Just aquried a vintage gordon smith surf board, It has the number 08537 on the top of the board on the top of the center line and below that it says 65 its light blue in color and off white its height is 6’5" . I was wondering if anyone can tell me the meaning of the serial number and maybe year and value roughly thanks. Fiftyyet
Might want to try posting a pick.
I may be wrong but I would say the 65 may be the year and 08537 would be the number of board that was when he shaped it.
thanks I will try and get a pic on here
A 6’5 made in '65? Not likely.
it measures 77" so 6’5" I was told the 65 might mean its the 65th one made in the series
Thanks
65 could be the length without the ' and ''. It's damn sure not the year.
The 85 could be decoded as the year it was shaped and 37, the 37th board shaped by that particular shaper.
You are definitely wrong.
Without photos the original post is pointless.
I worked at G & S in the late Sixties and early Seventies. I can tell you what the serial numbers on the boards meant in that era: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
One of my jobs was to order and pick up the order cards at Palm Printing in PB. The numbers were pre printed on the order cards in sequence (sometimes) and sometimes we’d get a whole batch of cards with the same numbers if they forgot to sequence them.
There was a time in the mid sixties where the serial numbers were stamped instead of written but some of the dealers complained so Larry went back to hand written serial numbers.
The shaper would write the # from the card on the stringer. There was a time in the early to mid Sixties when you’ll see the last two digits of the year in the serial #. And there was a while in the late sixties early seventies when the shapers would put their initials on the boards (P for Paul Bordieri, JH for John Holley). But Larry put a stop to that because dealers started specifying the shaper for their orders.
So until we see a photo of your board any other speculation is just that.
Dennis Benadum G & S shaper cutting an outline for a “Magic” Spring 1969 from a Clark Foam Blank
Hey Balsa Bill, that shot of Dennis sure brings back memories. I worked at G&S summer of 69' setting up the glass, taping off, and cutting laps for Peter in the glassing area. Dennis shaped me 6'2" hull//roundpin, kind of a pulled Magic template, pretty much what he and some others were riding at Newbs. We glassed it with a one drop green tint and put a Inter Island logo on it. It was a great board, wish I had kept it. I returned the summer of 70 and hot coated until I slowed down production enough that Larry had to fire me. Those were the days.
Mike W
If those photos bring back memories how 'bout these?
Oh man...time does slip bye, doesn't it? That pic of Larry, he looks so young. And I forget the glosser's name, the one where he is pulling tape (or is that a razorblade in his hand) on that pinline. He was really good at pinlines and color gloss tint panels.
Mike
Howzit BBill, Love the sanders hat. Were you working for Gordon and Smith when a guy named Jim Goodwin AKA Selby ran the San Diego retail shop? He ended up on Kauai in the 70's being one of the owners of the original Dolphin Reastaurant. Aloha,Kokua
Hi Mike,
I think I remember you. Were you working there in the Spring? I wasn’t in the Factory during the Summer. I was out on the road calling on the dealers. Returned in Sept.
That’s Sam Cody, glossing legend, triming the pinline with a razor blade. Originator of the “Cody Designs” the foil and the spear shape with the resing tint fades on the Magic’s and Hot Curls coming out of the factory in the late sixties early seventies. Looking on and in the other shot is Jose Cota. One of the best glossers in SoCal in that era,
The amazing thing is how little has changed in this industry...40yrs on, and yet I see that scene today and tommorrow...
Josh
Sander’s hat. Looks like it was made from a mailing envelope.
I first met Selby in 1966 when he came back to the East Coast with Ricky Ryan on a promo trip. We got to be good friends. When I went to work for G & S he had already moved to the Islands and was living at Waikiki. I went over Christmas of '69 and he picked me up at the airport. When I went back in '72 he was living on Kauai and had the Dolphin Restaurant with High MacIntosh (RIP). Great food.
Bill Andrews was running the retail store by that time.
I just reconnected with Selby a few months ago after all these years. Classic guy.
There’s a comedy scene in my film “The Summer of '67” featuring Selby and G&S teamrider Rick Ryan.
Howzit Bill, Yes Selby is a classic and I starting working for him in 73 as a dishwasher and there were 2 other owners besides Selby and Hugh RIP. Dennis Garret AKA the Kid who was one of the other owners has been back on Kauai for a few years now and is a building contractor. I know that Selby is in the Tahoe/Reno area and is an executive chef but not for Harrah's any more. You must know Barr Surles also since he is from the SD area and worked at the Dolphin from the start and hge is the one who updates me on Selby. I know that Selby is in the Culinary Hall of Fame and has accomplised a lot since leaving Kauai. When they sold the Dolphin and Selby handed out the last checks as an owner he told me that he hoped I would work for him again someday but I told him that next time it would be as equals or he would be working for me, got a good laugh out of that one. The last time I saw him was in the late 70's whe he was running the kitched at the Following Sea in SF on pier 38 for Joey Cabell and we had a great time doing the wine country tour thing. Would be nice to see him again and next time you talk to him tell him you have met Wildog through email, he should get a kick out of that. Did you ever hear the story about his first ride on a Harley. He pulled up to a stop and forgot to put his feet down and the bike fell over with him on it, to funny. Aloha,Kokua
Hi Bill, yeah, I started working there in March of '69. I got the job through Keith Noel, who was good friends with Peter (don't remember his last name) the second glasser. Keith was running Phil C's Select Surf shop in Santa Monica when I met him. When I moved down to SD to take the job, I rented a room from "Bosco" (not Bosco Burns) who had a house on Reed St in PB, about a block off the beach. I rode a white peugot 10 speed to and from work, and ended up selling it to one of the guys who worked in the shipping dept.
Sam Cody. That is the guy. He was soooooo good. Dennis and Skip too. There were some classics at G&S.
Mike
It's funny how these threads start as inquiries about an old board and then morph into reunions. Same thing happened on the ''info on eastern surfboards'' thread. Lotsa great history and stories and pictures (thanks, Bill) and this one's just getting started...
To say that Sam Cody is a legendary glosser is a rather large understatement. The words pioneer and inimitable come to mind for me.
Yup. And, more often than not, the original poster who’s looking for info doesn’t even follow up.
From what I saw of his work over the years, Cody was in a league of his own when it came to color work. World class talent.