One of the earliest boards. A piece of history. Made by Fleetwing I think they missed an opportunity… It would have been way cooler to be “Feetwing” or… Metal wheels with dope matching yellowing hubcaps. 18.5″ L x 4.5″ W. Note the small chips along the edge of the board and the black sneaker scuff marks. ? Early Skateboarding History (1950s-early 1960s): The Wood & Metal Era. Origins : Skateboarding began in the 1950s in California, as a land-based version of surfing-often called sidewalk surfing. Surfers improvised by attaching roller skate wheels to wooden planks. Decks : Made from simple wood planks, often straight and flat with no concave or kicktail. Sometimes cut from surplus wood or repurposed from other uses. Wheels : The earliest skateboards used steel or metal wheels -typically from roller skates. These wheels offered poor grip and a rough ride, especially on uneven pavement. Ride Quality : Steel wheels made skateboards dangerous and unpredictable -they’d skid easily, and small rocks or cracks could stop them instantly. Despite this, kids rode them in streets, driveways, and empty pools. DIY Culture : Most early boards were homemade, especially before commercial production began. Creative modifications and experimentation were common. Companies like Roller Derby, Val Surf, and Makaha started producing skateboards for sale in stores. These boards were still wood with metal wheels, although clay composite wheels soon replaced metal around 1963, improving safety and performance. With the clay wheel improvement and surf-style marketing, skateboarding boomed in popularity. Major brands and magazines emerged, and competitions began.