Description
Surfa Sam vintage skateboard. This is an original Blue 24″ model from the late 60s early 70s, with the original trucks and Detroit wheels that are spinning freely. The composite rubber “Detroit Super Wheel” was first introduced in 1966 and remained the wheel of Surfa Sam through the 1970’s. Awesome graphics on the deck, with the board in great condition for its age, with only the usual wear and tear around her. No skateboard collection is complete without a Surfa Sam and especially the short version.
THE HISTORY OF SURFA SAM SKATEBOARDS
In 1963, Dr Leo Kalokerinos, a 29 year old medical student, transformed his parents’ small family home in the suburb of Rose Bay, Sydney into Australia’s first “Sidewalk Surfer” company. Leo conjured up the idea after seeing a friend’s young son riding a crude home-made skateboard he had built using a plank of wood with a roller-skate nailed to the bottom. Seeing a business opportunity Leo set out to manufacture and sell this new ‘toy’, filing for a patent on the 27 August 1963 for ‘A Ski-Board for traversing over land surfaces’ called the ‘Landasurfa’.
It wasn’t until 1965 when the name Surfa Sam was introduced, and the much loved face of the company “Sam” was conceived. Created by a Sydney advertising agency, it was creative director Victor Violet who coined the name “Surfa Sam”, whilst a colleague created the loveable surfing character. Sam’s debut was on a 24″ square tailed board shaped out of Tasmanian oak, a timber that has become synonymous with Surfa Sam and skateboarding during the 1960’s.
Sold March 2021
