Hello, this is Noah here. I am pleased to welcome you to another episode of Collector’s Appreciation. Today, we are delighted to share the story of another fingerboard enthusiast from Colorado, United States. His name is Kevin M. Byrd, a good friend who I’ve personally known for a while now and a much appreciated supporter of my own deck-making passion since the Word Decks era. He is a person full of passion for fingerboarding as well as the craftsmanship that goes into every aspect of it.

Here is the story behind Kevin’s appreciation for fingerboarding.

(NY) Please introduce yourself to our readers!

(KB) My name is Kevin, I’m 34 years of age, and I live in the beautiful state of Colorado with my incredible wife and our little guy.

(NY) When and how did you get into fingerboarding?

(KB) Well, I first found out about fingerboards in elementary school when tech decks became popular. I was into action sports so I naturally gravitated to them. I really liked the idea of them and had a lot but could never do any flip tricks or anything. Then I lost touch with the hobby for years. I picked it back up again in probably 2015, just more tech decks. It wasn’t long after that I discovered wooden decks were an actually thing (thanks to IG) and to be honest, I didn’t want to front the cash for one initially as I didn’t think it could make that much of a difference. So, like many, I eventually caved and picked up a wooden P-rep board and it was eye opening at the difference! At this point it has opened the door to many of my friendships.

(NY) What was your first set-up?

(KB) Entry was a Tech Deck, then a P-rep setup. My first “pro” setup I guessed you’d say was a yellowood deck with x5 ytrucks and some of his wheels.

(NY) Can you share the story of how you started collecting fingerboards?

(KB) When I first got back into fingerboarding I collected tech decks, I think mostly for nostalgia purposes at the time. As I got more embedded into fingerboarding I just wanted to try out products from more companies and the collection essentially started itself haha.

(NY) How many fingerboards to you have in your collection?

(KB) Somewhere around 130/140? Still working on getting many of them displayed.

(NY) Why do you collect fingerboards?

(KB) After receiving an item where the craftsmanship itself speaks for the time, effort, and amount of love put into it, you gain a whole new appreciation for the item(s). I feel they really do become functional pieces of art at that point. Who doesn’t like to collect art?

(NY) What do you look for in a product or a brand (e.g. quality, history, etc.) when adding it to your collection?

(KB) I think for me, it comes down to the craftsmanship and quality. The craftsmanship will speak for itself, but the quality goes beyond the product. For me, it includes a lot of things, but first to come to mind would be their style, their interaction with their customers, how they might handle issues when contacted, if it seems like they like to give back to the community in some sense, and not just trying to make a quick buck.

(NY) In your collection, which product(s) has the most meaning to you?

(KB) I have a deck Loz (@flint_ltd) made that is truly special and means a lot to me that my wife gifted me after our son was born, I was absolutely mind blown when I received it.

(NY) Lastly, Do you have any advise for people who are starting to build their own collection?

(KB) Don’t rush it. Collect what you choose to collect out of appreciation for the brand and product, not hype. 

• Kevin M. Byrd

  Instagram: @kevinmbyrd