Tony Hawk has launched replicas of an Iron Maiden skateboard that was handpainted by Kurt Cobain to raise money for charity.
The skateboading legend bought the original version of the skateboard, which features the artwork for Maiden’s album ‘The Killers’, at an auction last year.
It was handpainted by Cobain in 1985 and following the auction, Hawk went about tracing its authenticity.
Yesterday (February 20), he released a series of replicas of the deck on what would have been Cobain’s 56th birthday as well as prints and stickers of the design, with proceeds going toward raising awareness for mental health and toward building skate parks.
Writing on Instagram, Hawk said: “In order to better understand the provenance of this ‘unicorn’ skateboard that I acquired last year, I went to Seattle to get the story directly from Cameron Ross (the original owner).
“With inspiration from @thespacewitch [Frances Bean Cobain] and the help of @dupedupe, we are offering a photorealistic version of this deck in the form of actual skateboards, prints and stickers. We kept it real with the original Phillips shape and OG truck-holes, and added KC & JP signatures on the top graphic.
“All proceeds from these sales will be equally split between the Jed Foundation and The Skatepark Project in order to provide resources for those struggling with mental health, and to create more public skateparks in underserved areas. Kurt and Jeff’s influences still resonate greatly in our worlds, so we hope to honor their legacies with these unique items.”
To purchase one of the decks, which are priced at $420 (£346) along with various prints/stickers, visit Tony Hawk’s online store here.
Meanwhile, Nirvana recently picked up a lifetime achievement award at the Special Merit Awards ahead of the Grammys.
