Bilbo Longboard History and Value

[furanodaze]

I've got a 9ft Bilbo longboard I'm looking to sell (see attached), but struggling to get an idea on value.

Bought new around 15 years ago. Well ridden for a few years, then it spent the last 10 years in storage. It has one ding and several pressure dents. Otherwise it's in the great condition.

Any idea what I should be selling it for, and also what is the deal with Bilbo? Classic brand? Well sought after? Can't seem to find out what happened to them.

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks.

Ben

[waikikikichan]

There is information on the internet if you google " Bilbo Surfboards". And the question has come up on this forum before. Looks to have been sold for £575 on UK ebay. The one you have, seems to be made in China.
Value differs from region to region and supply/demand, but rule of thumb is start with half of what you paid. Then go up or down depending on the condition. Yours having dings to repair, take off some of the price.

[furanodaze]

Thanks for the reply @waikikikichan. Funnily enough I did Google them I can see est. 1965, first UK surf company, named after Bilbo Baggins, etc. But what happened to them once the founder Bill Bailey died? The brand kinda disappeared, but haven't been able to find out why. Any insights welcome.

Thanks for the heads up on value, much appreciated.

[dtc]

The vast majority of custom shaping brands are the work of one person. So when that person stops shaping, the brand disappears.

A few become larger with a multiple shapers that will continue on once the founder departs, but these are pretty rare. Some shapers become famous and might licence themselves to a big company that produces in a factory rather than by hand (sometimes for good results and sometimes not), but these are even rarer

So...likely the Bilbo brand died with its founder, which is very common

Looks like a pretty nice board; second hand longboards are in demand so you should be able to sell easily it if you price it right