Ebay Watch: April/May 2014

So, I’m sure some of you thought I’d stopped doing these! I know. It’s been a long time since you read a new Baywatch! There are two main reasons:

1. There just hasn’t been that much good stuff for sale on eBay recently. There’s been a real slump to be honest. Same stuff, different month, and not so much of that honestly. So I was having a hard time putting together a watch for April and for May. So I decided to combine the best of the two into one report. At least that keeps it interesting.
2. It’s summer. The weather is decent in Chicago at last after a terrible winter. So I’m actually skating on the weekends now when I would normally be working on these. So yeah…

I’m guessing that I will do the same for June and July too. One report for both months. I’m also gonna make some other changes too. I’m finding it harder and harder to find interesting auctions for the 60s/70s section. It’s become the same procession of decks EVERY MONTH. If I’m bored then I’m sure you are too. It’s the Dogtown Shogo, Z-Flex Jay Adams, Sims Andrecht, a Hobie Super Surfer and a polyprop. Every freaking month. So no more. I will still put 70s decks in if I find one that interests me, but the sections as they are just lead to quotas, and that’s not working for me anymore.

On a personal and much sadder note, this month’s column is dedicated to the memory of my friend Frazer Kirkwood, AKA Hotrod. He passed away in his sleep on the night of May 30. He was just 39 years old. You build up acquaintances with people from online messageboards, but most you never get a real connection with, let alone ever actually meet, but Frazer was one of those rare people that you get an instant bond with. We were going through some similar life challenges and we helped each other with them I think. Sometimes it’s easier talking to someone who’s on a different continent and can help you with objective advice. We also had very similar taste in skateboards and music, and both being from England we had that in common too. Anyway, he became a close and dear friend and we met up when I was in England last Xmas. He was a funny, warm, sarcastic guy; completely full of life. The kind of person who could immediately make you feel like you’ve been friends forever. I am still totally stunned and saddened by his sudden passing, and I know plenty of others around the world are too. RIP Frazer my friend. The world is a much bleaker place without you in it.

Vintage

Let’s start off with a bang! First up in the vintage section this month is this NOS (or as close to is as you will ever find) Powell Peralta Ray Rodriguez “Skull and Sword” deck from 1979. The board was in the window of a skateshop in England for years. It was mounted but never ridden or gripped. This is a rare beauty, the kind of deck that collections are built around. And I’m betting that the guy who bought it got an incredibly good deal considering what it’s worth now. It sold for $2,100.

Next up we have another NOS beauty from a time long gone! This is the Dogtown Wes Humpston “Bulldog” model from 1978. And yes, it is mint, never setup, but it does have the original die-cut griptape on it, right as it came from the factory. This is a deck from an amazing stash discovered in somebodies garage. I’ll link to the original story, but long story short, somebodies dad owned a skateshop in England which called it quits in 1980. He moved all of his unsold stock to his garage where it sat in boxes for 30 years. It came to light in 2012 and the decks etc. are still being sold off. The deck sold for $3,100 on 34 bids.

Oooh, here’s a total classic from the 60s. It’s the Hobie “Waffle” Skate Board from Vita Pakt in California. It is in pristine condition: even the trucks and the clay wheels are minty fresh. This thing is awesome. Everybody should have one! The deck is fiberglass with that waffle pattern built in for traction. I’m guessing it was ridden with bare feet a lot. It sold for $558 on 2 bids.

So here’s your monthly chunk of 70s crap/awesome, depending on your point of view! Here we have the Jupiter “Rainbow” skateboard from Jupiter International Ltd. out of Bellevue Washington. I’d put the year at about 1976. It’s a fiberglass deck with Jupiter branded trucks and Jupiter urethane wheels with sealed bearings. It is totally minty fresh, and it even comes with the original box. It looks like your average toystore skateboard, but was probably a slight notch above the polyprops that sold at the drugstore for $12. It sold for $300.

So here we have the regular appearance of the obligatory Z-Flex deck. But actually this one isn’t your regular Z-Flex Jay Adams. No, here we have a Z-Flex Jimmy Plummer deck, complete with Trackers and Jimmy Plummer Z-Groove wheels. The deck and the wheels are rare, and on top of that, the thing is NOS. This is truly a collectors dream, and it does look great all in red. It sold for $965 on 14 bids.

And here we have another Z-Flex Jimmy Plummer complete, but this one is in used condition. It comes complete with Trackers and Kryptonics. To complete the package you get a Z-Flex Jimmy Plummer poster too! This is a really nice package, and it was actually a bargain: $385 was a really good price for this.

Here we have another Dogtown deck, this one being the Shogo Kubo “Airbeam” model from 1979. It is in NOS condition as you can see, and this is very unusual, especially with the bottom layer that was easily damaged. The trucks are rare too: magnesium x-track Trackers in really nice condition. The wheels complete the rare package: a NOS set of Dogtown Rock and Rollers. The whole package looks like it came from the store yesterday, and obviously this complete was not going to go cheap. It sold for $3,200.

So finally in the vintage section this month we have this Z-Flex Ken Stelmasky “Winger” complete from 1979. It comes complete with Gullwing Pros and Kryptonics. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a Stelmasky deck before and there currently isn’t one on AOS. The prismatic bottom layer is a total disaster, but there you go. It also has custom Gullwing copers, and the front one appears to have some kind of lapper built in which I’ve never seen before. It sold for $483 on 15 bids. It’s a rare one but it’s a real mess.

Classic 80s

Let’s get this section started off with a bang! So first up in the 80s section this month we have this Powell Peralta Ray Barbee “Rag Doll” deck from 1989. The deck is in hot pink dip, super bright colors, and is as clean as they come. NOS, never gripped or mounted. This is the first run of the graphic; you can tell by the color of the ragdoll. It sold for $1,375 on 11 bids, which has to be a record for this deck. Shoot, I remember a few years ago when OSS still had them in stock for $89…

Next up we have this G&S Neil Blender “Coffee Break” from 1986. It’s always a very popular graphic, probably Blender’s best. It’s one of those rare graphics that works on a deck, yet could also work as a painting on the wall. This one is NOS, apart from what looks like a piece of sticky tape on the front of the board that is. That’s a real shame, because apart from that this deck is spectacular. I particularly like the muted color scheme: the dark grey-blue works amazingly well with the brown skin and the yellow pants and shirt. It’s truly striking. This sold for $935 on 38 bids.

Now here we have a Dogtown “Born Again” team deck from 1985. It was the first deck to appear using the Dogtown name since the late 70s, hence the “Born Again” moniker. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted, the graphic is classic Dogtown, and the white dip really allows the bright primary colors to pop. This sold for $800 on a BIN after 8 minutes.

Now here we have an Uncle Wiggley Skates “Fishstik” team deck from 1983. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted. The rivets in the nose were put in at the factory to protest the nose from splitting on contact: remember, all UWS decks were made of a combination of Epoxy and fiberglass. They were also heavy as hell. But that’s another story. Man that’s a clean looking deck! It sold for $355 on 38 bids.

Now here we have a later model Vision Mark “Gator” Rogowski “Gator Skin” deck from 1989. The deck is mint, not in shrink. The nose is double drilled, and it has the V6 concave and a big kick nose: Vision was trying to move with the times. Powell wouldn’t do that for at least another year. I like the purple stain and green colorway, but the gator skin graphic doesn’t really work for me. Either that or it’s the stupid ankh with his name in it. Probably the latter. It sold for $350 on 9 bids.

And here we have a Santa Cruz Claus Grabke “Holding Back Time” deck from 1989. The deck is mint in shrink. I have to say that I really like the colorway on this one. It looks black but it’s actually a dark purple stain, and the yellows, oranges and reds really work well with this graphic. Some of the darker shadows around the top do get a little lost, but still, I think it looks really nice. It sold for $750.

Now here’s a lesser-known deck that I’ve always loved! It’s a Smith Lonnie Hiramoto “Samurai” model from 1986. I think this was Lonnie’s only pro deck, and Smith was not a company known for putting out decks; I can only remember this one and the Howard Hood “Lions and Spears” model. But both decks they did release were beauties. This one has a quite unusual shape, and the bright pink dip and yellow and black colorway is super bright. And the Samurai graphic is just awesome. It’s NOS, never gripped or mounted. This deck makes a statement and I want one! It sold for $400.

Up next we have this Concrete Jungle Jay Adams “Concrete Surfer” deck from 1986. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted, and it is a very rare one. Jay was very much the forgotten skater throughout the 80s. His legend had died in the 70s, and wasn’t really to be resurrected until the Z-boys documentary in 2001. So he didn’t have very many pro decks in the 80s, and the ones he did have you just didn’t see very often. He got no magazine coverage and was very much an underground figure. This one was given to Vision Pro Kele Rosecrans by Jay himself, and that’s how it’s signed on the tail. Spelled wrong of course! So it’s a very rare deck, and despite the fact that the graphic is a real hard-to-see mess, it sold for $2,200.

Here we have your classic Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Pumpkin” deck from 1987. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted, but it does have a lot of storage marks as you can see in the picture. The dark blue stain looks great here, really allowing the main graphic to pop. But it’s the lettering that makes this one super rare. It has the different color fill in the last 6 letters of the name, spelling out “End All”. Collectors love that stuff! It sold for $1,925 on 28 bids.

Here we have the Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Future Primitive 1.5” deck from 1985. The more commonly seen version is the v2.0 model from 1987. This one has the figure doing the layback air as the main graphic instead of the running figures in the more popular one. It’s version 1.5 because the 1.0 model had a figure doing a finger flip in place of the sad-plant on this one. Both of the 1.x variations are MUCH rarer than the regular Future Primitive, and far more impressive graphics IMHO. I always thought that the most popular one had figures not actually skating on it. Anyway, I digress. This deck is in decent used condition: the graphic is all there. The red dip with green and yellow figures is a little much, and personally I think that the pink figures on a red background were a huge mistake. But still. Rare board. It sold for $900.

Now here we have an Airbourne/Losi Skate Designs Allan Midgette “Flower Power” model from 1989. It’s NOS, never gripped or mounted. I find it funny that even though it’s a Midgette model, the LSD logo is front and center here, making it looking more like an Allan Losi deck than an Allan Midgette one. I like the purple stain with lots of wood marbling in it, but the main graphic is pretty horrendous. This sold for $405 on 12 bids.

Now here we have a SMA (NHS) Natas Kaupas “Panther v2.5”. This is the NHS version of the deck even though it still bares the Santa Monica Airlines name. There are numerous differences between the true (and much rarer) SMA deck and this one, but this is still a very fine looking deck. It’s in really condition; almost NOA really. Just pull of the hideous yellow nose and tail and you’d have an awesome deck! I like this colorway a lot too. The baby blue works great with the green leaves and the yellow banner. It’s still a very undervalued deck IMHO. This sold for $700 on 37 bids.

And here we have another SMA deck. This is the SMA Allan Petersen ‘Kid with Plane” deck from 1989. The deck is mint in shrink; it still has the warranty card in there! I love the split colored stain on this one, and the graphic details are excellent too. The empty plane-kit box on the tail is a great touch. Yes, kids used to make their own models back in the day! This one sold for only $280 on 18 bids. Am I crazy or does that seem incredibly cheap for a deck of this quality?

Now haven’t I always said that BBC had by far the worst graphics of any big company in the 80s? The graphics on their decks were consistently complete horseshit, and this is no exception. It’s the BBC Jeff Phillips “Board of Health” from 1989. Quite frankly the graphic is a total embarrassment. It looks like it was created in about 10 minutes, and everything about it is just awful. Shudder. This sold for $795 on 3 bids.

Now here we have another Jeff Phillips, but this is from a real company. It’s the Sims Jeff Phillips “Demon/Tie-Dye” model from 1987. The deck is NOS: never gripped or mounted. It’s on a dark brown stain, although that doesn’t really matter because the graphic is full bleed. The shape is classic late 80s too: lots of shaping around the nose, and a slight flare and notch in the tail. This sold for $2,087 on 47 bids.

Now here we have a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp ‘Eye” deck from 1989. This one is mint in shrink, still has the warranty card in there. I didn’t really appreciate this one at the time, but the quality of the artwork is something to see close up, but I guess that shouldn’t surprise me as it’s a Jim Phillips. Seeing this appearing over the coping would have been a trip! This sold for $1,050 on 28 bids.

In the late 80s all of the companies experimented with different materials to make their boards lighter etc. Powell had Boneite, Santa Cruz had their foamcore series, and G&S had the Fiberlite series from 1987. They would make the same shape as the regular pro deck but make it in some kind of space-age composite of foam with layers of bi-directional epoxy fiberglass on either side. The funny thing was, it was lighter than a wood deck, but I is super delicate so it came with the huge tailskid and it recommends using rails. So add all that stuff and the weight is pretty much the same. So it was a largely pointless exercise. This one comes complete with Gullwings and Kryptonics Pro III wheels. It sold for $350.

Now here we have a Skull Skates “Life’s a Beach” team model from 1986. Remember the popular Life’s a Beach shorts that had this repeating skull and crossbones pattern? It was so popular that they licensed it to Skull for this deck, and I believe that Vans also used it on their high-tops. This is your straight up mid 80s shape. Very little concave and no shape to the deck. It comes complete with Gullwings and Sims Street wheels. And rails, nose and tail, all in colors that don’t go with the graphic AT ALL. But there you are. This sold for $566 on 13 bids.

Poor old Steve Steadham. He broke away from the Bones Brigade to start his own company in 1986, but his decks were forever doomed to grace the bargain bins of skateshops all over the country. I don’t know what it was-the graphics weren’t terrible and he was a name skater. But there was just something off about the whole thing! This is the SGI/Steadham Designs Steve Steadham “Bomber” deck from 1986. Funnily enough, different skaters have used this graphic theme throughout the years; most recently Lance used it on a Flip deck. Steve was handing out thousands of these stickers at the St Louis demo on July 4th 1986. I still have them somewhere. So it sold for $255.

So here’s the classic Suicidal Skates/Dogtown “Possessed to Skate” team model from 1986. Obviously it was designed to come out alongside the classic Suicidal Tendencies song of the same name. The deck has gone on to become a real collectors item, and even the reissue from a few years ago sold out quickly and is impossible to find now. This is an original in green stain. It is pretty well used and abused, but the main graphic is all there. It has the hideous Variflex tailskid, and has been degripped. The nose is all chewed up and broken, but it still sold for $335 on 23 bids.

Here we have an auction for a pair of Jim Thiebaud boards! Its both versions of the SMA Jim Thiebaud “Joker” deck, the original and the second version from 1989. Both decks are NOS, never mounted or gripped. Actually the “generic” one is mint in shrink. By now you all know the history of the two different models and why they came about right? Obviously the one with the real Joker figure on it is the really rare one, but even the generic villain has become popular now. You don’t often see the two together, so that made for a pretty unique auction. They sold for $1,595 on 29 bids.

And finally from the 80s this month we have this Tracker Dan Wilkes “Dino Channel Air” from 1986. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted, and in a quite lovely deep scarlet dip. The yellow and blue and green graphic really pops, and overall this is a real eye catching deck. It sold for $405 on 16 bids.

90s-present day

First up in the 90s section this month we have this Real Tommy Guerrero “Elvis Guerrero” slick from 1992. The deck is NOS, never setup or gripped. There was a set with each member of the Real team in a different costume. Rumor has it that Real moved into their new space, and the previous tenant left costumes behind, so Real thought they would make fun graphics. And I assume it was a spare of the moment thing, because if they’d attempted to do something Elvis-like with Tommy’s ridiculous hair then it would have been far more accurate. As it is he looks like Elvis the pimp rather than Elvis Presley. It sold for $610 on just 2 bids.

Here we have a Real Rick Ibaseta “Sketch” deck from 1991. The deck is NOS, never setup or gripped. I dig the childlike graphics on the font and rear of the deck. It’s a very simple graphic in black and white, looking good on the dark red stain. It’s strangely charming, unlike most decks of the period. It sold for $345 on 12 bids.

If you’ve ever wondered why I’m not a fan of slicks, then this is the perfect example. First off, let’s get the introductions out of the way! This is the very first Hook Ups deck from 1992. It’s the Jeremy Klein “Anime” deck, purchased from him a very long time ago, and signed on the top. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted, but typical of all slicks, the graphic is super faded and muted. It’s a shame actually. This sold for $1,125 on 26 bids.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Cameron Martin “Apple” deck from 1990. The funny thing is, this looks like your regular 1992 popsicle, but it isn’t! It’s actually a freestyle deck from 1990, a time when Powell was still making big boards! The deck was mounted and slightly used, but has been cleaned up and degripped for sale. It sold for $579 on 37 bids.

This one really needs no introduction does it? The 101 Natas Kaupas “Satan” deck from 1991. It’s in good used condition. There is some tail and nose wear, but the majority of the graphic is in great condition. I would definitely remove the rails: they are very distracting and ruin the gory glory of this deck. It sold for $1,600 on a Buy It Now.

Now here we have another 101 Natas Kaupas deck. This is the “Oops” deck from a little later in 1991. It’s in very solid used condition. The graphic is all there and it has an Everslick tail patch on the tail. It’s in a rare black stain, but that super distracting Skate Works sticker on the nose needs to go immediately. I’m guessing the new buyer removed those 2 stickers and the tail patch as soon as he could, probably adding another $500 to the value. This sold for $860 on 17 bids.

Now here we have n SMA Julien Stranger “Flying High” deck from 1991. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted. This graphic has exploded in value over the last few years. It used to be a solid $600 deck, but it’s double that now for NOS: this sold for $1,200 on 22 bids.

Here we have a Toy Machine Ed Templeton “Ghoul Girl” deck from 2000. The deck is mint not in shrink. I like the colorway and the graphic: very Halloween. It sold for $300 on a BIN.

Here we have a Girl Jovontae Turner “Panther” deck from 1995. It’s NOS, never mounted or gripped. I like the cut paper style graphic and the colorway is bold and simple. Nice, simple looking deck from a time period when most decks were horrific in one way or another. It sold for $250.

And finally from the 90s this month we have this Sonic Simon Woodstock ‘Woodstock Circus” deck from 1993. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted. It’s a super rare deck, and I love the artwork of the clown with the balloon gun to his head. The circus burns and the animals flee. His take on skateboarding in the 90s? It sold for $768 on 10 bids.

Assorted Crap

Here we have one of the Cease and Desist copy decks ( not really a reissue ) from a few years back. It’s a dupe of the Blind Jason Lee “David Bowie” deck from 1992. C&D actually made these very well, better than more reissues! They are screened and are on very good wood, and they did a great job getting the shapes right. This yellow one sold for $355 on 27 bids, showing that there is still a demand for classic graphics that are true to the original in shape and quality. Take note SC and Powell.

So here we have a set of Bridgebolts from 1989. Don’t know Bridgebolts? They made mounting hardware that you only needed one tool to put on. It worked by connecting two bolts widthwise. So you slip them through the holes and bolt them on underneath. Great idea, and I love mine. They make it so simple. I’ve heard some people complaining about them breaking, but I’ve been riding them for 20 years without breaking one. So I’m guessing you were screwing them too tight? The set sold for $75.

And here we have one of those increasingly common Powell Peralta World Tour jackets from 1989. This one is a size medium, and has been in a case in a Skate/Surf store in Rhode Island since 1989. It was originally won in a raffle at a video premiere, and the sleeves have been signed by Tony Hawk et al. It sold for $2,600 on 13 bids. Wowzer!

Now here we have a mixed color set of 1st generation Star Trac Kryptonics from 1976. They are brand new, and the bottle green and amber looks wonderful together. They sold for $400.

Now here we have a truly magnificent piece of ‘Assorted Crap”! It is the leather racing suit worn by Leif Garret in the final downhill racing scene of the 1978 movie “Skateboard!” It’s in really nice condition as you can see, and it bears the LA Wheels moniker on the front, the team that Garret skated for in the movie. Guess what, he wins! It sold for $1,265 on 2 bids. Now what on earth do you do with something like this? Put it on a mannequin and stand it in the corner? Throw it in the closet for that remake you are hoping they make? Who knows!

Here we have a repro of probably the rarest skateboard deck in the world. Or maybe not rarest, but certainly the one that is on the most Grail lists. It’s the original SMA Natas Kaupas “Panther” deck. It’s the first mythical Natas model. It only came in yellow, and was only out for about 6 months in 1986 before they added leaves etc. to the graphic. It’s on the famous “heart attack” shape, and was the deck on which Natas started changing skateboarding forever. Some of those early street skating photos show Natas riding this deck, doing tricks that seemed impossible at the time. It’s a truly iconic graphic, and has the unofficial record for highest price ever paid for a skateboard deck: $7,250, but that was private sale, not on eBay. This very well made repro sold for $450 and is the closest that we will probably ever get to seeing a real one on eBay. The annoying thing is that I had one. So did Kilwag. If there was one deck I’d like to have kept…

And here we have an original copy of Thrasher Magazine from its first year of publication. It’s the May 1981 edition, and is encased in plastic and in very good condition. It sold for $255 on 13 bids, which just shows that there are a lot of collectors out there looking to complete their 80s Thrasher collection. I know, I’m one!

Quick Hitters

1987 Powell Peralta “Bug” team deck. NOS. $409.

1984 Brand X “Vertical Hold” complete with Trackers and Sims B-52s. Good used condition. $250.

2010 Zorlac “Gargoyle” team deck reissue. Complete with Gullwings and Powell Bones. $800.

1988 Vision Tom Groholski “Skeleton”. NOS. $400 on a BIN after 20 minutes.

1988 Tracker GSD “Fish”. Lightly used. $675.

1988 Sims Henry Gutierrez “Top Hat”. NOS. $360.

1990 G&S Mark Heintzmann “Heintzovich”. NOS. $283 on 63 bids.

1985 Hosoi Christian Hosoi “baby dragon”. NOS. $599.

1986 Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Neptune”. Complete with Gullwings and SC Bullet wheels. $1,024 on 40 bids.

1988 Vision Marty Jiminez “Bat”. Complete with Trackers and Vision Shredder wheels. $304 on 17 bids.

1987 Schmitt Stix John Lucero “Street Thing 1” deck. Complete with Gullwings and SC Bullets. Decent used condition. $635 on 20 bids.

1990 Sims Eric Nash “Pumpkin”. NOS. $650.

1988 SMA (NMS) Natas Kaupas “Bulldog Panther” deck. Mint in shrink. $1,724 on 41 bids.

1986 Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Face”. NOS. $798 on 30 bids.

1985 Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Target 2”. NOS. $780 on 36 bids.

1987 Santa Cruz Rick ‘Spidey” Demontrond “Spidey” deck. Good used condition. Signed on tail. $415.

1987 Sims Kevin Staab “Pirate”. Set up but never used. $500.

See ya next month.

-Neil