eBay Watch: December 2010

December 2010 was a great month on eBay. There were lots of great decks: some classics and some more unusual ones that don’t get seen too often. I’ve left out some of the “classics” this month, because let’s face it. How many more times can I show a PP Lance Mountain Future Primitive? Yes it’s a great, classic graphic, but after a while it gets dull for me to write about, and probably for you reading this. If I see one in a truly outstanding colorway then perhaps I will show it, but otherwise it has gone the way of the Hawk. And I don’t care if it did fetch over $1000, if I’m not excited about showing it then it’s not in here, whether that be due to over saturation or a poor photograph. I often get emails asking why I didn’t feature a certain auction. Normally it’s because the photo sucked. If the photo is super small, fuzzy and has bad color, then it’s not allowed in here. My readers have to be able to look at the deck as well as read about it. That’s part of the deal.

And talking about reader emails, the most common email I get is of the “I’m putting my old skateboard on eBay: how much is it worth?” variety. Sometimes I answer and sometimes I don’t depending on my mood. If I do answer I might give a ballpark because a super accurate answer is impossible. It will depend on things like condition, colorway, and how many people out there are looking for just that deck that month. Things can vary widely month by month, as you all know. However, my best advice is for you to do your own research. Look on AOS for the deck. Look at the prices it has sold for and look at how many folks have it in the want column. Do a search on eBay to see if others have the same deck up right now, and how much they are asking. And do a search for it on Completed Listings too, to see how much others have sold for (or not sold for) within the last month. That will be the most accurate. If somebody had that deck up in the last 30 days for $300 and it didn’t sell, I can guarantee that yours won’t sell for $1000. I don’t know what gets into folks sometimes and where they get these numbers! They seem to think that by them owning the deck it somehow gets sprinkled with value fairy-dust, and immediately becomes worth 5 times what it really is. So more than anything else, be realistic. If a Salba Voodoo is going for $1200, then your Madrid Rodney Cassell is never going to be worth $1000. I don’t care how rare it is.

The music selection this month is “For All Mankind” from 2008, the third full length from Oakland CA band The Phenomenauts. I first became aware of The Phenomenauts when I saw them opening for The Epoxies in 2005. (Teenage Bottlerocket played at that show too. What a lineup!). I was completely blown away by their zany stage antics, sci-fi costumes, and their mix of stand up bass-driven rockabilly and synthesizer driver new wave. It’s very rare that I see an opening band and then have to buy their albums, but that night I did for both opening bands. The first two albums are good, but it’s the third album, For All Mankind that really grabbed me. If you’ve never heard them, they describe themselves as a mixture of The Ventures, the Stray Cats and Devo, joining forces to save the earth from galactic invaders. They look like they came right from the set of a low budget 1960s Star Trek rip-off, and all of their songs are sci-fi based. It sounds geeky, but it totally works, and the new wave combined with rockabilly and surf sounds great. For All Mankind hangs together as the best of the albums because it sounds more unified somehow. The synth is more in the front, and they sound like a more driving version of The Epoxies at times, which isn’t really surprising because FM Static from the Epoxies was in the band at the time. The songs are full of hooks, and they are short, direct and funny. You’ll be singing along in no time! They even do a great cover of “Make a Circuit With Me”, the 1983 hit for rockabilly legends The Polecats, an I must say that it suits their sci-fi vision perfectly! The band has had some major line-up changes, but they are starting to play out again. If they come to your town make sure to check them out because the live show is awesome.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

I tell you what; I have some great 70s stuff this month! First up this month is this Z-Flex Jay Adams complete in a stunning black. It comes complete with mint first gen Tracker Midtracks and NOS black Powerflex 5 wheels with German bearings. The deck is basically NOS with a couple of rough spots. It doesn’t have any griptape applied. It’s so shiny that it looks new. It is simply beautiful. It sold for $1,500.

And here’s a mint Alva “splatter’/leopard” prototype. How mint is it? So mint that it’s undrilled! The theory is that it was a prototype for a small team rider as it measures 10×28 and has rare Alva decals on the bottom laid out like the graphic was going to be screened. It looks like it just came out of a time machine because it is so clean. It sold for $510.

And here’s a Dogtown Bob Biniak complete with yellow magnesium Trackers and red Kryptonics C-70 wheels. It’s an unusual colorway, and looks to be in very good overall shape, and when you factor in the trucks, it is a rare and desirable complete. It sold for $1,000.

And sticking with the complete theme, here’s a Sims Brad Bowman from 1979 along with 2nd generation Indy 169s and original Powell Bones wheels. The complete was purchased at Lakewood skatepark in 1979 and is just as it was when purchased 31 years ago. I love the pale blue colorway of this one, and it was very popular, getting almost 70 bids. It ended up selling for $915.

This one is absolutely amazing. It’s a Santa Cruz Steve Olson “checkerboard 2” from 1981ish. There was an earlier version of this deck in a black and white check that went full bleed, but this one has the checkerboard stopping at the rear truck to make room for the SC logo on the tail. I actually prefer this version, and I love this colorway. The pink checkers and the green logo are really synonymous of the time. It is used and has a lot of tail wear from dropping in, but the deck is overall in very good shape. Up top there is a huge Dr. Zogs Sex Wax sticker covered over with clear pizza grip. It sold for $500.

And here’s another fantastic 70s complete to round off the 70s section this month! It’s a Caster Chris Strople fiberglass pig complete with Trackers and Kryptonics C-65 wheels. It had 6 maple plys and 2 of fiberglass, giving it a great combination of strength and flex. This one is in very good condition: the tail, nose and rails have done their job and kept the deck free of any major defects. And combine them with the huge lapper that’s on here, and scratches basically didn’t have a chance! Just look at that lapper? No hang-ups here, guaranteed! It sold for a large $2000, but when you compare it to the $6099 that the one went for a couple of years ago, that seems like a bargain I guess!

Mid 1980s

Let’s start off the 80s section this month with this Vision Agent Orange band deck. It’s not mint or even NOS, but has only been ridden a couple of times so it is in really good shape. It has a couple of burn marks in the wheel wells, but apart from that is very clean. It has the original stock griptape, and even that is clean. The green dip and blue and pink colorway is fantastic, and overall this is a very strong way to start off the 80s section. It finished at $456.

Now this Alva airbrushed fish has been on eBay for months, but I’m not sure if it didn’t meet the asking price or if there was some nonpaying bidders, because it kept reappearing. It sold for $421 in December, which is apt really because the green deck with red accents and red lapper and wheels is very Christmassy. It has green Gullwing Phoenix trucks and 70mm red Kryps. The deck is in very good shape, and the colorway is one of a kind and totally rad.

Now this one really surprises me. It’s a G&S Neil Blender “Coffee Break” complete from 1986. It has Action trucks and 60mm Slimeballs. The deck is in really good shape. Remove the Gotcha sticker and the crappy trucks and you basically have a great looking coffee break for an awesome price. The natural colorway isn’t the best, but is certainly acceptable, and I’m still very surprised that this sold for only $280.

Now I don’t normally feature decks that were later relisted due to a non-paying bidder, but this is an exception. It’s an Alva Bill Danforth “Circle of Skulls” from 1987 in the best colorway I’ve ever seen. The white dip and blue to white fade is simply stunning. Add the green and pink in the graphic and you have a real winner. It comes complete with Indys and Vision wheels. It has been restored a little, but it is so outstanding that I had to show it. It sold for $400, but like I said, the buyer didn’t pay, so it went back up and it is still up as I am writing this.

So if you want to see that deck in a different colorway, here you are. This one is NOS, never gripped or mounted. The green stain is nice, but I don’t think the pink and pale blue really works for the main graphic. It’s a super rare deck to score in NOS condition though, so it sold for $676.

And here we have an original Zorlac Devil Fish from 1987. Actually there was an even earlier version of this deck with a very 1930’s “old nick” looking devil on it, but I don’t know if that one was ever officially released. So that leaves us with this one. Personally I think it sucks. Pushead must have taken the week off when this one was rendered because the graphic looks like a Valterra, and the deck was oversized and heavy. But it is NOS, and one man’s treasure is another man’s poison I guess, because this deck sold for (gulp) $2,279. Yes, you read that right.

Here’s a Vision Mark Gonzales “Original Gonz” complete from 1986. It is an early version with front and rear wheel wells, and comes complete with Indys and mint Kryptonic Slammer wheels, two in red and two in black. Even though it has been mounted it doesn’t look like it has ever been ridden. The white dipped deck looks basically like it did the day it left the factory. The graphics are still bright and the white is shiny. The trucks and wheels both look new. Basically this thing is awesome and somebody got a steal for $461.

Now here’s a deck that just keeps going up in value with each passing month. It’s the Powell Peralta Tommy Guerrero “Iron Gate”, and this one is in a very desirable black dip. It’s unmounted, ungripped and minty fresh in all its 7-ply glory. It sold for $500.

Ha! For a short time in 1986/87 the BMX company Haro tried to branch out into the skate market with some decks and some of the shittiest pads ever created. Their decks were typical generic examples of the period in both shape and graphic ideas. You had the “Circuit Board”, the “Flight Deck” and this pop art monstrosity “Dots”. Shape wise it looks like a generic fish tail, almost as if they got a Hosoi hammerhead and decided that was too radical, so they would do a similar tail but with a regular nose. It sold for $239 on 17 bids, I assume by people with money to burn or an unshakeable love affair with everything that was tacky 80s in the world of skateboarding.

But this, this is something. This is a Santa Cruz “Jammer” team deck from 1985 on black dip. The Jammer was at the low end of the Santa Cruz price line, like the Blockhead Hard Times if you will. They would sell them as cheap completes so kids had a decent alternative to toy store crap. However, there is nothing low-rent about this one. Most are 9” wide with a slight concave, but this one is a 10” wide flat pig. Plus you have the small matter of the fade in the graphic and the SC logo across the tail. That could be a sticker I guess, but I don’t think so. Either way, this Jammer ain’t no cut-price blue light special, and it sold for $200.

Here’s a Vision Joe Johnson “Running with Scissors” complete from 1989. I don’t recall ever seeing this deck before, and I liked the angle of the photo, so here it is for your viewing pleasure. It’s in really good shape, and even the topside is super clean. It has killer yellow griptape and a great top graphic. It has white Tracers and alternate color Powell Peralta wheels. The colorway is odd but cool, and for some reason this whole package really works for me. It sold for $163.

And here we have a Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Atom man” from 1988. It’s mint not in shrink, and is in a delicious dark blue dip with a very eerie looking Green and yellow for the lettering and shadow and a dark red for the main graphic. It’s a stunning colorway, one of the best I’ve seen. I normally don’t pay much attention to this graphic but this one is a head-turner. It sold for $581.

Here we have a Schmitt Stix/Lucero Ltd John Lucero “12XU” from 1989. It’s NOS, never been gripped or mounted, and is in a beautiful dark red woodstain. The dark red really works well with the green and yellow of the main graphic, and all around this deck is a real winner. The same cannot be said for the seller however. This obnoxious know-it-all boldly proclaims in the auction that he has “the largest Schmitt Stix collection in the world with the finest nos example known”. Now I’m not sure how anybody can really know that they have the biggest or best collection in the world, and unless this is Paul Schmitt himself, I really doubt that he has the biggest SS collection. Not to mention that this seller spends 99% of his time selling BMX stickers apparently. It is a beautiful deck though, and it sold for $700.

Here’s a Santa Cruz “Oops III” sticker logo team deck. It’s mint in shrink and in a very unusual dark grey woodstain. This matches the banner in the “miscellaneous” section really well! I don’t really care for the grey stain; it makes the deck look dirty and dull to me, but others must disagree because it sold for $812.

And sticking with the $700-$800 price range we have this BBC Jeff Phillips “Devil” deck from 1990. It’s unmounted and ungripped, and although it does have a few storage marks, it displays as NOS. The colorway is superb: the teal stain allows the yellow, orange and red of the flames to really scream off of the deck. It really is a looker this one, a real head turner which is unusual for BBC. It sold for $710.

We will stay with Jeff Phillips for this auction too. It’s a Sims Jeff Phillips “Breakout” complete from 1984. This is the first version of this famous graphic, with the letters in 2d, not 3d like the later models, and with front and rear wheel wells. It comes complete with Schmitt rails, Trackers and Dynamic (?) wheels. The red dip with yellow and blue graphic is super bright and eye catching, and the matching yellow plastics are a nice touch. Just one question though, why are both rails snapped? This is a very impressive looking plank, and it sold for $535.

Oh shit. Here’s where I go off on how much I love the Alva woodshop of the mid 80s again! The crazy fades, airbrush and splatter effects that set their decks apart from everything else that were out there at the time. Not content with staining or dipping their decks they did shit like this crazy airbrush striping on this Eddie Reategui “Monkey” deck from 1988. The blue and green is attractive enough, and then you add the classic Reategui money on top. Awesome, insane stuff, and a great shape too. I love this deck! It sold for $350.

Remember the days when I wouldn’t show a SC Rob Roskopp? Well those days are long gone I guess! This one is a Santa Cruz Roskopp 4 from 1987. It’s in a white dip, and although it has never been gripped or mounted, it does have a myriad of storage marks and scuffs. They are mainly on the topside and the tail and sides however: the graphic is almost totally pristine. The neon graphics work really well on the white dip, which doesn’t look to have yellowed trough the years, unlike their reissue white dips which yellow in months! It sold for $748.

And here’s another Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp, this one being the “Eye” model from 1989. Again it’s in the white dip, but this one is far cleaner than the one above. The lines are still super crisp, the shadow details in the eye are amazing, and altogether this deck looks like it could have come off the assembly line just yesterday. It’s a fantastic example of this deck, and the price shows that: it sold for $1,269.

And here we have a Sims Kevin Staab, this one being the “Pirate” from 1988. It’s on a dark natural woodstain, and although it was gripped at one time the grip has been removed. It ahs been drilled for rails and tail, and there is a little tail wear, so this deck was clearly set up and ridden at one point, but not much because it’s in great shape overall. This sold for $500 on 22 bids, just like the one last month.

And here is another Sims Staab “Pirate”, but this one is an unusual green stain and blue/black duotone colorway. Personally I think this thing is super ugly, but a Staab collector would probably have to have it, especially because it is mint! It sold for $816, which seems like an awful lot to me, especially for a graphic that looks like a mistake!

And finally for the 80s this month we have this Powell Peralta “Rat Bones” complete from 1985. It comes complete with blue Trackers, Vision Blurr wheels and Gorilla rails. It’s in very good used condition, meaning it doesn’t look like it got ridden that much. There are some scratches and scrapes, but not much really. The hot pink is a very desirable colorway for this deck, and I bet it looks even more vivid in person. I especially like the homemade looking sticker on the tail. It looks like the owner cut out some Indy, Gullwing, Bennett and Motobilt logos, stuck them on his deck, and then put the Trackers Only sticker over the top of them! It’s a great complete and it sold for $425.

90s-present day

Here we have a World Industries Jef Hartsel “Bonsai Tree” (it’s not spelled “banzai guys!) from 1991. It comes complete with black Indys and Powell Mini Rats. The complete is in fine shape, and you can credit the rails and nose guard that were on it at one point. Plus, it’s been hanging in a garage for almost two decades apparently, so that has helped too! The graphic is bright and vibrant, and the purple stain works really well here. It sold for $485.

Here’s a nice looking deck. It’s a SMA Frank Hirata “Last Supper” from 1992. It’s from the original Da Vinci painting, and it looks great here; it really makes you do a double take. There’s been a few biblical themed graphic throughout the years using old art (or stained glass) like this, and it works really well. It’s never been set up and that’s a bonus because it would be rare in any condition. It sold for $553, giving somebody a nice Xmas present.

Here’s your classic Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Guadalupe” from 1991 in the typical green colorway. It’s mint and in shrink-wrap, and is totally stunning. They are reissuing it again next month in natural and a yellow stain, but none can match this one IMHO. It sold for $500.

Here’s a Blind Jason Lee “Dump Truck” from 1990. It’s in decent used condition, and even though it’s a pretty generic and uninspiring graphic, it is a Jason Lee and one you don’t see too often, so it sold for $471. Look, what else can I say; it’s a dump truck. AOS has it as Lee’s first pro model btw.

Here’s a Plan B Rodney Mullen “Jazz Bass” slick from 1994ish. It has never been set up or ridden, so let’s say that it’s in NOS condition with some storage scuffs etc. If the colors weren’t so dull and muted I might really like this, but as it is I find it dull and flat, which is s shame because the subject is nicely realized. It sold for a large $788.

Assorted Crap

How cool is this? Here’s a vintage Santa Cruz sticker collage banner. It’s 3’ x 3’ with metal eyelets. All of your favorite classic NHS logos are here: Independent, OJ, Roskopp, Grabke, O’Brien, Speedwheels, and Jason Jessee. This would look awesome in any garage, but deserves to be seen, so should be on the deck of a ramp. It sold for $533.

So here’s a set of great condition Blackhart double conical wheels from the late 70s! Not only that, but you get the killer mix of two black and two magenta so you can mix the colors on the corners! They are not mint but they are in great shape and would look awesome on any 70s era complete. They sold for $305.

And staying on the 70s wheel kick we have this set of Road Rider 4s. Again, they are not mint but are in very good used condition. You can’t really see the translucency of them from the sideways shot, so I’m including the 3Ú4 shot in the sunshine so you can see the sun shining though the wheel. They are classic and beautiful, if a wheel can ever be considered beautiful. They sold for $314.

Let’s stay with the wheels theme we have going on. Here we have a set of Alva Dubs, complete with mini bearings installed. They are completely flat on the back and have the Dubs logo on the tread. I’ve never seen these before and I’m not exactly sure on the year. I’m guessing 1979ish? Anybody out there know? Anyway, they sold for $415.

And sticking with the 70s vibe here we have this Sims team jersey. It’s in very good sued condition with no holes, rips or tears. There is no label but it appears to be a large. Some people don’t care for these old 70s team jerseys, but I really like them. They evoke a bygone era to me, and scream, “I’m a skateboarder”. Fucking classic and $360.

And finally this month we have this Vision Mark Gonzales collection. All are mint apart from the “Gonz and Roses” which is slightly scuffed but still very nice. We have the original Gonz, the “Coloring Board”, the “Fat Face”, “Gonz and Roses”, “Man and Woman” and the “Split Face”. It was somebody’s chance to buy an instant collection, and they did, spending $5000 for the honor. You don’t often see a collection like this go all in one piece, but times are tough.

Bargains

So first up in the Bargains section this month is this Walker Reggie Barnes “Street Mummy” from 1989. It has been gripped and ridden, but the rails have done their job because the graphic is largely in tact. There’s a little tail wear and some scuffs from rail slides, but overall it’s about a 7. The metallic red dip and silver graphic is a great colorway, and this is a steal for $66.

This Vision Gator is pretty beat up, but it is the first model with wheel wells back and front, and I really like the red and blue colorway. Yes it is scratched and worn as heck, but the strength of the graphic still comes through. What more can you expect for $44?

And here’s another super beaten up deck, but I’m featuring it because of how rare it is. It is a Haro Jim Gray “Hieroglyphics” from 1986. Many companies used the Egyptian theme in the 80s, and this is another example of that. Haro only made decks for a very short time, and this one in particular was very limited. So while a deck of this condition fetching $55 might not seem like that much of a bargain, you have to consider that there might be only 10 of these in any condition throughout the world.

Now I know that a lot of you are going to look at this one and start kicking yourselves for missing it. It’s a Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Guadalupe” from 1991. Most of these you see are in the dark green colorway, but this one is a bright red with the lady in light and dark blue. I’ve never seen this particular colorway before, and it is very fetching. It’s in decent condition: some wear on the tail and some fading, but a lot of the tail dirt looks like it would clean up nicely. The main graphic looks great, and the buyer got a real bargain, spending only $130.

Here’s a Dogtown Micke Alba “Temple” deck in a pearly purple/pink dip. It appears to be in great condition, with most of the problem areas being stickers that should be easily removed. Take those away and you have an almost perfect Malba deck for only $100. Sweet!

So here’s another super abused deck, but I’m showing it because I love the graphic, I love the colorway, and there’s just something about this one that looks awesome. It’s an SMA Natas “Panther II”. Actually it’s the NHS version, not the true SMA. There is no green to white fade in the leaves and there are no wheel wells. It doesn’t matter though, its still looks great, and the wear shows the telltale street skating scars of the time. The nose is non-existent thanks to wall rides and wall jams, the tail is worn almost to nothing, and it bears the scars of railslides on parking blocks. This has a ton of character and was ridden until it could be ridden no more. It sold for $35.

And here’s another SMA/NHS Natas deck, this one being the later Jim Phillips panther. It’s obviously in work condition, but the graphic is all there, and if you don’t have much money and want a classic Natas panther, then this could well be the deck for you. With a little cleaning and some sticker removal, this could look pretty nice. The colors are still bright, and for $76 you could do far worse.

And keeping with the Natas theme we have this Natas “Kitten” from 1989. The natural colorway is good for this graphic and apart from the milk bottle on the tail the entire graphic is present. Much as with the deck above, this would be a great placeholder for the Natas collector waiting to find a NOS kitten. It sold for $110. The main graphic is brighter than is shown here. The conversion to this format makes it loose some of its luster.

I always rag on the graphics of the BBC decks, and this one is no exception! It’s a BBC Jeff Phillips “Board of Health” from 1989, and like most BBC decks, the graphic is badly conceived and poorly rendered. It looks like they gave graphic responsibilities to a 12 year old! It’s way too busy and looks like a Nash or something. All that being said, it is in good condition, and it is a Jeff Phillips, so that adds value for sure. It sold for $110.

Here’s an Alva Eddie Reategui “Warrior” from 1988. It’s in a dark brown stain with a blue-to-green-to-blue fade inside the graphic, which is very unusual. It’s in very good condition apart from the fading of the brown, and the razor tail which has destroyed one of the best characteristics of this deck: the dolphin tail. Oh well, it’s still a huge bargain at $73.

This one needs no introduction. It’s a Powell Peralta Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” street model. It’s the earlier version without the hips, and in a nice red dip. The tail is pretty mangled, but the graphic is all there and is a bright blue that works well coming off of the red. The matching blue Trackers are a nice touch too. The tail is a pity, but for $51 I still think you are getting your moneys worth.

So talk about saving the best until last! This is a Tracker Dan Wilkes “Dino Channel Air” from 1986. This is a rarely seen model; most of the time you will see the 1987 Dinosaurs graphic (if you manage to find a Dan Wilkes model at all that is!) This, his first model is super hard to find, especially in this fine condition. The beefy tail, rails, nose, copers and lappers have protected the board beautifully. The green stain and orange and purple graphic is a most unusual colorway, and this deck was definitely a grail find for somebody. For it to only reach $112 is almost criminal. It ended at 3.30am on a Friday on the east coast, so that might explain the low cost? That’s the beauty and curse of eBay I guess. Awesome score!

See ya next year.

-Neil