love old Powell Peralta and Santa Cruz, but the offerings from Vision would be equally collectible.  That said my holy grails would be from SMA and H-Street.  I am in California in a few weeks time, so who know what treasure will be returning with me!

SMA skateboards, my holy grail