The fourth biennial Hawaiian Islands Vintage Surf Auction, which takes place in July at the Blaisdell Center, will feature an "Antique Road Show"-style appraisal of surfboards before the auction.

Top appraisers in the surf collector's field will be on hand to appraise individual items brought in by members of the public with the opportunity for some of these to go under the hammer.

Over the past three events, more than $75,000 of prized surf collectibles have changed hands. A portion of all sales this year will be donated to the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation Scholarship Fund.

Among this year's prized discoveries:

i An original 5-foot, redwood "Alaia" board from 1895, built to ride steeper, faster-breaking surf around Hawai'i's more rugged shores, as opposed to the gentler "rollers" of Waikiki. The thinner, shorter, lighter "Alaia" allowed for responsiveness and dexterity and was the most popular board of the time.

i An 11-foot Buzzy Trent Model "Surfboards Hawaii" elephant gun from the '60s, shaped by Dick Brewer, is expected to fetch more than $15,000. With less than 20 of these known to have been produced, it is described as the Ferrari of the big-wave surfboard world.

i Gerry Lopez's very last "Lightning Bolt" surfboard and his winner's check from his first Pipeline Masters victory.

i Four-time world champion Mark Richards' surfboard that he rode to victory in the 1979 Duke Kahanamoku contest at Waimea Bay.

i South Africa's 1977 world surfing champion Shaun Tomson's personal Tom Parrish-shaped Waimea gun.

i A painting by Hawaiian artist J. Llaine Colquhoun from the 1940s depicting surfers at Waikiki, which comes from the Buster Crabbe estate in Lanikai. Crabbe, a surf enthusiast and old-time Hollywood actor, was raised in Hawai'i, graduated from Punahou, was a 1932 Olympic 400-meter swimming gold medalist, and made over 100 movies in his lifetime.

"We've got alarge contingency of collectors coming from Australia and Japan this year and they're super hot on items from the '70s," said event producer Randy Rarick. "With the surge in surf-collecting in those countries we've noticed that vintage items are fetching higher prices over there, so with the value of the dollar at the moment, the Hawaiian Islands auction is very appealing to them."

The auction is presented by Quiksilveredition.

To consign or submit an item, contact Rarick at 638-7266 or surfpro@hawaii.rr.com. For more information about the auction, visit www.hawaiiansurfauction.com.(CQ)