eBay Watch: February 2011

February was an interesting month, and not just because of the decks that went off. Don’t get me wrong; there were some great decks going off, but none for the crazy prices that we saw in January. No, February was more a return to normalcy. However, there were some interesting doings outside of eBay. First I got asked to write an article for the Canadian skateboard magazine SBC Skateboard. It’s a short piece specifically for folks who don’t know anything about skateboard collecting, so my loyal readership here probably won’t get anything out of it, but I enjoyed writing it. It was tough keeping it to 700 words though! Just as a reference point, this column is running to over 6000 words these days! I also got asked to write a piece for a Portuguese/English online magazine, and I’m doing that one as we speak. We’re also planning on putting together an eBayWatch Facebook page, so look for that and become a fan if you would! T-shirts and stickers are also in the works, so watch this space. Finally I’d like to thank Nick for his box of goodies. It’s much appreciated, thanks!

What have I been listening to this month? Well it’s a split really. First I rediscovered an album I played to death in the early 90s: “Marvin the Album” by Frente! Frente! was an Australian band fronted by Angie Hart, who had a fantastically fragile voice. It was typical stuff for the time: edgy pop with a sometimes-folky tinge. They wrote simply great pop songs. Some were uplifting and some were touching and haunting, but they were all beautifully presented. They probably most well known for their fantastic cover of New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle, one of the best covers I’ve ever heard.

The new album couldn’t be more different really. It’s Devils’ Brigade by Devils’ Brigade. Never heard of them? It’s an offshoot of Rancid really, a three piece led by Matt Freeman who plays stand-up slap bass and sings, Tim Armstrong who plays guitar, and DJ Bonebrake (of X and The Flesheaters) on drums. That’s quite a lineup isn’t it? The album has 12 up-tempo rockers on there. Some have a rockabilly tinge, some have some ska, and some wouldn’t be out of place on a Rancid album. All feature the gravel voiced Matt Freeman singing though, and that takes some getting used to. He’s the guy that sings on the occasional Rancid song, so the voice might seem familiar, but it’s a little grating for 12 straight songs. At times he sounds eerily like Eric Kish from HiFi and the Roadburners, a Chicago based rockabilly outfit. “Ride Harley Ride” could actually be the Roadburners actually. All of the songs are short, catchy and well constructed. There’s something for everyone here

60s, 70s, early 80s.

And let’s get February started off with a bang! First up is this absolutely superb Sims Greg Ayres 12” S-Ply Stinger from 1979. It has been re-gripped at least once and there is no Sims logo visible up top, but the deck has never been drilled for rails, nose or tail, so that balances that out! It’s been ridden a little because it has some tail wear, but the main part of the graphic and the routed out handgrips are largely untouched. The colorway is just superb: the flat red dip contrasts beautifully with the blues and golds. It’s a superb looking deck, but it sold for only $913, which surprises me mightily. Awesome.

Next up we have a couple of late 70s/early 80s Variflex decks, from the time when the Variflex team ruled. First we have this Eddie Elguera ‘El Gato Concave” deck from 1981. It’s a very early concave deck, originally manufactured by Boulder out of Colorado. It’s in great condition, having no major dings of any kind, just some discoloration and sun fade. It sold for $370.

And we have another Variflex from 1981, this one being the Eric Grisham “Vertical Name”. Much like the El Gato above, this was a very early concave deck and was manufactured by Boulder. It has the twin routes for finger grabs, but I believe that the Variflex stickers that were supposed to be in there are missing. This deck has been drilled for tail and nose, which are long gone, but the original rails are in place. It’s a super clean deck, and looks great in black stain. It sold for $459.

Here’s a Dogtown Wes Humpston “Bulldog” from 1978. It comes complete with Trackers and Sims Comp II wheels. It’s in great used shape. The graphic is as clean as can be, and the node and tail done have kept the deck largely free from damage. It might be as nice a used complete as you will find, and it sold for $900.

And here’s another great condition used Dogtown complete. This time it’s the Shogo Kubo Airbeam, and it comes complete with Independent ‘Superwide” Stage I trucks and Dogtown K9 wheels. The trucks and wheels alone are worth a pretty penny, the trucks being very clean. The deck is in very solid shape. It has some yellowing under the clear griptape, but that is always the case. It has no major damage, and all told this is a very impressive complete skateboard. It sold for $1,425.

And here’s a typical 1970s fiberglass complete. The deck features different covers from Surfer Magazine, and is super bright. It comes complete with ACS 430s and Weber Performer wheels, and the trucks and wheels are basically minty fresh. It’s a really nice looking package, and is typical of the mid-range of decks from the mid 70s. It’s a step up from the standard polyprop, but not quite a woody with Trackers and OJs with precision bearings. It sold for $310.

Mid 1980s

Let’s start off the 80s section this month with this Brand X “Weirdo” complete from 1983. The picture in the auction was super dark and made the deck look muddy, but I cleaned it up in Photoshop and here you go. Yes, it’s as bright as you remember it! It is complete with Action trucks and Vision Shredders. The deck itself is in very good used shape, and this was probably a huge bargain for the person that won the auction, again because of the dark picture probably. The auction finished at $316.

Now here we have a Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Mechanical Dragon” complete from 1988. It has Independent trucks and Powell 85A Rat Bones. I love the colorway here, and especially the matching bright yellow risers and wheels and how they contrast from the grey stain of the deck. Even though it’s been set up, this thing looks as NOS as any deck out there: there doesn’t appear to be a mark on it! It’s a fine looking complete that has been elevated from cool to awesome by the risers and wheels. It sold for $342.

And here we have a Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Full Dragon” from 1986. This is an XT model (boneite) and has been drilled through the middle because it was a clock. It has a bad warp, but looking at it on a wall, neither the hole in the middle or the warp is readily apparent. It looks like a great condition, awesome colorway Cab full dragon. It’s a very handsome deck, and sold for only $475.

But this Powell Peralta Caballero “Ban This Dragon” I find just the opposite: ugly and overpriced. I don’t think anything about this graphic works. The green dragon on the black dip looks bad, the lettering looks too obvious and I just think it looks like crap. So for it to go for $700? Well yes, I was surprised.

Here’s a beautiful Alva Skates Bill Danforth “Circle of Skulls” mini. It’s NOS, never been set-up or gripped, and Bill signed it on the tail. It’s one of the best Circle of Skulls that I’ve ever seen. The colorway is bright and vibrant and even the wheel wells look superb. Some people didn’t even consider it because it’s a mini, but on the wall does it really matter? It looks superb. It sold for $632

Regular readers of this column will know what this is, but new readers might be a little confused. They probably think that the Vision swirl as Gator’s first pro graphic, but it wasn’t. He had a couple of models on G&S before that, and this is the second, from 1984. It features typical early 80s new wave/video game style graphics with flashes of pink and green. You know, the kind of stuff that G&S and Sims were famous for at the time. Yes it’s pretty fugly, but it’s also kind of cool. After Gator left for Vision, G&S kept the graphic and shape and released it as the Foil Tail. Gator would steal the shape for his classic first model on Vision. This one is in decent used shape, and the $256 it went for is a bargain.

So what can you say about this Alva John Gibson street model from 1987? Alright I’ll say it: it’s simply fucking awesome. Not content with plain dips or stains, the nutjobs at Alva decided to airbrush the background and then apply the graphic, producing beauties like this. Some of you probably hate these, but I love the alternate colorways like this and the fact that no two are alike. It sold for $330, which is outstanding when you consider that the Gibson street is probably the most common Alva deck of this era.

Here’s a Vision “Go Skate or Go Home!” complete from 1985. Supposedly it was made for the Go Skate shop, but I’m not 100% sure of that. This comes complete with third gen Indys (with copers and Snap! bushings), City Streets wheels, and rails, tail and nosebone. It’s also got the remains of a lapper, but it is snapped off like they always did. This complete is in great used shape, and looks almost unridden. Team decks like this have become very collectible, and this sold for $255 on 11 bids.

Here’s a Powell Peralta Nicky Guerrero “Mask” from 1989. It’s NOS and in a purple/blue wash stain. That kind of stain was super popular with Powell in the late 80s, but is kind of weak in my opinion. It’s neither one thing nor the other really. It does allow the power of the graphic to shine through though, and this is a good one. I’m guessing that it’s far brighter in person, and this is one of hose graphics that is jumping in value. This sold for $275.

Here’s a truly iconic complete, featuring the very first Tony Hawk graphic by Powell Peralta. I’m not quite sure why it has been set up as a complete, because that really doesn’t help the value, and the brand new Bones 3s, original though they may be make the whole thing look kind of fake. The deck is used and yet the trucks and wheels are virgin. That just looks odd. Anyway, the Hawk looks great in the red dip, maybe the best colorway for this graphic. The deck has two stickers on it, a Tracker Trucks and an Independent, and I’d like to know the story there! The nose bone looks yellowed with age suggesting it is original, but the rails and tail look too white, almost as if they were added recently. It sold for $1,725.

Here’s a minty fresh Santa Cruz Jeff Kendal “Atom Man” from 1990. It’s in a teal stain, and is still in the shrink-wrap, along with the original warranty card. I really like the colorway of this one: the yellow flow and greens and blues work beautifully with the stained background. It’s a very nice looking board, and it sold for $525 on 19 bids.

Here’s a lightly used Schmitt Stix John Lucero “X-1” from 1985. It has been drilled for rails and tail and has some scuffs and scratches, but overall it’s in very good shape. The colorway is OK, nothing special really but not unattractive. It was not the first time he used this graphic actually. Just prior to joining Schmitt Stix he used this same graphic for a deck released by California Hot Sk8s on a generic pig shape. This one sold for $455 on 27 bids.

Here is a Santa Monica Airlines (Rocco version) Jesse Martinez “Handshake” complete from 1988. Jesse skated for Powell just prior to joining up with Rocco, but probably realized that Powell already had their street pro in Tommy Guerrero, so decided to leave for greener pastures. He landed with Rocco and his team of street skaters and the rest is history. So here is the mini version of Jesse’s first deck. It comes complete with blue G&S Chromalloy trucks Powell ratbone wheels. It is in superb used condition: the deck has nary a ding on it, and the wheels and trucks look like new. The blue trucks were a poor choice because the deck is loud enough already, and now it looks like a Polish ladies Saturday night wardrobe. But I digress. It might actually have sold for more money as a deck alone. Whatever the case, it sold for $450.

So let’s get to the big seller for this month. It’s the Zorlac “Mega Metallica” deck from 1990. This one is the second version of the graphic with a slightly different shape and the bat top graphic instead of the classic Zorlac cactus lettering. It is NOS, never been mounted or gripped, and the natural wood does really allow the graphic to pop. The artwork is classic Pushead, but it must be the Metallica name that has carried this deck to the lofty heights of $1,714. The seller claims that he forgot that he had this because it was stored on a shelf for the past 20 years. Well, I bet he’s glad he pulled it out now!

I hope you like pastels, because this G&S Chris Miller “Face” is positively dripping with them! G&S had some positively hideous colorways for this deck, (look at the chocolate brown and aqua one on AOS if you don’t believe me!), but this one is truly special! It’s odd mix of pale blue, pale pink and lavender is made worse by the bright yellow nosebone. It comes complete with very early black Ventures and pink Kryptonics. I was going to ask the question why 1980s Chris Miller decks seem to have little value at all, especially when compared with lesser-known pros from the same era, but then I look at the deck and I know why. Questionable graphics + crap colorways = cheap prices. This one sold for $237.

So this one is just the polar opposite of that. Similarly great skater, but very solid graphic and awesome colorway! It’s a full sized seven-ply Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Crest” from 1988. It is NOS condition, although the seller says that it was gripped once but the grip has since been removed. Seriously, you would never know, it looks pristine. It has some stress cracks and some scuffs, but basically looks awesome. The lime green stain is super sweet, and the whole thing just looks bright and fresh. It sold for $717.

Here’s a Sims Eric Nash “Bandito 2” from 1988. It’s a bigger and better version of the original Bandito from a year earlier. The cacti are bigger and now he is wanted. It also features the lizard that was to become the main graphic on another Nash deck. This is probably the best colorway for this deck. The greens and browns show the best on the white dip, and the grey gun smoke ties the whole thing together. It’s a fun, great looking deck, and is still reasonably priced, selling for $320.

Up next we have two late 80s period Natas decks, but both still feature the cat theme that he used on all his decks in the 80s. First up we have the SMA Natas “Evil Cat” or ‘Crazy Cat” as it is sometimes known. It’s in NOS condition with a little wear to the nose and tail, but basically it looks mint. The black dip is super desirable, and this graphic looks superb on that colorway. The yellow and orange really pop, and even the blue and purple looks great. I don’t know that you’ll ever find a better colorway. The red is nice too, but the orange hands get lost on that one, but not here. It sold for a large $585, which I think is a record for this graphic.

And from the same seller (more on that in a moment) is this SMA Natas “Drunk Cat” from 1990. This one is mint in shrink, and is in the super desirable burgundy to black fade. Much as the deck above, I don’t know if you’ll fins a better colorway for this graphic, and it’s mint as well, so you better get your wallet out! It sold for $685, which is definitely a record for this graphic. I was delighted to see that the seller is actually from my hometown Wallasey, which is on the other side of the River Mersey from Liverpool. I got in touch with him to see if I knew him, and it turns out that although we didn’t know each other (I’m a couple of years older and left for the States before we could meet), we do have friends in common. He is well known in the English skate scene, and helped to get a nice bowl built just a few miles from my old house! Hosoi can be seen skating it here! So here’s a shout out to Foxy.

Ok, so you’ve had enough awesome and want to go back to some crappy early G&S graphics? Ok, I can fill that need. Here is a G&S Billy Ruff “Invisible Man” from 1983. Fuck me this thing is terrible, but I’m sure that somebody will write in and tell me that I’m full of shit and don’t know anything. Fair enough, but come on; this is horrible! Whoever thought that this would be a good graphic wants a good caning. It can’t even be saved by the bright yellow dip, because basically there is no graphic and it looks like a plain yellow pig! It still sold for $300 though. So feast your eyes on it because poof! As if by magic this deck will disappear never to be seen on these pages again!

Here’s a Schmitt Stix X-15 team deck from 1989. Paul Schmitt was like a mad scientist, always looking to improve the quality of his product, and the X-15 composite was an experiment with a combination of wood, foam, epoxy and fiberglass, all thrown together with inserts on the end of the nose and tail to prevent damage and delamination. You can see them on the picture of the top. Now I don’t know if all of those elements made the deck lighter or heavier, but I do know that it is a great looking deck in a very rideable shape. It’s NOS, almost in mint condition and it sold for $420.

Next up we have two different versions of the Town and Country “Primal Urges” deck. The top black one is the earliest model from 1986. It features the caveman doing a frontside ollie off of a stone halfpipe, and the graphic goes full bleed between the trucks. It is a basic pig shape, and comes complete with pink and orange Trackers and what appear to be Powell IIIs. It looks like it is in really good used condition: the graphic is bright and all there, but we can’t see the nose or tail. It sold for $350.

Now we have a newer version of the same graphic, probably from 1987/1988, and this one is much rarer. It features the same caveman, but this time he is getting air off of a volcano. The graphic is much smaller, and the type almost takes center stage. It is on a fishtail shape this time, again suggesting a more recent vintage. The orange stain is attractive, but the seller admits that the graphic has been touched up “just to remove the scratches”. That probably explains why it only sold for $199.

Now this one is a real beauty! It’s a G&S Bill Tocco “Octopus” from 1989. It is in NOS condition but does have some storage marks and a couple of stress cracks. The most outstanding thing about this deck isn’t the pink stain, but is in the quality of the shading in the octopus. Look at the blowup carefully and marvel at the quality of the detail in the screen-printing. The shading in the legs and head is simply amazing, and has elevated this deck in my mind to a must have. I sold for $350.

Here’s a deck that has skyrocketed in value in recent times, and I’m not sure why really. It’s a Santa Cruz Mitsugu Toyoda from 1988. Yes he was the only 80s Japanese pro from a major skate company, and yes the deck wasn’t widely available, but that doesn’t help to elevate this crappy graphic from toy store status in my eyes. It is mint in shrink and in a nice deep purple wood stain, but that isn’t helping the graphic. But it still sold for $640.

And from the same seller we have this Santa Cruz Oops IV “Tramp” team deck from 1990. It is mint in shrink and still has the warranty card inside etc. This deck has sold for over a thousand dollars in the past, so the $720 that this one went for seems like a bargain. The higher priced ones might have been on a different colored background though, because I think that the natural wood is more common. Still, it’s a good price for a team deck.

And talking of natural wood, here’s a Powell Peralta “Rat Bones” from 1984. It has been used and abused with damage to the nose and scratches and scuffs, but the graphic is all there and very bright, and looking good in black, red and silver. Nothing can really take away from the simple beauty of this timeless classic. So this was actually a great chance to pick up an 80s classic at a great price. It ended up selling for $299.

And here’s another 80s classic from Powell Peralta. It’s the Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” from 1985, but this is the far less common freestyle model. It’s the second version of the graphic: the first had no runes, but it’s still rare. Even though the deck appear to be red in the photo, it is actually more of a deep orange, and it comes complete with red ultralite freestyle Trackers and freestyle Bones wheels. It’s been used, but not much because it’s in really great shape, and would be a fantastic addition for any freestyle collector. It sold for $405.

90s-present day

We have lots of different kinds of decks in the 90s-Modern Day section this month, and the decks really show the vast changes that took place in deck shape in that short period of the early 90s. The first few are remnants of the 80s: big with all kinds of funky shapes and traditional graphics. Then the shapes mellowed and the size shrunk until we hit the modern-day popsicle. So first up is this Santa Cruz Eric Dressen “Tribal” complete from 1991. It is in really good used condition, and comes complete with Indys and A1 Meats wheels. It’s big and heavy with full on graphics. This colorway actually looks really nice; the gold and black work well on the dark stain. It sold for $175.

And in a similar vein we have this Sims Kevin Staab “Skate Squad” mini from 1991. Again, it has 80s size and shape, and features graphic characters from all of Kevin’s earlier Sims decks. Like most Staab decks I find it complete graphical overkill. There is too much going on and too many characters to focus on, but Staab collectors eat this shit up. The deck is mint and it sold for $652.

And here we have a Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “Machine Gun Mouse” complete, also from 1991. The graphic on this one is a little different than most 80s style decks. The graphics are not centered, rather bleeding off the top and to the side, and the shadow is as important as the color. It’s a clever graphic if not a great one. The grey stain is nice, and the black trucks and black Powell T-Bones fit in well with the color scheme. The seller has great fun telling us how much of a poser he was and he spent most of his time sobbing rather than skating because it was harder than he thought. Dude, the problem might have been that you didn’t put any griptape on it! Seriously, it’s mounted with no griptape. It’s in great condition and sold for $547.

Next up is this Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Lady Guadalupe” from 1991. There’s no outrageous shape on this one, but it’s still big. This one is mint in shrink and in a very desirable black stain. The golds and blues in the graphic really scream off the dark background, and this is one of the nicest Guadalupe’s I’ve ever seen. It sold for $650, which might be the highest price even paid for one.

This is a Zorlac Craig Johnson “Torso” from 1991. The shape is getting more uniform with just a little bulge around the front trucks. Craig had returned to Zorlac from Alva some time in late 1990/early 91, and this was his first graphic back on Zorlac. Pushead is the artist, and the green and white graphic works nicely on the grey stain. The deck is NOS and sold for $504.

This is a Plan B Rick Howard “Canadian Maple” slick from 1992/1993. It has morphed into the standard popsicle shape, although a little bigger than the standard of today. It is in NOS condition, which is rare for a slick and rare for decks from that time because they were produced in such limited numbers. The rarity shows because it sold for $800.

Here we have a New Deal Hans Lindgren “Heckle and Jeckle Cornfield” from 1992. It’s never been set-up or gripped, but does have some storage marks. The natural colorway works well here, and it’s an attractive looking smaller deck with a funky shape. This sold for $300.

So this is a Powell Mike Vallely “Elephant” from 1993. Mike left Powell Peralta to go to World in 1989, and from there he went to New Deal and then TV. For a very short time at the end of 93 he went back to Powell and they redid his classic elephant graphic for him. This one is a slick and is in NOS condition. I probably don’t need to tell you how rare it is, especially in this condition. As far as I know it only came in green. This one sold for $600.

Here’s a 101 “Vampire Girl” team deck from 1994. It’s mint in shrink and very hard to find in this or any condition really. It’s actually kind of a throwback to 1980s graphics themes really so it’s unusual for the time, but 101 was always about doing their own thing. It’s cheesy but I like it. It sold for $500.

OK so now we get to your standard popsicle shape and size. This is a Birdhouse Tony Hawk “Chicken Skull” from 1995. It’s obviously a redo of his famous Powell graphic, but on a tiny popsicle deck. Did Tony ever really skate something this small? Did Powell or VCJ give permission for this to be made? Anyway, it’s in NOS condition and is actually super rare, probably because very few were ever made. It sold for $613.

And finally this month we have this Zoo York “Warriors-Punks” deck from 2002. Yes, Zoo York released a series of decks in 2002 featuring all of the gangs from the movie The Warriors. What a great idea, and I really wish I’d jumped on this at the time! They made six different decks: they had a Warriors deck, a Turnbull ACs deck, a Riffs deck, Baseball Furies, the Rogues, and this one, the Punks deck. I guess they had to stop making them quick because they didn’t get permission form Paramount, so they are rare, and this mint one sold for $335 on 24 bids.

Assorted Crap

Old skate banners come up from time to time on eBay, but few are as cool as this one. It’s a Hosoi OJ Elites banner and it’s in really good shape. The eyelets at the corners are still in good shape, and the banner is clean and free of rips and holes. The central image of Christian doing a rocket air is fantastic and full of energy. This is an awesome banner and it sold for a big price: $405.

So I’ve shown ripoff decks on here before, and most at least make some sense because they were copies of famous decks from big name skaters. But this one makes no sense at all. Most collectors may not even recognize the original of this deck! It’s actually a cheap copy of a Brand X Sean Goff. The graphic is close to the original and even carries the Sean Goff name: they didn’t even change that! However, the original has a really funky shape and graphics that run from edge to edge, and like most Brand X decks the graphics are rich and complex and look awesome. This one looks cheap crappy and it was cheap! It sold for $10.

Do you recognize this skateboard? If the answer is yes, then consider yourself a true skate and movie historian of the 1980s! It’s a screen-accurate reproduction of Marty McFly’s skateboard from the original Back to the Future movie. Madrid made only 25 of these to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie, and this one is #16 of the 25. It ships with the original box and a certificate of authenticity. It sold for $300.

Here we have a long sleeved t-shirt (size large) from the original Pipeline skatepark in Upland California. Yes, the Pipeline park that the Albas ruled for years in the mid 80s. It’s been gone for a long time now, but you could win the auction and wear the t-shirt like you were there! Somebody wanted those credibility points pretty bad, because it sold for $295.

Now here’s a set of wheels I have never seen or even heard of before. They are marked Sims-Powell Experimental, and were probably used in the early Powell Quicksilver completes, or certainly in the ads anyway. Whatever they are, they are a beautiful set of mint translucent red wheels with Sims Racing bearings. They are a beautiful, rare relic of a bygone era, and they sold for $530.

Bargains

So this is the section that drives everybody mad at what could have been! It’s actually probably my favorite section to write, and yes, it drives me insane too, especially when I cover a deck that I had been watching but forgot to bid on!

Let’s start off with a bang! Here we have a Brand X “Circle X” team model from 1983. It’s in reasonable used condition with your average set of scratches and scuffs, but no major damage really. Clean this up and remove the rails and tail and you would have a really nice early Brand X deck for the low low price of $59.

So, do you fancy owning an OG Skull Skates “Dead Guys” deck but don’t want to pay top dollar? Well here you go. Here it is in black dip with orange and yellow graphic: a great colorway. It has the classic mid 80s Surf Ohio sticker, some other stickers and an odd short rail. Remove all of that crap and you’d have a classic 80s deck that’s in very good shape and in a great colorway for the price of $137.

There was a time when you would see the Schmitt Stix Steve Douglas “Brew Label” appear monthly on eBay. That changed about a year ago however, and they are far and few between now. That doesn’t appear to have affected values however, because this NOS natural wood model just sold for $87. The colorway isn’t the best, but it’s still a great value.

So here’s a Hosoi Skates “Abstract” team deck from 1988. It comes complete with Ventures and some tiny new school wheels. Now the wheels have to go because they are an abomination, but the deck looks to be in very good used condition. It was drilled for nose and tail and the rails are still there, but remove those and you have a nice and bright Hosoi for the wall for only $100.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Racing Flames” from 1989. It’s in very good used condition with some wear on the tail and nose, but nothing terrible. The rails and tail guard protected it all very well, and the deck has been cleaned up nicely. Even the top looks great: it has clear griptape, which shows the vertical racing stripe that goes down the entire length of the deck. This is a real looker and it sold for only $148, which might seem a lot to some, but consider that mint it has sold for over $1,500.

Here we have a Sims “New Wave” complete from 1982. It comes complete with Gullwing Pro III trucks and Sims Street wheels. Actually, this is dirty more than anything else, because it appears to be in really good shape otherwise. There are some scuffs and scratches but nothing terrible, and with some TLC this deck could look incredible. The trucks have a few grind marks and the wheels look almost brand new. This was a great deal for $81.

SO this one isn’t in great condition, but it’s a total classic deck in a great colorway and it only sold for $89 so there you go. It’s a Schmitt Stix Monty Nolder “Stripes” from 1985. It’s a full on pig deck, with wheel wells front and back, and the black and white colorway is killer. It’s pretty beaten up, but the simplicity of the graphic allows it rise above that: a complex graphic would be lost, but this one is not. If possible remove the Go Skate sticker and the remnants of the Santa Cruz sticker and you’d have a great wall hanger for $89.

And last up this month is this Sims Jeff Phillips “Breakout”. It’s the second model from 1985, and is in good used condition. There are no major dings, the top is pretty clean, and even the stickers on the tail don’t bug me. We have a Maui and Sons and a Town and Country so there’s a Hawaii theme going on, and they are small and tastefully done. Pull them or leave them it works both ways. The colorway is superb: the white dip contrasts beautifully with the lime green, yellow and pale blue. It’s a superb looking deck and it sold for $158.

See Ya next Month.

-Neil