Bahne Skateboard, ca. 1975
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GUEST:
So one day, I was on my bicycle, just going to the library, and when I passed a used goods store, and when I glanced in their, uh, drop-off bin, I saw this baby. (sighs) And with skateboards, it's an either/or thing. Either they're good-quality and work great, or they're not designed right, and they work awful. And I could tell right away that that looked like it might be a good one, and... (chuckles) And it was! And I've been riding it for six years, ever since, and I paid only five dollars for it. I had to bargain with the guy.
APPRAISER:
Whoa!
GUEST:
I only had five dollars in my pocket. I would've paid more, but...
APPRAISER:
So you're an active skateboarder still riding this board today?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
That is amazing. And I mean, when it comes to skate culture, you really couldn't ask for a more historically significant skateboard than the Bahne right here.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
So the company, started by Bill and Bob Bahne, based out of California, they were originally a surfboard shop, and at the time, they were working on making a molded fiberglass fin for a surfboard, when all of a sudden, they crossed paths with Frank Nasworthy. Frank Nasworthy is a godfather for modern-day skate culture. He invented the polyurethane wheel for skateboards, which revolutionized skateboarding. Because when the sport was first introduced in the '60s, skateboards were primarily wood decks, and their wheels were either steel or they were a clay-based composite, which, steel or clay-based composite wheels made it really difficult-- yeah, you're shaking your head. Not fun to ride on a surface, right? The polyurethane wheel made it so this board could cruise everywhere. Even today, this board has such a legacy, because this is the first type of skateboard Tony Hawk ever skated on.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
Yeah, he was given the board as a hand-me-down from his brother.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And that board today is in the Smithsonian. It's literally a national treasure. I mean, when you think of Tony Hawk, one of the greatest, arguably, to ever skate, his childhood started on a Bahne fiberglass-molded board. Only difference, Tony Hawk's was a blue-green board. This is clearly orange. Now, when it comes to skateboards today on the collectible marketplace, condition is key. And now looking at this board, it's clearly been loved, enjoyed, used, and abused-- which is a good thing!
GUEST:
What can I say?
APPRAISER:
But you paid five bucks, so you're in, 100%, you're in the green for a profit, but condition-wise, it does have a nick to the top side of the board. The Bahne graphic does have some scratching. The biggest, uh, condition problem with the board is that the wheels are replaced. So these would have originally been Cadillac-branded polyurethane wheels, which is the company started by Frank Nasworthy. These are Yoyo-branded wheels, still period to the time, but not the original Cadillacs that would have came on the board. However, it is the original Bahne-stamped metal trucks. So in the world of value today, I'm happy to say your five-dollar investment would get you $200 to $400 at auction.
GUEST:
Whoa, what? (both laughing) That's, like, a 6,900% increase on my original, the original cost of... Yeah, that's awesome! Papa's got a brand-new bag, I'll tell you what! (both laughing)
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