indiana jones and the lost plywood vault: part 1

Throughout many of the interviews I've done to promote The Disposable Skateboard Bible, I likened myself to a "half-ass Indiana Jones" as I put thousands of miles on my car driving up and down California in search of boards that had never before been seen by the collector community at large. I mean, what's the fun of a "new" book if it contains "old" shots of everything you've seen before? Plus, I knew I was going to run over a lot of the same pictorial ground that I'd covered in Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art (especially in the '80s), so in order to keep it fresh I vowed to only do so if I could show a new color-way or variant thereof*. Luckily I had made all sorts of new contacts following the first book, so there were new treasure troves just waiting to be photographically plundered.

I would always run across one or two things hidden in these stashes that would surprise me—which isn't exactly easy considering how many boards I've seen—but there was one collection in particular that I remember seriously pausing for a double-take on what I'd just unearthed. Not only did its dust-layered boxes harbor a few fairly rare boards, but duplicates at that. I included one of each of these in the book, but I thought it would be fun (or frustrating?) to see them now paired up with their fraternal twin siblings from storage.

So, if and when you find yourself thinking that everything that could possibly be out there has already been seen ... think again.

 

How many NOS Vision Tom Groholski Jersey Devils (1984) have you ever seen? None? Yeah, that sounds about right  ... until now. (Sorry, Kyle, but I just can't accept a board as being NOS when it's been all drilled up with plastics of a non-factory nature.) The Vision Groholski Robot (1986) isn't exactly raining from the sky, either.

 

Curious thing on the two Sims Kevin Staabs: instead of having the "©Vision 1986" incorporated into the black pass, they both have small, clear vinyl decals printed with this information. As for the Vision Psycho Sticks, no, they're not exactly rare but how could I deny this notorious anomaly of the '80s? Plus I'm real big on symmetry—eight decks worked a lot better than six—so blame it on my graphic design feng shui if you must.

* Offhand, I can only think of three boards that appear in both the "final" version of Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art and The Disposable Skateboard Bible: the green NOS Powell-Peralta Steve Caballero Bearing Dragon; the burgundy dip NOS Santa Cruz Jason Jessee Neptune I; and the Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso Demon prototype/rider. Trust me, I had my reasons.

Comments

[I want my mommy....]

Put me on that NOS Tom G list. I need it. Make it hurt if you have to.

[SPY hill]

When is the next article gonna be done? Slacker.

[Kilwag]

I work with a guy who used to work with a guy who moved up here to Portland with a box full of original color separations from Vision decks, the Pycho Stick included. He has lost touch with said individual.