Have had this gem in the quiver for many moons - would like to know approx valuation of it. Hansen mini 50/50 circa '67 - size 7’6” L x 23” W - serial 17638
Screw in “shark” fin - crazy loose - has a deck heel bubble - a few small dings to patch up but nothing that blemishes the board. Split stringer - not sure of the shaper - maybe Mike Doyle?
Any insight is appreciated.
My comment is in the context of having been a shaper for Hansen in 1967, when your board was produced. Your particular board was shaped by Fred (Buzzy) Smole.
Great to know - the listed serial numbers had Mike D shaping a bunch for the East Coast - I can attest that board was a riot on the beach break waves of LBI. My knees cant do that shit anymore. Thanks again for that info.
Bill, don’t you think that a 7’6" is pretty short for 1967? I would date it closer to late 68 or even early 69
@ Sammy------------Yes, 7’ 6’’ is a bit short for 1967. OP said the board was circa 1967. I assume he knows when he acquired it. Late ‘68, or ‘69, makes more sense, size wise. In 1959, I was riding a 7’ 11’’ balsa pig. In 1966 Jim Foley, in Santa Cruz, was riding a 7’ 0’’ board, that was 3 feet shorter than the norm. Even in 1965, when I started shaping at Hansen, we were getting a few orders for 8’ 0’’ boards. Shorter boards have always been around. Not always for the same reasons. But your point is well taken.
I appreciate the insights - I remeasured the board (freezing my butt off doing it) it’s closer to 7’7" given the chine and rocker.
The next question is a value - knowing it’s a matter of perceived value - 60’s shapes are becoming hard to find.
Thanks
Just for clarification, when did you get this board? Have you had it since it was new?
Yes, I know that. But standard sizes are pretty easy to ballpark when it comes to boards from the mid to late 60s. In the Summer of 1969 I was surfing Cape Cod and Rhode Island. Between those two areas there were at least a dozen surf shops. The average board you would find on the racks was around 7’6". I had a 6’9" Morey Pope and people thought it was too short.
Heck, LJ Richards was riding an 8’6" in 1962.
I got this board back in the early 80’s - can’t remember where exactly but I believe it was a lucky find in a yard sale - i have over 30 boards and, they date a history of progression (and regression) though I have always been a die-hard 9’0" Bing Pintail rider.
Ok , so 1967 was just a guess? Understandable. Things changed really fast between '67 and ‘70. But in 1967 most people were still riding boards well over 9’.
I had received this from a buyer/friend a while ago - he had a list from Hansen which I believe is on his website.
“50/50” Figure 23, box or earlier glassed on Doyle screw in pivot fin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . s 1966. . . . . . . . x 1968 Note: These were primarily made for the US East Coast, influenced by Mike Doyle. About 5,500 made (total of all 1966-1968 50/50’s). 2" balsa stringer, 2 x 9 oz deck, 1 x 10 oz bottom. Numbers (9,974c) to (18,531)
The 50/50 was in Hansen’s line as a specific model beginning around 1966. They were often used as rental boards in East Coast shops. The model name was continued for a number of years, even as boards got shorter and the actual shape changed drastically. A 1966 50/50 bears no resemblance to one from 1969. Hansen did the same with other models they made. The names were retained while the shape and sized varied a lot.
That is a verbatim quote from the stokednboard website. While the design may have been influenced by Doyle, he didn’t do a whole lot of shaping for Hansen, even when it came to his own “Doyle” model.
When I started shaping @ HANSEN, in 1965, the 50/50 was in full production. The board production numbers were in low 3,000’s range. The stringers were two one inch balsas, glued in the blank with black lam resin. The number sequence you reported above, does not square with what I experienced first hand. The production numbers were sequential, regardless of which model was ordered. EXAMPLE: # 3201 might be a 50/50, followed by a # 3202 Master, followed by a # 3203 Doyle Model.
Gotcha - I also understand Don gave the shapers a lot of creative leverage in the designs - in the age of “pop-outs” the focus was speed of production.
Thanks for that Bill - the current available information is a bit “foggy” even if it’s on a website. Its all true if it’s on the web, right? 
Still that number 17638 is under the glass ergo your insight of first hand knowledge is critical and appreciated.
BD
On the contrary! Don was adamant about not deviating from the model standard. The first week I was there, Don chewed me out for my ‘‘creative’’ treatment of a custom order, that requested a higher level of board speed and performance. Forty years later that very same board was delivered to Steve Clark, with a request that he make a faithful ‘‘modern’’ copy of it. The original owner, making the request, claimed that it was the best board he’d ever ridden. Steve showed the board to me, because the board number was followed by my letter ‘’ T ‘’ designator. I immediately recognized the board, made memorable by Don’s ‘‘attention’’ to my shaping efforts.
Damn - I’ll pass that onto my collector friends - they had a different skew on the GMP of the day. Great stuff to know.
Hope you’re no where near the current wild fires - my friends in Rincon / Ventura are packing up.
No, I’m not near any fires------------YET ! We’re hunkered down, being very watchful. I’m in a rural area of san Diego County, on some acreage. So, we’re a little on edge, during these high wind events.
