Postcard: The boys at Ocean City, New Jersey

[Poobah]

Not postmarked, but it is an old style linen card. I can only guess at these handled surf craft, and I'm going with cork and painted canvas. Similar to an old life preserver. Cork sheets were commonly used for insulation before the advent of spun glass insulation and polyurethane foam. The linen (textured) postcards were mosty made from 1930 to 1945, but some also came later. The bathing suits vary, but some are belted. The belted suits are found in the same time range as the linen postcards. One kid has a rather baggy suit, but he could have borrowed that from a bigger person. Plus kids are more likely to wear "hand me downs." Keep a look out for a postmarked version of this card.

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[Poobah]

I have a similar board in my collection. I'm not certain if it's cork on the inside. The fabric has an internal stich on one side of the board, and hand-stiched on the outside of the other half of the board (at the rail.) The knob handles don't turn.

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[Poobah]

A variant of the Goldfish template appears on Nantucket in 1932. In this one the handles are cut outs that make the eyes of the fish. It looks like the board has wood grain.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nantucketh ... 303483731/

Flickr caption: Constance Viola Greene Haroldson (1906-1996?) posing with a surfboard on Siasconset beach. 1932

[Poobah]

While looking for more vintage boards in Ocean City, I came across some guys currently making paipos and handplanes at Roots Surf Craft in Ocean City, NJ. Check out their blog at http://www.rootssurfcraft.com/