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Finds and Interests
One of my favorite parts of the vintage business is finding interesting items and sharing them with WorthPoint readers. Sometimes I just have to know more about an item, and this was one of those times.
Surf culture does not usually overlap with high fashion, but when it does, the result can be a pretty cool item. Quirky, yes, but who doesn’t love something unique and special? A surfboard carrying a near-life-size image of supermodel Kate Moss doesn’t come around often, so when a recent auction featured one, it caught my eye because, well, it’s quite something.
Inside the Saint Laurent Rive Droite Surfboard Shaped by Jeff McCallum
One of our WorthPoint Industry Partners, Kings Auctions of Las Vegas, Nevada, recently sold the surfboard, which is not your typical “stick.” The board itself was shaped by San Diego surfer and board-shaping guru Jeff McCallum, and it came out of a partnership between McCallum and Saint Laurent’s Rive Droite line.
Saint Laurent has built out quite a range of sports equipment under that label, all of it carrying a designer touch from creative director Anthony Vaccarello. The company markets the surfboards as “luxury, high-end, sporting collectibles,” and the one sold recently by Kings Auctions is, well, gnarly is the word that comes to mind.
Unused, Fully Functional, and Sold Below Original Retail
The board is in pristine condition because it has never been used, despite being built to be fully functional. It originally sold for about $6,500, according to the auctioneer, and new Saint Laurent boards sell for more, even without a near-life-size image of a supermodel on them.
When the hammer came down, some lucky bidder got quite the bargain. The final price was $2,460, and that is an exceptionally good price for a Jeff McCallum board of any kind, much less one adorned with a fashion model in designer swimwear.
The Signed Dollar Bill on the Back of Every Jeff McCallum Board
Fun fact: The board also features a dollar bill shellacked into the reverse side of the finish. The bill is signed by McCallum, something he does for the boards that carry his name, positioning the dollar right side up on a custom board he hand-shaped himself and upside down when the board was machine-carved or shaped by someone else under his brand.
Why High Fashion and Sporting Goods Rarely Meet in the Same Auction
Sporting goods and high fashion are not often found in the same collectible auction, which is exactly what makes this board such a good find. It is a functional piece of surf craft, a piece of fashion history, and a conversation starter all at once—and it sold for less than half of what it cost new.
Do you have an unusual item to price? Look it up in the WorthPoint Price Guide. That’s where I always start.