The Surfing Heritage Vintage Surf Auction presented by Quicksilver Waterman Collection will be held on Saturday, May 11th at the OC Fair and Events Center. We caught up with SHACC Board Member and Auction Director Scott Bass to find out about this highly anticipated event.
What is the theme of the auction?
The theme is “California Gold” and the auction will feature surfboards and memorabilia from the 1920s-1970s. Surfboards are our primary focus, with 80% of the main auction items falling into this category.
What are some of the featured items at the auction?
We have the ultra rare Gurrey family copy of The Surf Riders of Hawaii by A.R. Gurrey Jr., published in about 1914. There are only 8 known copies in the world, and one copy recently sold at Sotheby’s for more than $37,000. Next week, PBS is running a feature on the book. You can see a video about it here.
We will have more than 50 unique and rare surfboards in our live auction. For example, we have a 1940s era Pete Peterson board that is expected to go for upwards of $25,000. Pete Peterson was the preeminent waterman of the first half of the 20th century. After serving in the Navy in WWII, he applied the technology he learned about to surfboards.
Our auction program gives more detail on each of these items and many more. Download it here.
What else is happening at the auction?
In addition to the live auction, we’ll have a silent auction and an art wall. We’ll also have surfboard appraisals, cool cars to check out, and book signings by luminaries such as Rusty Miller and Anna Trent Moore. There will be live music, including Tom Curren’s band, the Tom Curren Trio. Keith Malloy is screening his film “Come Hell or Highwater”, and surfing legends like Larry Bertlemann and Greg Noll will be in attendance as well.
How do we get tickets?
Visit our website to get tickets and bidding paddles. You can also just come by – doors open at noon.
