First off this month I want to thank all of the folks who email in to tell me how much they enjoy the column, whether it be to the email address here or on skullandbones. I’m glad that so many people all around the world seem to enjoy my pontificating and nonsense. Also for those that send in links to auctions etc, that is much appreciated too. I may not use them because I don’t feature decks on price alone anymore. The photos have to be good, and something has to appeal to me aesthetically. But still, keep sending them in, especially if you see a bargain. They are difficult to spot.
This month’s Baywatch is fueled by the sounds of Roxy Epoxy & The Rebound and their new album “Bandaids on Bullet holes”. Don’t know Roxy Epoxy? Then that’s really your loss. She was the devastating lead singer for the fabulous Portland new wave/punk band The Epoxies. They put on one of the best live shows that I’ve ever seen, and their albums were great too. I had their first on constant rotation at BayWatch HQ for years. I thought they were going to break big at one point, but success eluded them unfortunately, causing them to break up forever last year. Roxy hunkered down with some friends and created a new band out of the ashes: Roxy Epoxy and The Rebound, and they just (a couple of months back) released their first album. The sound will be immediately recognizable to any Epoxies fan, but it’s not totally business as usual. The sound is fuller, with less emphasis on the synths. They are still there, but the sound is more guitar driven. Gone too are the jokey sci-fi lyrics. This is a darker, more intense and brooding Roxy. Songs like “Svengali” tell a tale of talent being led astray and ultimately discarded by the music business. It’s an excellent album, but like I say, not a light, fluffy burst of joy like an Epoxies album. This takes more time to digest. One word of disappointment though: the cover design and overall aesthetic of the album leaves a lot to be desired. If The Epoxies had one thing it was a sense of style in both their dress sense and the presentation of all their releases. That is long gone here. We have a muddy Roxy photo with a bunch of newsprint type and assorted other cut out graphics, all presented in dull colors. It’s one of the worst album covers I’ve ever seen. It almost made me not want to buy the record, but I’m glad I did. You should do the same.
Anyway, enough of my pontificating, let’s get down to it. And btw, if you want to contribute anything for a raffle for yours truly, here’s the link. Any and all funds raised will be spent on eBay in June and will be featured in that month’s BayWatch. And no it wasn’t my idea. Thanks James from skullandbones.
60s, 70s, early 80s.
Buckle in because the 70s section this month is going to be a wild and bumpy ride. Forget about Z-Flex and Sims because this month we’re going to feature a lot of more commercial stuff. Let’s start with this Fifteen Toes model from the 60s (I guess). It is 22” long and has metal wheels. Yes, metal. Clay and urethane are for pussies. And just look at those trucks! Now that would be one smooth ride. $51.
Talk about banana boards, this one takes the cake! It’s from the 70s (obviously) and is manufactured by Sport Fun Inc out of LA. The wheels say Supergrip Sportfun. That sure looks like it would be some sport fun. I’m getting a backache just imagining standing on that thing. $40.
And can somebody explain the attraction of these anodized aluminum Banzai boards to me please? Yes, it’s a step up from the above, but it’s still basically a toy skateboard, not a Dogtown by any means! I would expect this to go in the $75 range, so imagine my surprise when it went for $343. And this one is deck only. Most Banzais you see are complete, but not this one. All I can say is that there must be a few dedicated Banzai collectors out there.
And ditto for this one! It’s a 70s Lightning Bolt fiberglass complete in NOS condition. It is pretty sweet looking, but the $350 it went for was a surprise to me. It has metal trucks with the old school flat head screw and Rolls Royce Phantom amber urethane wheels. The date appears to say 1972.
And here’s a Duro Products 999 model from the 50s or 60s. It’s less than 19” long, 5” wide. It’s complete with metal wheels and those non-turning axles. It’s actually pretty cool looking. No word on if Nick Cash or Pablo Labritain were influenced by this. $33.
So Neil, why are you showing us an old water-ski when we’re supposed to be wasting time looking at old skateboard decks? Well, because this is a skateboard. It’s a 1950s Hawaiian Surf skateboard, made by Union Roller Skates! It’s 28” long by 4.5” wide. You better not have big feet boy! If you dig the graphic, you can get an updated version on a Cold War deck. It looks great, and I know because I’ve got one. $65.
Here we have a vintage Joe Cool Snoopy skateboard, marked from 1971. It’s 29” long and has XR-@ trucks. Weren’t they the trucks on Nash boards from the mid 80s? It’s in great shape as you can see. Perfect for the skater/collector who loves Snoopy or who has a sense of humor. Those trucks look superwide for the early 70s. $42
OK, so lets get serious here. Here we have a Z-Flex fiberglass deck form the early 70s, It’s much more interesting than the regular minty fresh ones I show, because this one is covered in graffiti and scrawl from the era. It’s a real slice of a bygone time, like Lords of Dogtown come to life. I would love to be able to read what some of the smaller stuff says. $306.
Mid 1980s
For some reason I’m really digging this Alva team deck from 1983/4. Maybe it’s the angle of the photo, but the mid section looks super fat and the tail really skinny. I also like the blunt nose and the 2 color Alva logo. I believe that this is the same deck that they used for airbrushing (known as “Dots” on AOS), but this is a plain, black dip model. $150.
This is a Powell Peralta Ray Barbee “Ragdoll” deck from 1989. It was his first deck, and came out at the same time as all of the rookie decks for the “new Bones Brigade”, guys like Saiz, Barbee, Underhill and Frankie Hill. This is a super bright pink wood-stain, full size model. There were 3 different runs of this deck, each differentiated by the colors in the ragdoll. This is the third in the series and would make a really nice wall hanger. $250, and shipping all the way from New Zealand.
Aah, yes, the Santa Cruz Bod Boyle “Stained Glass”, mint in shrink. The picture is pretty crappy, so I’ll tell you that it is on a red wood-stain. I think the red is the worst colorway for this deck because there is some much red in the graphic that it gets lost. The bright yellow dip that they did the reissue in was a really good choice actually. It’s a nice idea for a graphic, but I think that it is badly executed. The pictures in the stained glass are stupid looking and don’t hold together. A better idea would have been a bigger version of the upper graphic, the smiling sun face. Anyway, I digress. It went for $280, again shipping from the same seller in New Zealand.
Here’s a Alva Bill Danforth “Circle of Skulls” from 1987. It’s a rare deck anyway, but couple it with signatures from Tony Alva, Dave Duncan, John Thomas and Jeff Hartsel and you’ve got a winner. Now the colorway isn’t great: I’m not feeling the pink and green on the natural wood-stain, it looks like they missed the black screen, but it’s still a rare deck with period and team correct signatures. On a related note, I hate to see vintage decks that are signed by Tony Hawk or somebody with a 2008 date slapped on there. If you are going to get an old deck signed today, make sure they don’t put the date on. That ruins the whole bloody thing. Better yet, resist the urge and don’t get it signed UNLESS you are keeping it for yourself. This sold for $790.
Now this is a case in point. It’s a Dogtown Eric Dressen from 1988, and it’s signed in bright silver sharpie. Does his signature detract from the rest of the deck? You tell me. I’d say yes, especially with all of the flourishes under the name. This graphic is classic and timeless: it could be a 70s Dogtown, and the sig lessens the impact somehow. Still, as sigs go, at least it’s small, legible and well done. Some are just scrawl and look like a 3 year old was let loose with paint pens. Yes I’m looking at you Jason Jessee. This auction ended at $575.
Yes, it’s another Vision Gator “swirl version 2”, coming all the way from 1988. Say what you want about Vision, but they had some excellent and most unusual colorways on their decks, and some great graphic sense. The blue and black swirl graphic could be dull, but couple it with name panel in bright red and yellow and you have a clear winner. That is one appealing deck, and it looks to be mint. $365, that’s one dollar for every day of the year.
So here’s the Santa Cruz Ross Goodman “gravedigger” model. I say “the” because Ross Goodman only ever had 1 deck as a professional and this is it. Unless he has another for a small company that AOS or I know nothing about. This one is in a lovely orange and yellow fade stain, and is still in shrink. It’s a very nice example of this deck. It’s from 1989 if I didn’t mention that. Notice the double drilled front truck holes so you could pick your own wheelbase/nose length. That’s a fun deck, and from the same seller in New Zealand again. He must have his eye on something big! $270.
This is a Vision Tom Groholski “Skeleton” model from1988. It’s NOS on an aqua stain, which is quite fetching. $257. The seller made a big deal that this deck hasn’t been on eBay in 2 years, which isn’t quite true because one went off in February and was a better colorway even than this one. Still, it’s a nice deck and went for more than the one in February, fetching $257.
Yes, I know that I feature the Hawk “chicken skull” a lot, and I thought I wasn’t going to feature it for awhile, but this one went for so much stupid money that I had to mention it. Look people, this deck is super common. They made about a billion of them and apparently 900 million of them were never set up, because you see a ton of mint in shrink ones. Here’s another, this one in a very dull white and pink colorway. It’s completely underwhelming, and screams “$250”, but I guess the dopey buyers didn’t agree because it fetched $1,526 when the bidding was done. That’s just nuts.
So how much does a NOS Santa Cruz Tom Knox “ghoul” go for these days? Well, $300 is the going rate if this auction is anything to go by, even in this weak and insipid colorway. I don’t like the graphic on the natural wood-stain; I much prefer it on a bright full dip like blue or silver. I’ve even seen it on a fade stain like the Goodman above. That one was nice.
Here’s a particularly nice Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “future primitive” deck from 1987. It’s in an unusual white full dip, and the graphics really pop off of it. Just look at the blow-up. It’s NOS, never gripped or set-up. If you were waiting for an unusual and outstanding FP, then this would be the one for you, assuming of course that you have $875 to part with.
And talking of Lance Mountain, here’s the deck that came out after the FP, the PP Lance Mountain “crest” from 1988. This one is on an obnoxiously loud pink dip that screams, “Look at me!” It might not be everybody’s cup of tea, and would probably demand all the attention whichever wall it was on, but it still an outstanding deck. $338.
This is a SMA Jesse Martinez “Man Sized Model” from 1989. It’s a beautiful pink stain: just look at the blow up—exceptional. The graphic is intricate and beautiful, but overly complex. For example, from a distance they look like green vines, when in reality it’s a green Chinese dragon. It’s the kind of deck that looks much better up close and personal than in a picture. $600.
Here’s one you don’t see everyday. It’s a Schmitt Stix Alan Midgett “flower picker” from 1988. The jpeg web graphic makes it look purple, but in reality it’s a really nice deep blue. It’s an artsy graphic, almost like a Van Gogh, but I’m not sure if it works here, at least not in this colorway. Still, it’s a rare deck and is NOS and ungripped. $420 got a nice present for somebody.
Yup, it’s a SMA/Santa Cruz Natas “kitten” mini from 1989. It’s on a natural wood-stain and has never been used or set-up. Nothing really unusual here, but I have to feature it because the seller mentions that he photographed it on a new carpet “for the guy at skate and annoy”! I guess that would be me! Well congrats, because that got your listing mentioned! It sold for $405, which seems just about right.
Here’s G&S Neil Blender that you don’t see everyday. It’s the “driving” model from 1988. As Blender graphics go this one is pretty crappy, but I’m sure he could care less about my opinion. The colorway is naff too. The green is dull, and the graphic is a dull black and white. I’ve seen it before with a fully colored in graphic. Of course some of you out there probably love this minimalist look. It’s complete with Ventures and Powell Cross Bones. $167.
Now this one is pretty special. It’s a Schmitt Stix Monty Nolder “Totem” full size from 1986. A few different skaters have featured a totem pole graphic, but none are better than this one. This one is truly outstanding. It’s mint, and the beautiful green wood-stain is deep and rich, while the screened pinks and golds really scream. It looks like it has one red ply, which shows in the routed wheel-wells, and that’s a really nice touch. This deck screams quality, unlike the processed crap that most of the big companies churn out today. It’s outstanding, just outstanding. $809. I guess this deck is going to be in Sean Cliver’s next book, “The Disposable Skateboard Bible”, which should be out soon.
Now this Powell Peralta “ripper” team deck is pretty common, and is one of my least favorites, which is why I hardly ever feature it, but this colorway is highly unusual. The gold and red stripes are really set off by the bright blue rip and eyes of the skeleton. You don’t get a real feel for the true look of the deck because of the pink rails tail and nose guard, and because of the trucks and wheels. The first thing I’d do is strip all of that crap off of this and get a real look at the unusual colorway. $455.
Oh boy. It’s a Blockhead Sam Cunningham “evil eye” from 1988. I love the Blockhead decks of this era. They weren’t frightened of experimenting with unusual shapes, and their graphics were all interesting, and this one is no exception. The snake and face was used in more than one Cunningham graphic, but this one is my favorite. This one is NOS, and the natural woo-stain works on this one, allowing the minimalist graphics to show up nicely. $178 for this one.
Much like the Ripper above, I am only showing this PP Vallely “elephant” because of the colorway. The lime green is stunning, and even though it is warped, it is in NOS condition. Apparently it was found in a closet, wrapped in a sleeping bag along with a Kevin Harris of similar vintage. That would be a nice find wouldn’t it, tantamount to finding twelve hundred dollars in a box, because this deck sold for $900, and I’d assume that the Mullen would sell for at least $300.
90s-today
First up in the 90s section this month we have this World Industries Ron Chatman “Alone and Nude” from 1992. I must say that I don’t understand the graphic, but it probably means a lot to Mr. Chatman, and it is a vast improvement over most of the crap that was passing for graphic artwork on most decks from 1992. The rich purple stain is very nice. $560.
And from the same seller we have another World Industries Ron Chatman, this one from a year later. It’s the “3 clowns” model, and is from the personal collection of Ron Chatman. If you’ll notice that the shape is verging more on popsicle compared to the deck above. The graphic is another odd one. This one sold for $760.
So compare the graphic on the deck above to this one. It’s a Girl Rick Howard from 1993, and was the very first Girl model. Obviously there was no attempt at any kind of graphic statement here, or the lack of a graphic was the statement I guess. Whatever the reason I think it’s obvious rather than clever, a disposable deck for a disposable time. No style, no splash. No anything really. $378.
This is a Blind Jason Lee “Support America” from 1991. It’s full size, NOS and rare. It’s pictured on AOS, but only as a complete taken from a b/w ad, and there is no pricing info. So is this the first one to sell for a while? Probably. The graphic is totally crap, but Jason Lee collectors don’t care about such things! $810.
And this is a World Industries Chris “Dune” Pastras “baby sitting” from 1991. It’s NOS, and looks killer in this natural wood. I think they reissued this graphic a couple of years back, because when Kilwag came to Chicago recently there was a young kid sessioning Gurnee with a skinny version of this. Anyway, it’s a nice graphic, and a second version came out the following year with the baby standing. $660.
Now this deck might have come out in 1989, but it feels like a 1990 deck to me, so I’m putting it in this section. It’s a World Industries Mike Vallely “circus” mini. See, Mike is the baby elephant and he’s been riding the jump ramp and snapped his deck, so now he’s being dragged off in disgrace. I don’t know if it’s a dig at the notoriously poor wood that World was putting out back then, because the top graphic features the elephants feet standing on a deck that is bending. Or maybe Rocco was just telling Mike to lose some weight. Whatever the case, it’s mint and looks exceptional. It sold for $1,026.
Assorted Crap
Aah yea, what says “Victim Street Wear” more than this beret from the late 80s? I’m not sure what wearing a beret had to do with skateboarding. It’s not functional and it looks like a cat took a crap on your head. Plus it’s got the gator swirl in baby blue and black. Let’s face it; it’s just hideous all the way around. The Godoy’s would have taken one look at you in this and punched your lights out. $69
Yes, what the fuck indeed. It’s an Eppic 28 Special from 1987. You could buy this in either the regular or goofy-foot shape, and the concept was that it was designed to help carves because they turn in half the radius of a normal deck. This one has some wear, but is spanky enough to be considered NOS I think. It is truly hideous, but is a fine example of when designers start mucking with stuff that doesn’t need to be changed. I mean come on, how could you take this shit seriously? Eppic? More like Epic Fail. I guess some people have a soft spot for this though because it sold for $378.
So why is this Zephyr complete in Assorted Crap instead of the 70s section? Because it’s a prop from the Lords of Dogtown movie, that’s why. I guess it was the one used by the Stacy Peralta character, and I must say that it looks like the real thing, down to the x-calibur trucks and open bearing wheels. It comes with a COA if you are into that kind of movie memorabilia. Personally I could care less, but I guess some folks get stoked on this stuff because it went or $400!
Now I don’t remember this vintage Skull Skates jacket, because if I did I would have bought one! I remember the Powell jackets obviously, but this one escaped me. Apparently it’s in great condition, size L and the seller wants us to know that zipper still works! Did a lot of these jackets ship out with shitty zippers or something? Anyway, at least it’s a decent size, because most of those Powell ones that you see are XS! It sold for $153.
This Steve Steadham sticker sold for $138. SO I guess not everybody is hurting for $$ these days? The “reissue” sticker looks pretty identical and you can have that for $2. Wowzer.
Before there were Independent trucks, Fausto et al made Stroker trucks. They tried to revolutionize truck design with their complex design that featured numerous pivots and struts, but were too expensive and didn’t sell well. Plus they were huge and heavy, but they turn on a dime supposedly. They are very collectible today. Now either the seller didn’t know what he had here, or these are rip-offs, because the seller doesn’t mention Stoker anywhere in the auction “Vintage pair of skateboard trucks” is all it says. The buyers must have known because they sold for $455, but that’s very cheap considering that a mint pair sold for $1,300 in 2005.
Bargains!
Sure this Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “dragon and bats” has seen better days, but it’s still in pretty good shape. The graphic is all there and the colorway isn’t bad at all. Take the rails and tail off and you’ve got a nice 20-year-old wall hanger for $70. Great for the collector who is just starting out.
And this Vision Tom Groholski complete is in a similar state, but was even cheaper. It has Venture trucks and some kind of Vision wheels, at least that’s what it looks like because the seller doesn’t say. We saw earlier that a NOS one went for over $250, but this used model sold for only $61. WTF? The graphic is all there and virtually untouched! The brown wood stain isn’t the best, but it’s still a very nice deck. $61?
And just to show that it’s not just 80s decks that sell at a ridiculously low price; here we have a Logan Earth Ski Bruce Logan signature model from 1977ish. It is solid oak, undrilled and has a couple of storage marks, but is basically mint. I really like the natural wood grain on the top, but I guess some might not. I also love the diamond tail, but it must have been a bitch to skate: your back foot would be coming off constantly! Anyway, it sold for $58. I know, I know. What is going on?
You see a ton of these Powell Peralta Steve Saiz “feathers” decks go off every month, always for pretty cheap considering (a) it’s 20 years old, and (b) the full size is a great shape to skate. Also, I really dig the graphic, and the screen job on these is super detailed and pretty amazing. This particular deck is a mini, but is in a sweet grey wood stain and is still in the plastic. Come on now, $39 is a steal. They must have made a billion of these because they are still common, but one of these days these things are going to all be gone and they will start climbing in price.
In the early 90s Grind King made a series of decks under the Freedom banner. Here is the Freedom “S.A.M.” model, complete with Gullwing Pro IIIs w/ Deadbolt inverted kingpins (it’s ironic that they’re not Grind King kingpins), Powell Peralta Two Rats and Gullwing hardware and Powell reds bearings. It’s actually a really nice complete that would make a great cruiser, put together with quality parts. The wheels and trucks alone would be worth the $51 that this complete sold for.
This shit just gets sillier and sillier. The Town and Country decks were generic team decks with different, totally 80s geometric shapes and neon colors, but the beauty was that they were totally 80s. Look up “Rad” in the dictionary and you should see this deck! It’s the Town and Country “Performer”, complete with white Gullwings and blue Vision Shredders. The rails and lapper even match the color of the triangles! It’s lightly used, but that doesn’t distract at all from this piece of awesome. It sold for a criminally low $91.
Now this is an oddity. The deck is a Madrid Thruster team deck from 1984, and it appears to be a mini, because it’s only 28” long. The more commonly seen version is the 30” version. It also is super narrow, because it has very narrow Trackers and Powell Bones Freestyle wheels which are rare of themselves. So we have a scaled down pool deck with pool graphics, used a freestyle deck evidently. It is scratched and scraped up, showing the wear of numerous freestyle sessions, but the trucks are almost mint, so this sucker was never ground in anger. A real unusual setup here, and it sold for $75.
See ya next month
-Neil
