The Sticker Archivist
Some skaters chase tricks. Others chase terrain. But a rare few chase history — one sticker at a time. Hardcore skate sticker collectors aren’t just hoarders of graphics; they’re curators of culture. They preserve the ephemeral, document the underground, and keep the visual language of skateboarding alive long after the ink fades.
In this post, we sit down with one such collector — someone who’s spent decades building a sticker archive that spans continents, eras, and subcultures. Their collection isn’t just impressive. It’s emotional.
🧠 Origins: From Slaps to Obsession
“I started collecting stickers in the late ’80s,” they tell us, flipping through a binder filled with yellowing sheets. “At first, it was just whatever came with a deck or a zine. But then I realized — these things tell stories. They’re time capsules.”
Their first sticker? A battered Powell Peralta Rat Bones, peeled from a skate shop counter in Manchester. “I didn’t even have a board yet. But I had that sticker. It made me feel like I belonged.”
🧨 The Hunt: Where Stickers Hide
Over the years, their collection grew — not through online shopping, but through travel, trades, and chance encounters. “I’ve found stickers in the weirdest places,” they laugh. “Pub toilets, abandoned skateparks, old VHS cases, even tucked inside a pair of used skate shoes I bought at a car boot sale.”
They’ve traded with skaters in Berlin, Tokyo, and Barcelona. They’ve dug through dusty drawers in defunct skate shops. They’ve scanned and archived stickers from zines that only ran for two issues.
“It’s not just about the sticker,” they say. “It’s about the story behind it.”
🧃 Favorites and Holy Grails
When asked about their most prized pieces, they hesitate. “That’s like asking a parent to pick a favorite kid.” But eventually, they pull out a few:
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A Death Skateboards crew-only sticker from 1999 — never released publicly
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A bootleg Santa Cruz parody made by a London crew in 1994
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A Heroin Skateboards sticker printed on tracing paper, included in a zine
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An Alpine Sports logo from the ’70s — one of the earliest UK skate stickers known to exist
“These aren’t just rare,” they explain. “They’re ghosts. They remind me of scenes that don’t exist anymore.”
🛹 Preservation and Display
Their collection lives in a climate-controlled room — binders, boxes, and framed displays. “I scan everything. I catalog it. I even record where I got it, who gave it to me, what the session was like.”
But they’re not precious about it. “I still slap stickers. I still trade. I still give them away. Because skateboarding isn’t about hoarding — it’s about sharing.”
🧩 Why It Matters
For this collector, stickers are more than graphics. They’re emotional anchors. “Every sticker reminds me of a time, a place, a person. They’re how I remember who I was — and who I skated with.”
They see their archive as a gift to the culture. “One day, I want to digitize it all. Make it public. Because this stuff shouldn’t be forgotten. It should be celebrated.”
🔥 Final Words
“Skateboarding moves fast,” they say. “Spots get bulldozed. Crews break up. Brands disappear. But stickers — they stick around. They’re the fingerprints of our culture.”
And with collectors like this keeping the legacy alive, those fingerprints won’t fade anytime soon.
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