Ran across a packet of of vintage Bing stickers sent to me by Bing Copeland himself. In 1989, I heard about a 1960s longboard that was in the basement of a farmer's house, in Pennsylvania. I ran out there, offered him $40, wrote him a check and drove home. The board was in perfect shape, and had only been ridden one week, in Newport, Rhode Island. The board was still the original yellow. The foam had no dings or cracks. All I had to do was clean off the dust. But I was also curious about the history of the board. At that time, there was no Surfer's Journal, no Surfing Heritage Foundation and no real interest in longboards. I ended up calling the Hobie shop, where I was told to talk to a guy named Velzy ... OK, I admit here I was a kid, it was the 80s, i was a short boarder and I had no idea about anything but the surf spot Velzyland, not the man/legend Dale Velzy. I found a number for Velzy in San Juan Capistrano, called and a gruff voice answered. He got a big kick out of what an idiot i was, but told me i should call Bing directly. But who was Bing? I asked. Bing Copeland, legendary shaper, now living in Idaho. Looked up Bing in directory assistance, and he picked up the phone. I described the board to him and he reckoned it was a T-band from the early 60s. I told him the board was in great shape, told him what i knew of its history. We hung up and a couple weeks later I got a note from him and a packet of vintage Bing stickers. They stayed in that envelope till this afternoon, when i ran across them in a box of old papers.