HOLMES BEACH – Walking into the home of Mark Platt, you’ll see amazing, high-quality works of art on every wall, but it’s a little different than anything you will see in local galleries.
Platt has what he claims is one of Florida’s largest and most well-rounded collections of skateboards.
“It all started in the early 70s when skateboarding first began,” said Platt, explaining the genesis of his love for skating and collecting. “It’s just something that I caught on to right away and I really enjoyed doing. I pretty much skated for about 47 years.”
It’s not just skating; Platt has a passion for any board you can ride. He has been an avid surfer for decades and was one of the pioneers of snowboarding.
“I grew up in Michigan and started snowboarding in 1981 when I had to walk up a hill to take a ride when plastic snowboards first came out,” Platt said. “In 1985 I moved to Colorado, but there were only three mountains that allowed snowboarding – it had just started. In 1986 I did fantastic as an amateur so in 1987 I went pro in the Rocky Mountain division, eventually becoming 18th in the world.”
Platt says he used skateboarding to keep his balance at its peak during the snowboarding off-season. Whether it was surfing, skating or snowboarding, he says the balance required to do one will help you be successful at another.
Platt is no longer able to surf, skate or snowboard due to the toll that decades of sports have taken on his body, but his passion for collecting has kept him close to the game.
“I started collecting seriously and professionally about 10 years ago,” Platt said. “I’m known as a builder; I like the hunt of putting boards together period correct. Everything you see here I have put together period correct. I’ve never bought anything that was already put together by someone else.”
To understand what Platt means by “builder,” it’s important to understand that boards were used and wheels and components were replaced with aftermarket parts as they wore out. It’s much like a person who restores a classic car. They have to put together a car with serial numbers that match and use original parts to have the most valuable example. This can take years to accomplish, and Platt says the same is true with his boards. Finding original components from the 70s and 80s can be next to impossible, but that seems to be the thrill.
As far as value, Platt says they can run from a couple hundred dollars to thousands. His most cherished and valuable example is a one-of-a-kind 1976 Kryptonics board with prototype wheels that never made it to market. There were only seven sets ever made and Platt said his board is the only complete example in existence. He says the value is in excess of $5,000, but isn’t entertaining any offers anytime soon.
In addition to skateboards, Platt also has vintage surfboards, snowboards and related works of art, proof that art has no boundaries.
