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+ About "Art of Skateboarding"... |
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For many years now, I have been collecting
skateboards for their artistic merits and nostalgic
value. A friend that I grew up skating with and fellow
Team Ping member, Phil "Smithgrind" Hosey,
tipped me off one day to all the many web sites that
sold old school decks as well as eBay auctions. I
could not believe that not only had so many survived
in mint condition through the years, but that there
was actually a community of collectors deeply involved
and active in it all. I began as most...lurking here
and there...bidding on the occassional auction...
learning that "RARE" on an eBay description almost
never actually means "rare" as I know the term...and
generally getting a lay of the land, so to speak.
Soon thereafter, the collecting bug bit me. As I am
an avid artist (as a hobby, not a career) as well
as art collector, this new "addiction" fit quite nicely
into my life. I do consider decks as works of art......fine
examples of graphic art......fine pieces of contemporary
art. However, as my collection grew, I found no proper
way to display them as such without paying a framing
shop for a high-priced, custom-made frame that really
did not do the pieces the justice they deserved. Therefore,
I began to make my own specialized frames and fine
tuned our design. That's how this idea began....as
a way to sell my displays to others. As my collecting
continued, I looked for various other web sites with
features I would like to have but again found nothing.
At the same time, collecting was gaining even more
popularity as well, but there seemed to be no good
resource of information. The "collective knowledge"
seemed to be spread out over various web sites, among
more experienced collectors who frequented many different
forums, and/or not available online at all. The true
spark ,however, was my disappointment in the rise
of fake/fraud decks and goods that were proliferating
the collecting community due in large part to no tracking
of such activity and no easily available source of
information on what to look for, what were variations
vs. fakes, and the more detailed information that
seemed to come and go so rapidly on forums. Nothing
pissed me off more than the thought of someone ripping
off skaters and taking their hard earned money...especially
if it was possibly other skaters doing it! So, as
with my display frames, I decided to build my own
site! But at the same time, the idea was (is) that
it is not "my" site....it grows as the community grows...the
community dictates new features and functions....the
community runs the site....I am just the lucky "code
monkey" that gets tasked with making all the "visions"
become a reality. What you are about to enter is what
I think is the most complete and comprehensive set
of tools and resources that any collector of skateboards
and related accessories could ever need. More than
that, I hope it serves as a hub for the collecting
community...a virtual meeting ground...so do your
part, join today and be a part of our new home here
on the web!
- AMORONE |
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meet the Staff...
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So "yes", many people do email and think this site is run
by a staff of folks (which is flattering but I do not have that kind of cash),
and yes, I occassionally use the terms "we" and "us" for describing AoS
(the now common acronym for "Art of Skateboarding"), but believe it or not, this whole
site was built by me, is run me and gets updated by me. I never expected it to grow so large...
I thought maybe I would catalog 100-300 decks that would cover most of the 1980's or so and maybe
there would be a handful of people who would sign up to enjoy the site. Little did I know, eh? After the first
year, I had cataloged over 6000+ decks and other skate-related items from the 1950's through the present times
and the membership grew past 3000+ members! Now that's quite some growth for a web site that began
as a simple idea and side hobby for me. Initially, yes, I possibly used the words "we" and "us" because, well,
other sites do it to provide kind of an anonymous cover to their actual size. But I think it also
captures the essense of what this site is about. When I use the words "we" or "us", I am actually
referring to all of us who are a part of AoS....without a lot of you (your help, info, pictures, expertise
and otherwise), this web site would be nowhere near what it has become. Thanks to all!!!
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Send Stuff?
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If you would like to send AoS some goodies, petty cash, ex-girlfriends pics, mint NOS decks, etc., please mail to:
Art of Skateboarding
c/o CSolomon
1208 Oxford Ct.
Birmingham, AL 35242 USA
...and thanks in advance!
For more info and pics, visit
the official
Team Ping web site !!!
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CONTACT US !
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