Ebay Watch: February 2013

So welcome to the long overdue February 2013 edition of eBayWatch. Sorry it took so long to get out! I’m well over a month late I know, but a lot of stuff has been going down at HouseofNeil! Extra work projects, trips, and all kinds of stuff! And as it got later and later I got less and less motivated to finish it. But I did, and here it is. Thanks for being patient. Because of how late this one is, there will be no March edition. Instead I will combine March decks in with the April one. It’s the only way forward really. There’s no way I could do three right in a row.

I wasn’t going to do a music review this month in order to get it out faster, but what the hell. I’m here and typing so why not! So what have I been listening to recently? Well it’s a mix of something old and something new. The old is “Valley of the Dolls” by Generation X, and the new is “Three Chords and a Half Truth” by Face to Face. Valley of the Dolls was the second and final album by Generation X before they morphed into Gen X, and then came Billy Idol’s solo career. It’s a huge step away from the raw, punky sound of the first Generation X album, having a more rocky and fuller sound. But it’s not all serious rock schtick. You also get the classic singles King Rocker, Valley of the Dolls and Fridays Angels. It’s a great mix of the serious and the light hearted, and every song is killer. I hadn’t heard it in probably 20 years, but it’s been on constant rotation at HofN recently.

And something new is the new Face to Face album. They’ve been together over 20 years now, and “Three Chords and a Half Truth” is their first album in 5 years. They’ve broken away from their classic early 90s sound here, and have instead embraced a more old school sound. And by old school I mean The Clash, the Jam and Generation X. Try the opener “123 Drop” out, and you will see what I mean. The songs are more mid-tempo than you would expect, and they have plenty of depth and texture. It’s simply a collection of great songs in a style that you wouldn’t expect from a band like this. Check it out.

60s, 70s, very early 80s.

First up this in the 70s section this month is this Powell Peralta “Britelite” team deck from 1980. And I say deck because even though the pics show the trucks and wheels too, they aren’t part of the auction due to some sort of drama as to them being period correct. Fucking hell people! Anyway, the deck has been gripped (clear pizza grip with period correct stickers underneath) but it looks almost completely NOS on the bottom. It sold for $710 with 7 bids.

And here we have a deck from one of those companies that was well regarded at the time, but dies off very quickly. It’s a Flite deck out of Rhode Island. The Flite woodshop made decks for a lot of the other major players, and also made some of the earliest snowboards out there. Flite actually put out Mark Lake’s first pro deck. So there you go. Jason, you know anything about these guys? Anyway, this well used specimen sold for $211 on 8 bids.

Ha!!! And from the wild and wacky archives I give you this Grentec “Mouse” complete skateboard from 1976! It measures 8.5” long by 4.5” wide, has open bearing wheels, and is a complete mystery! I’m not sure why this was made or who could ever ride it, but there you go! This still has the original prices sticker on the bottom: $3.95! This sold for $50 and that was probably a bargain, because I’ve never seen one before. For those that don’t know, Grentec made some of the best polyprops out there in the 70s. If you couldn’t afford a wooden or aluminum deck with name trucks and wheels, then the Grentec Coyote was the best plastic board you could get. They probably sold millions of those, and most other polyprop boards were copies of it. So the GT name still is very recognizable.

And here we have the Sims Bert LaMar “Super Ply Stinger” from 1979. This comes complete with Trackers and Gyro conicals. It’s in average used condition, but is still a great looking board, and a classic design. This one is a very early version with a large Sims logo on top, up by the front trucks. Later models have a small Sims logo in the back truck area surrounded by die-cut griptape. It sold for $400 on 3 bids.

And here we have a Nash “Fifteen Toes” skateboard from the 1960s. It’s in great condition as you can see, and has the classic steel wheels and single action trucks. This is a great looking piece of skateboard history, and yet it sold for the insane price of… Well I’m almost embarrassed to say. It sold for $2. Yes, $2. I’m not sure what happened, but there you go.

So let’s look at another Nash skateboard from the same era. Well, this Nash “Shark” is actually from a few years later, and has clay wheels instead of steel, but it’s still 60s vintage. And actually this one is interesting because it has steel wheels up font, and only has clay wheels on the back! I would love to know the history of this thing, and why this was done. The back truck is different too. This sold for a much more respectable $40 on 4 bids.

Feeling patriotic? Here we have a Premier fiberglass skateboard, probably from the bicentennial year, 1977. The colors are super vivid, as they would be, being metal flake in fiberglass. It’s been ridden some, but is in excellent condition, and it comes with the original box, which is just killer! Apparently it was hand crafted in Westminster CA with “genuine” fiberglass! What an excellent collection piece! It sold for $240.

I wasn’t planning to show a Z-Flex this month, but I loved the listing photo so I have to! It’s a Z-Flex Jay Adams deck with Tracker half-tracks and Powerflex 5 wheels from 1976. This board has apparently been ridden all over the world, and was ridden to second place in the East Coast Surfing Association Freestyle contest in 1977. The second place blue ribbon and Rector gloves are included with the auction! A true piece of history, and it sold for $570 on 17 bids.

Mid 1980s

So first up in the 80s section this month we have this Alva “Hammerhead” team deck from 1986. It’s in very good used condition, and the colorway is really nice. The green dip is vibrant, and the silver screened fishbone graphic really pops. You seldom see this one come up, and it sold for $600.

Here we have a Zorlac “Big Boys” team deck from 1984. It’s mint, in an excellent colorway, and is signed by Randy “Biscuit” Turner! It was from his personal collection and included are a letter and pics of him signing the deck. This one is a rare beauty, and is one of the earliest band decks out there. This one sold for $1,051 on 3 bids.

And here we have a G&S Neil Blender ‘Faces” deck from 1987. It’s in NOS condition, and has been “Archivally stored” for years. Whatever that means. If he means wrapped up and stored in a box somewhere, well personally I find that very silly. Theses are mementoes of our past and of great, shared experiences when we were young. They should be shared and enjoyed. Otherwise what’s the point? It sold for $970 on 23 bids.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Bod Boyle “Sick Cat” from 1990. It comes complete with Z Roller trucks and Powell Peralta Cross Bones wheels. The whole thing is in very good used condition, and the trucks and wheels look almost new. Interestingly enough though, somebody took offense to the top graphic because that has been sanded off. Aren’t old skateboards interesting? It sold for $234.

Now here’s something! It’s a Seaflex “Boomcat” team deck from 1983. It comes complete with Stage II Indys and Kryptonics wheels. The whole thing is in remarkable used condition, and the colorway of the complete is exceptional I love this board, and that dark blue is something special. Love it. It sold for $910 on 16 bids.

Ooooooh, now here is a real beauty! It’s a Vision Mark “Gator” Rogowski “V2” prototype from 1988. It’s got a lizard skin background and is on a different shape than the regular one. It’s NOS< never mounted or gripped, and is obviously a one-off. That makes it difficult to price, but this sold for $1,125 on 8 bids.

And here’s your traditional Vision Gator v1. This is a really early run, having both front and rear wheelwells. It’s in NOS condition, and the pink and black colorway is totally classic 80s, but falling below the fluorescent green/black in the truly classic stakes. It sold or $1,250 on 9 bids.

And the hits just keep on coming! Holy shit, it’s a NOS Santa Cruz Claus Grabke “Exploding Clocks” from 1988. White dip, fluorescent colors that scream off of the deck. This is awesome. And highly collectible. And expensive! Try $1,636 on 19 bids. But worth it.

Now here’s a deck that is underrated but starting to catch on. It’s a Powell Peralta Nicky Guerrero “Mask” from 1989. It’s mint in shrink, and in a really delightful light red/pink stain. The colorway is really strong, as is the general feel of this deck. It sold for $283.

And here’s another NOS Guerrero, in a colorway that’s just as pleasing! This one has a deep purple stain, but notice too that the color of the mask is different too. This one is certainly more masculine and tribal feeling, and this one sold for $350 on 17 bids. This auction was also right at the end of the month, maybe showing that the deck is becoming more and more desirable.

So after two Nicky Guerreros let’s look at a Tommy! This is the Powell Peralta Tommy Guerrero “Iron Gate” mini from 1989. It is mint in shrink, and in a very striking red dip. I’ve always liked this graphic better than the “Dagger”; it’s more intricate and less childlike. But I’ve never liked it enough to buy one! This sold for $405 on 23 bids.

Here we have a G&S Mark Heintzmann “Fingerprint Face” from 1990. You don’t see this Heintzmann very often, you will normally see one of the ketchup graphics, but this one is interesting. It’s NOS, and I really like the natural wood. The shape is super clean and very functional with the kicknose, and it is double drilled. It looks very similar to Schmitt Stix decks of the same era like the Douglas, and just illustrates how behind the times Powell Peralta was with their shapes and concaves. It sold for just $136 on 35 bids.

Dammmmn. Here’s a Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Neptune” from 1988. It’s the early “sharktail” model, much rarer than the “Mermaid tail”. And it’s mint in shrink with warranty card! You never see that! The colorway is superb, love the natural woodgrain, and the colors still really pop. You have to love screened graphics over the crap heat transfers we mainly see today. Supposedly this was originally from the collection of Jeff Hedges, but that is unconfirmed. It sold for $1,885 on 21 bids.

Ooh, and here’s another beauty from Santa Cruz! It’s a Jeff Kendall ‘Graffiti” from 1986. It’s NOS, never been gripped, and the red dip colorway is classic. We had a street contest in Champaign Illinois in spring 1986 and Jeff Kendall came with some of his cronies and did a small demo. He showed up with this deck, the first time I ever saw it. I have to say that he didn’t win many friends that day, but looking back, if I had to drive for hours to do a demo on a crappy street course for 100 kids in rural Illinois I might have been less than receptive too. It attracted 19 bids, and ended up selling for $1,325.

Here we have a Tracker Lester Kasai ‘Oak Leaf” from 1987. I’ve always loved this graphic: it’s simple and yet powerful for some reason. The blue woodstain is nice, and the red and yellow is a powerful color combo on top of the dark background. It’s in NOS condition and it sold for $191 on 20 bids. It’s been reissued in numerous colorways, so maybe that hurt the value of this great looking deck.

Now here’s a beauty. It’s a G&S Chris Miller “Face” from 1985. This one is NOS and in a great, bright yellow dip with light and dark blue graphic. I think it’s the best colorway I’ve ever seen for this graphic. Much like Lester above, Chris Miller decks are criminally undervalued, and this one was no exception. Similar condition Powell decks from the same period would sell for thousands, but this Miller only sold for $405 on 20 bids.

Hmm Neil, why are you showing a super thrashed old deck? Because this is a graphic that deserves more publicity than it gets. This is an original SMA Natas “Panther II” from 1985. The very first Natas “Panther” was the simple graphic on yellow stain, and shortly after Skip reworked the graphic, adding leaves and vines etc. Not many were made however before he sold the rights to NHS, and they started producing the deck instead, tweaking the graphic to make production easier I suppose. The original SMA version has a gradation to white in the leaves, it has front wheelwells, is flat, and has colored sides. I think there were only three colorways of the original SMA: this baby blue, red dip, and a black dip. Very few exist. Anyway, this heavily thrashed version sold for $81 with 5 bids.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Face” blacktop deck from 1986. It’s mint in shrink with warranty card inside. The purple colorway reigns supreme over every other colorway, and the yellowed teeth look like they’d glow in the dark. If you were after this deck, this one would be the ultimate I’d bet. I assume blacktop had a special ply or something to make it lighter or stronger, but I’m hazy on that. Anyone care to fill us all in? It sold for $1,336 on 19 bids.

Here we have a really solid complete. It’s a Powell Peralta “Skull and Sword” team model from 1984, and it comes complete with Trackers and Wings wheels. You also get copers, a lapper and a nose bone, but no rails or tailbone! It’s in very clean used condition, and the matte black dip with white and blue graphic is really striking. It’s an excellent complete, and the stickers actually add to the total package in my opinion. It sold for $586 on 8 bids.

When folks complain that there just aren’t any bargains to be had on eBay anymore, then tell tem to stop whining and look harder, because incredible bargains are still out there. How much would you pay for this good condition Uncle Wiggley “Argyle” complete from 1982? $250? $300? Well this one sold for just $80! Remove the retarded “Bad to the bone” sticker (dude I fucking hate George Thorogood) and the hideous taildome, and you have an excellent piece of early 80s goodness. Nice colorway, and nice matching of the Gullwings trucks too! The wheels are Powell Peralta Twos, which is unusual: Threes were far more common. Anyway, $80, so yeah, nice score somebody.

And finally from the 80s this month we have this Powell Peralta Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” seven ply from 1985. It’s NOS, never setup. It was gripped at one point but the griptape has been removed. It does need to be hit with some Goo Gone because there is still some residue up top, but it’s still a beautiful looking board. The colorway on this one is supreme. The baby blue dip, black runes and red and bone graphic is just superb. It sold for $530 on 8 bids

90s-present day

First up in the 90s section this month we have this Alien Workshop “Spectrum” team deck from 1994. It’s NOS, never mounted or gripped. The black dip and primary colors makes this a real looker, and the simple graphic grabs attention. It was in production for 3 or 4 years, which was very unusual for most graphics in this period. It sold for $290 on 4 bids.

And here we have this Plan B Mike Carroll “Princess Leia” slick from 1993. It was from the short lived Star Wars set. It’s been well used, but the good news is that the slick and dark graphic cover up most of the damage and make it look like part of the graphic! It sold for $460 on 20 bids.

Next up is a set of decks from Chocolate. It’s the “Car” set from 2001, and the set was signed at the factory by the individual team riders, and then was shrinkwrapped on top of that. So this is a true mint-from-factory set that you won’t find anywhere else. The 6 pro riders are Keenan Milton, Stevie Williams, Richard Mulder, Gino Iannucci, Chico Brenes and Mike York. It’s a great looking set, and a collectors dream, but that being said, it does look like something you’d see in a print you could buy at Ikea doesn’t it? So instead of hanging skateboards as a reminder of your youth or because you love a certain graphic, it merely becomes hipster sofa art. Hmm. I’ll have to ponder that one. Maybe I won’t show a set like this again. Any road up, the set sold for $1,246 on 24 bids.

Here we have a World Industries Ron Chatman “Experience” deck from 1990. It’s a tribute to the Jimi Hendrix “Axis: Bold as Love” album cover (not “Are You Experienced” as many think), and is a great piece of work. Just look at some of the detail on the blow-up! This one is NOS, never mounted or gripped, and as you’d expect it went for pretty big dollars. It sold for $1,022 on 15 bids.

And staying with the 70s album cover tributes, here we have an H-Street Chris Livingston “Led Zep I” complete from 1990. It comes with super beefy looking Tracker Aggro trucks and Toxic wheels. It’s basically NOS, because even though it’s been mounted it was never gripped and looks like it’s never been ridden at all. It’s actually a cool looking complete. All of the colors hang together very nicely. It sold for $154 on 6 bids.

And here of course is the Powell Peralta Mike McGill “Aquarium” street deck from 1991. The deck is NOS, and is super bright and beautifully screened. The red dip is OK, but the light blue is by far the best for this graphic. The idea of McGill having a street deck always amused me, but there you are. This deck is a real up-and-comer, exploding in value the last few years. This one sold for $685 on 19 bids, and I would expect that to be cheap by 2015.

And here we have a Powell Wade Speyer “Crucified” slick from 1993. It’s NOS, never gripped or mounted, and is pretty damned rare. The graphic looks like a bad metal album cover by a bunch of 16 year olds from Florida, and the slick makes the colors super dull. But still, it sold for $760.

And finally from the 90s this month we have this World Industries Jovontae Turner “Napping Negro” slick from 1993. If you’ve been reading this column for awhile then you know I don’t rate this deck as the controversial classic as many others do, but still it’s rare and highly sought after so here you go. This one is NOS, and it sold for $750.

Assorted Crap

So, I know that we’ve all heard a ton about Cadillac wheels changing skateboarding forever when they hit the market, but it’s funny that I don’t know anybody that has actually seen one, and you never see them on eBay! Well wish no longer! Here is one Cadillac wheel all the way from 1972. Yes, one wheel. I guess its three partners have gotten lost somewhere in the shadows of time! I don’t know what Stoby refers to, so if anybody can shed any light on that please do. This piece of history only sold for $5, which seems very cheap considering that they are so historic.

So here we have some classic old (70s era) plastic cups, probbaly collected from 7-11 or some such place. Each cup has a different 70s trick on it: “Two Board Handstand” and “Powerslide” for example. They even have instructions on the back in case you were intetested. They sold for $10.

So last month we had the Jess Kendall rip-off board, and this month we have the “Rocer”, a total rip-off of the Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Eyeball. The lavender and red colorway is actually not bad, and of course all the color-matched plastics are part of the package. There is starting to be a market for these ridiculous rip-offs, because this sold for $26.

Here we have a vintage Santa Cruz Claus Grabke “Exploding Clock” t-shirt from 1986. And not just any t-shirt! This actually belonged to Claus Grabke and was part of his personal collection! It’s a size L, and is actually a pale blue even though it looks white in the photos. If you spent all of that cash on the Grabke deck as seen in the 80s section, why not buy the matching t-shirt! It went for $143 on 10 bids.

And here’s another part in that ridiculous series of “Reissue decks fetching stupid prices”! This is a Santa Cruz Jason Jessee ‘Neptune” reissue from the 2003 “30 fucking years” reissue series. This deck came in a multitude of different colorways, and they were nice, but they made a crap-load of them, and it’s still less than 10 years old. So why did it sell for $501? Well, your guess is as good as mine. It’s insanity is what it is.

Here we have a beautiful set of red Kryptonics C-65 65mm wheels from the late 70/early 80ss. They still come with the original bearings, tube, warranty and sticker. These are freaking awesome and are as minty fresh as they can be. They sold for $520.

And speaking of wheels, here we have a mint set of Road Rider 6 wheels from 1974, the first urethane wheels made for sealed, precision bearings. Road Riders came in different sizes, and the 6s were the biggest of the lot. Look at the beautiful deep red! These are breathtaking! They sold for $203 on 24 bids.

And finally we have this monstrosity! If you skated in the 80s you are probably smiling as you cast your eyes on this Vision beret! Skaters have always had their own style and have started fashion trends, but the bigger companies often try to push it too much, inventing crap instead of letting it come from the kids on the street. This was the case with the Vision Street Wear berets in 1987 or 1988. Skaters didn’t wear berets EVER, but suddenly for a short time the Vision team could all be seen wearing these stupid things in all the photo shoots. Berets, fanny packs, Swatch style watches. The younger kids ate it up! And then wore them out skating and got laughed at and chased home. This vintage beret comes with the VSW Skate Escape 3D glasses, which were given away at the 1988 Skate Escape contest; a completely overblown and overproduced indoor ramp contest. The package sold for $46 on 13 bids. However won it, do us all a favor and burn it!

Quick Hitters

1985 Alva “Dagger Tail”. Indys and Alva Hardcore wheels. $500.

1988 Neil Blender “Driving” deck. NOS. $960 on 7 bids.

1986 Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Chinese Dragon” w/ Gullwings and Vision Shredders. $475 on 11 bids.

1988 Schmitt Stix “Chainsaw”. NOS. $68 on 11 bids. Yes, that’s right. $68.

1988 Skull Skates Duane Peters “Cross”. NOS. $400.

1984 G&S “Foil Tail” team model. $153 on 9 bids.

1987 Vision Gator “Swirl 2” Complete with Trackers and Kryptonics. $233 on 17 bids.

1988 Vision Gator “Swirl 2”. NOS. $1,280 on 17 bids.

1984 Powell Peralta “General Issue” team deck. Trackers and PP Bones Threes. $1,005 on 32 bids.

1985 Zorlac John Gibson “Cow Skull”. $221 on 9 bids.

1986 Powell Peralta Tommy Guerrero “Flaming Dagger” XT. NOS. $900 on 3 bids.

1989 Tracker Jean Marc Vaissette “Frog”. $150.

1977(?) Lazer trucks with shaped risers. $159.

1984 G&S Chris Miller “Footprint” complete w/ Gullwings and G&S 3 Guys wheels. $431 on 7 bids.

1990 Santa Cruz “Oops 2”. NOS. $411 on 30 bids.

1987 Schmitt Stix “Ripsaw” team model. NOS. $522 on 14 bids.

1984 Kryptonics “Ripstik”. Indys and Kryptonics wheels. $330 on 2 bids.

1990 Santa Cruz Steve Alba “Tiger” deck. NOS. $900 on 3 bids.

1989 Alva Fred Smith “Dragon Rider” deck. NOS. $400.

1992 Plan B Danny Way “Alien” slick deck. $258 on 20 bids.

See ya next month…

-Neil