My hunt for antique vintage skateboards has turned up this gem! Another great find in the numbered series from Roller Derby. The Roller Derby DELUXE #20. In the 1960’s they manufactured skateboards in southern Illinois. This makes the estate sales from these parts pretty fruitful in finding decent condition skateboards.
The DELUXE #20 was an upgrade in the series. No steel wheels here! Nothing but rock hard (unpredictably slippery) clay wheels with cupped nuts to hold the barring in place.
I love the look of these gnarled wheels, though these are far the condition of a board that has seen and real use. They just look squirrly and dangerous!
The trucks from that era are always a mystery. They are square with a lot of empty space. Instead of squaring it off with an extra piece of hardware each, they just bolt on the play with two in the back, one in the front and middle. Its as if the manufactures actually calculated the savings of two whole screws and left them out.
Both of these skateboards are Etsy finds. Scrounging the vintage section seams to be where its at. Then again, those crafty folks may be tampering and or reconditioning the boards. Check out the hardware on the #10, philips head where not the typical hardware you would find on decks at the time. The paint is also pretty clean as are the steel wheels. Both I’ve skated on just a bit around the apartment and the conclusion is the same, any kid bombing hills with either deck back in the day had a mild to severe deathwish. Brutal!
Nice find, I have one of the original red roller derby boards with metal wheels, my mom got it for me in the 70’s at Goodwill when I was 5 or 6, I have hung onto it all these years, it really scary to ride, doesn’t turn.
I have two of the Roller Derby Deluxe #20s. The first one was a gift from co-workers found at Goodwill. After they gave it to me they told me that had intended to paint it! Luckily one of them had the sense to say no. I still need a #10.
I was one of those kids with the ‘deathwish’ but it was soooo much fun. I grew up in Easton, PA which had plenty of vacant industrial parking lots, especially on Sat nights and Sundays. I can remember the rush as the speed increased, that is, until the wobble started and you realized you were going to fast to bail-out. Then, there was the dreaded pebble or crack/hump/etc… that you forget to check for. Worst memory, Christmas Day, new Roller Derby (powder blue replaced the red #10) and a NEW winter coat. Right to Mack Printing Parking lot…. 20 mins later, destroyed jeans and big rips in the winter coat sleeve/elbow and shoulder. The injury didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the anticipation of showing Mom my coat. We lived on those Roller Derbies for years…
Still got mine. Rubber damper a bit worn but nothing replaced ‘as new’ brilliant. cost mum and dad a fortune to buy i9in those days) the old Bilbo surf shop in newquay uk. halcyon days