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Gems found ahead of Hawaiian Islands Vintage Surf Auction
by George Mojo
24/04/2007:// A batch of true surfing treasures have been uncovered ahead of the fourth Hawaiian Islands Vintage Surf Auction.
Over the past three events, more than hundreds of thousands of pounds of highly prized surf collectibles have changed hands and this year's lots look certain to carry on the tradition.
A portion of all sales at the Honolulu auction will be donated and this year's beneficiary is the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation Scholarship Fund.
Among this year's highly prized discoveries is an original 5-foot, redwood "Alaia" board from 1895, built to ride steeper, faster-breaking surf around Hawaii's more rugged shores, as opposed to the gentler 'rollers' of Waikiki.
The thinner, shorter, lighter Alaia allowed for responsiveness and dexterity and was the most popular board of the time.
An 11-foot Buzzy Trent Model "Surfboards Hawaii" elephant gun from the 1960s, shaped by Dick Brewer, is expected to fetch in excess of $15,000. With less than 20 of these known to have been produced, it is described as being the "Ferrari" of the big-wave surfboard world.
Beyond surfboards, some of the first published documentation of surfing from the early 1800's has surfaced.
There's also a painting by Hawaiian artist J. Llaine Colquhoun from the '40s depicting surfers at Waikiki which comes from the Buster Crabbe estate in Lanikai.
Crabbe, a surf enthusiast and old-time Hollywood actor, was raised in Hawaii, graduated from Punahou, was a 1932 Olympic 400m swimming gold medalist, and made over 100 movies in his lifetime. (Photo of this art attached below.)
With the recent shift of collectors' attention to professional surfing's early years, items from the 1970s are "really gaining in popularity", according to the surf auction's curator, Randy Rarick.
"We've got a large contingency of collectors coming from Australia and Japan this year and they're super hot on items from the '70s," said Rarick. "With the surge in surf-collecting in those countries we've noticed that vintage items are fetching higher prices over there, so with the value of the dollar at the moment, the Hawaiian Islands auction is very appealing to them."
Items of interest from the '70s include Hawaiian Gerry Lopez's very last 'Lightning Bolt' surfboard and his winner's check from his first Pipeline Masters victory; four-time world champion Mark Richards' surfboard that he rode to victory in the 1979 Duke Kahanamoku contest at Waimea Bay; and South Africa's 1977 world surfing champion Shaun Tomson's personal Tom Parrish-shaped Waimea gun.
The show, presented by Quiksilveredition, has uncovered a new round of true surfing treasures that will go under the hammer at Honolulu's Blaisdell Center 12 weeks from now, on July 20 and 21, 2007.
With a handful of slots still open, Rarick is on the hunt for a few special items to round out the show.
There will also be a number of slots reserved for the "Antique Road Show"-type appraisal that will take place the day prior to the auction itself.
Top appraisers in the surf collector's field will be on hand to appraise individual items brought in by members of the public with the opportunity for some of these to go under the hammer at Honolulu's Blaisdell Centre, on July 20 and 21.
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Costa Rican National Surf Team comes to Portugal with an arsenal of its strongest weapons
Russell Winter wins 2008 Elusive Welsh Open in one of the best finals the UK Pro Surf Tour has had to date
[Tyler Wright eliminating Stephanie Gilmore in Round 3]
[Jimena Calvo passes round 2]
[Stephanie Gilmore]
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