The Board Room

The culture, the history, the boards.

Skateboarding history, collector guides, board values, and the culture that built it all.

Schmitt Stix Collectibles: What Serious Collectors Pay in 2026
Board Values

Schmitt Stix Collectibles: What Serious Collectors Pay in 2026

Original Schmitt Stix decks from the brand's 1983-1991 run sell for between $300 and $1,200 depending on condition and graphic. The Chris Miller gargoyle leads the market, but Ed Templeton and John Lucero pro models are climbing. Here's what serious collectors are actually paying right now.

zarky1
1 day ago6 min read1
Jim Phillips: The Artist Behind the Most Valuable Skate Graphics
Culture

Jim Phillips: The Artist Behind the Most Valuable Skate Graphics

Jim Phillips is the reason skateboard graphics became art. More than any other single artist, his work at NHS Inc. through the late 1970s, 80s, and into the 90s defined what a skateboard was supposed

zarky1
1 day ago5 min read
How Skateboarding Built Streetwear
Culture

How Skateboarding Built Streetwear

Skateboarding didn't borrow from streetwear - it built it. From Vans in 1966 to Supreme's $2.1 billion sale in 2020, the aesthetics, brands, and attitude that skaters developed out of necessity became the template for global youth fashion. Here's how it actually happened.

zarky1
1 day ago6 min read
Santa Cruz Skateboards: 50 Years, One Hand, and the Most Recognisable Graphic in Skating
History

Santa Cruz Skateboards: 50 Years, One Hand, and the Most Recognisable Graphic in Skating

Santa Cruz Skateboards has been running since 1973, making it one of the oldest independent skate companies on earth. The Screaming Hand, designed by Jim Phillips in 1985, became the defining graphic of a generation - and original decks now fetch serious money from collectors. Here's the full story of how Santa Cruz got there and why it still matters.

zarky1
4 days ago9 min read
Cataloguing Your Skate Collection: Why It Matters and How to Do It Right
Collector Guides

Cataloguing Your Skate Collection: Why It Matters and How to Do It Right

If you're serious about collecting vintage skate decks, cataloguing isn't optional. It's the difference between knowing what you've got and guessing when it comes time to insure, sell, or prove provenance. Here's how to do it properly, from condition grading to primary source references.

zarky1
4 days ago7 min read
The First Australian Skate Shops: Where It All Started
Aussies

The First Australian Skate Shops: Where It All Started

Australia's first dedicated skate shops appeared around 1975, carved out of surf shops that had been stocking boards since the early 60s. Most didn't survive the global bust of 1977 to 1978 - but the ones that came back in the early 80s built something that actually lasted. Here's how it unfolded.

zarky1
8 days ago7 min read
Dave Swift and Transworld Skateboarding: The Man Behind the Magazine's Visual Identity
History

Dave Swift and Transworld Skateboarding: The Man Behind the Magazine's Visual Identity

Dave Swift spent more than two decades at Transworld Skateboarding as photo editor and creative director, shaping the visual identity of one of skateboarding's most significant publications. From joining around 1991 through the magazine's 200,000-circulation peak in the early 2000s, Swift was central to how street skating was documented and presented to the world. Transworld folded its print edition in 2019 after 36 years, but the archive Swift helped build remains one of the most important in skate media history.

zarky1
8 days ago6 min read
Independent Trucks: 48 Years of the Best Truck Ever Made
History

Independent Trucks: 48 Years of the Best Truck Ever Made

Independent Truck Company has been making essentially the same truck since 1978, and after 48 years it's still the one most skaters reach for. Founded in Santa Cruz by Fausto Vitello, Richard Novak, and Jay Shuirman, Indy has gone through 11 design stages without losing what made it work. This is the full history of how that happened.

zarky1
10 days ago6 min read
Tony Alva - The Godfather of Skateboarding
History

Tony Alva - The Godfather of Skateboarding

Before Tony Alva, skateboarding was one thing. After him, it was something else entirely. From the streets of Dogtown to the first frontside aerial, this is the story of the skater who built the ground floor — and the brand that's still standing on it.

zarky1
10 days ago6 min read1

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