Ebay Watch June/July 2014: The Lost Ebaywatch

I know, I know, you’ve all been waiting for a new BayWatch forever! Some patiently, and some not so patiently! I actually thought I’d stopped doing these completely. With the passing of my friend Frazer I stopped going on the collector sites, and little by little my interest in this whole world kind of went away for a time. I also went through some personal life changes and got a new job. My life balance and schedule got tweaked and I just never really had the impetus to do this anymore. But then a few weeks ago I realized that I missed it and something just felt out of whack. I had started this one months ago, so I went back to it and looked at where I had left off. It wasn’t very far along, but I just jumped in and it actually went very quickly! The only problem with it is that some auctions were no longer on eBay, so the original details were lost. So here it is, the eBayWatch “Lost” issue! I plan on following up with a compilation of December through February, and then we should be back to a semi monthly format again. Now that is going to leave a few months with no coverage at all, so if you either bought or sold in August through November 2014 I’m sorry. Your purchases will never be immortalized! If there were any huge highlights that I missed and anybody has them documented with images, then by all means send them to me. I will try to incorporate them somehow. So that’s that.

But I do want to reiterate a few things. Things that still puzzle me, like how some people still don’t get this. We get a few offers every month from people who seem to think this is a store, and that all of these decks are mine and for sale. Or conversely from people who have a deck to sell that looks just like one featured in an auction. I’m not buying or selling. I just report on what I see and what interests me. And then we always get the total pricks who somehow feel entitled to this free column, and are angered by me now doing one every month! The ones that can’t understand why I am depriving them of their monthly fix and want to tell us all how easy this is and why can’t I just get off my arse and do this for them. It’s funny how the internet apparently has bred this generation of totally entitled, lazy keyboard warriors. Suffice it to say that doing this is a lot of work. From the harvesting of auctions and photos, to the organization, and then the creation and the writing. Not to mention what Kilwag does on the back end. It’s work. And if you don’t think it is and you think it’s easy, give it a go. Let us know when you are done and it’s online. And then keep it going for 15 years.

Now a few folks that really missed the column even said they’d pay me to bring it back. Those thoughts are much appreciated but not necessary. But if you ever did want to contribute or send me a gift or something, you can always contact me via email at houseofneil@annoying.com. Thanks!

Vintage

First up this month/quarter/period is this Sims Brad Bowman ‘Superman” deck from 1979. It comes complete with early Independent trucks and well-worn Sims conical wheels. Apart from the nosebone, all of the other plastics have been removed, which in this case might have been a mistake because there is lots of missing paint where the plastics used to be. The deck is well faded and scarred, but still, it’s a Superman. One of the most iconic graphics ever. It sold for $625 on a Buy It Now after 2 days.

Next up we have another Sims Brad Bowman, this one being the late 1980 model. This deck actually had some concave to it, and amazingly enough it is in NOS, unridden condition which probably makes it one of the only minty specimens in the whole wide world. And thanks for the shoutout in the auction listing raidfc! It sold for $1,000 on 3 bids.

Here we have your classic Z-Flex Jay Adams fiberglass deck from 1976. This is the very rare multicolor model, and it is minty fresh, virgin and undrilled. It even has the Zephyr logo and type on it, but I don’t know if that is legit or if it was drawn on later. Or maybe this was old Zephyr stock that was later rebranded when Zephyr changed to Z-Flex. Either way it’s a piece of history. It sold for $1000.

So here’s a 1960s Union Surfer Willie Mayes “Say Hey” skateboard. It’s in decent used condition, and has horizontal graphics rather than the graphic that ran vertical, which is more commonly seen. This is one of the few skateboard decks that has cross-sport appeal: it’s equally as coveted by baseball collectors as it is by 60sskateboard collectors. It sold for $1,200.

So here we have a G&S Proline SC 500 team deck from 1980. The SC stands for Side Cut. I’m not sure what the 500 means! I think this was a pricepoint deck, and that it almost certainly originally came as a complete with ACS trucks and G&S wheels. At least until the old stock of ACS trucks ran out that was. I’ve always liked the way this deck looks, with the cutouts and rainbow graphics. They also had a Doug Saladino “Pine Design” deck that looked almost identical, except that it said Pine Design instead of Proline SC. It sold for $614 on 36 bids.

And here we have an absolutely stunning Santa Cruz slalom complete from 1977. This looks like it was discovered in a time capsule, I mean just look at it! It looks like it came out of a Skateboarder advert! I almost expect to see a dorky kid with long hair and huge padded rector gloves holding it! It ahs a graphite deck, pristine Gullwing HPG IV trucks and original OJ wheels. The whole thing is so ridiculously clean that it almost looks fake! It sold for $850 which feels about half of what it’s worth in my opinion.

Here we have a 1960s Champion Sidewalk Surfboard. As far as I can tell they made two models: a short board and a longboard. This is the longer model, measuring in at 44” long and 6.5” wide. It’s in good condition with the original steel wheels, and it sold for $900.

Classic 80s

So first up in the fabulous 80s section is this amazing G&S Neil Blender “Faces” complete from 1987. The black and white colorway is the best colorway for this graphic in my opinion, and it’s really complimented here by the black risers and the white Gullwings. The red conical wheels are actually a nice touch: black wheels might have been too much actually. This is a really eye-catching complete, and it sold for $525 on 43 bids.

Next up we have this Brand X “Ded Head” team model from 1984. The deck is NOS, never mounted or gripped. And it’s fabulous! The pearlescent blue dip is amazing, and the skull graphic and paint splotches are simple but instantly memorable. It’s a beautiful deck and it sold for $650.

Now here we have a Zorlac “Gargoyle” team model from 1986. The shape is crazy, and the Pushead graphic is an instant classic. Companies today would say make a shape like this? But in the 80s we were like, “why not”? Let’s make one totally different than everything else, stand out. The colorway is kind of bland, but nothing else is here. And it’s NOS. This sold for $1,100 on 12 bids.

Now here we have a Vision Mark Rogowski “Gator II: Shapes” model from 1988. The deck is NOS, never mounted or gripped. Vision pumped out so many Gator decks throughout the 80s, but the most amazing thing is nearly unlimited number of different colorways that they pumped out. This red and blue number is a real eye-catcher, and the lilac and yellow call-out is amazing. Vision might have had some crappy wood, but their screen-printing team really had some skills. It sold for $656 on 11 bids.

Now here we have a Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso ‘Acid Tongue” from 1989. This deck is minty fresh, still in shrink with warranty card etc. all intact. It’s a deck that’s skyrocketed in value the last few years, and finding an original still in shrink? Wow. The colorway is totally underwhelming: who thought it was a good idea to put a red and tan graphic on a purple stain? But still. It’s mint! It sold for $1,275 on 48 bids.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “Original Hawk” from 1982. His first board, his rookie card if you will. The seller says it’s “well used and thrashed” but it actually looks in good used condition to me. The graphic is untouched, and the plastics have done a fine job protecting the nose and tail. And the colorway is superb. The gold dip and blue hawk is absolutely mesmerizing. I absolutely LOVE the early Powell gold dips like this. This is awesome. It sold for $1,425 on 22 bids.

Here we have a silver dipped Santa Cruz Christian Hosoi “Street Ramp” deck from 1986. It comes complete with very early, first generation Ventures and Slime Balls. It’s in really nice used condition, but the first things I’d do would be to remove all the garish yellow plastics because they truly take away the focus from the deck. This graphic is knows as the “Rocket Air” for some reason, even though he’s not doing a rocket air. Curious. It sold for $750.

Up next we have this Sims Lester Kasai “Splat” deck from 1983. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted, and comes in pristine white dip with fluorescent green and blue graphic. This thing is simply awesome; if you were I the market for one of these you couldn’t really do much better. It sold for $960 on 21 bids.

Here we have your classic Madrid John Lucero “Jester” from 1985. This one is obviously used, but not terribly abused. As classic as the Madrid and Vision stickers on the tail are, they do need to come off because they are totally ruining the impact of the graphic. This one is the less commonly seen blue dip: the lime green was the classic and more commonly seen colorway for this one. John wanted bright pink but I guess Madrid couldn’t get that dip right. It sold for $569.

Here we have the Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Crest” deck from 1988. The deck is mint but not in shrink. The black dip is nice and the red white and gold looks regal, but I just could never find myself ever caring for this deck very much. I don’t know whether it’s the graphic or the shape or both. I’ve just never cared for it. It sold for $600 on 21 bids.

Now here we have a Powell Peralta Rodney Mullen “Mutt” from 1981 that went for $999. It comes complete with Tracker freestyle trucks and Road Rider 4s. The deck is that killer gold dips like the Hawk a few auctions up. It’s in really good condition, but with those chunky trucks and huge wheels it looks more like a heavy straight-line mountain board and less like a tool for flippy freestyle wizardry.

Now here we have a SMA (NHS) Natas Kaupas “Panther 5”, with graphic by Jim Phillips. It’s in an ugly grey stain with bright pink Gullwings and G&S wheels. So the colorway isn’t great, but it’s hard to tell because it’s absolutely covered in stickers. This sold for $560, but I would guess the seller could have gotten at least $200 more if they would have removed the stickers so you could actually see the graphic. It looks to be in really nice condition, and an almost NOS Natas 5 should go for close to a thousand easily. Theirs is no nose damage and no discernible scratches to the main graphic. It looks barely used to me.

Ooooh. Here we have a NOS Walker Mark Lake “Nightmare” from 1986! NOS, never mounted or gripped. You are kidding me right?! The seller says proudly, “not a reissue!” Like anybody could possibly reissue this! The shape is classic 1986, totally over the top. And the graphic is hideous/amazing. It’s truly a classic of its kind! It sold for $800.

I wrote this description for a BBC Jeff Phillips deck in my last column, but I’m using it again because the words are still true, even though I was describing a different model. New model substituted in place…
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 “Cosmic Graffiti” from 1988. 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. Seriously, who thought this was a good idea? Shudder. This sold for $819.

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. This one is a factory second because the black screen was crooked, but it doesn’t really matter because the graphic is full bleed and is total busy. 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 $910 on 54 bids. Nice colorway.

And here we have two amazing versions of the most classic Jeff Phillips graphic. These are both the Sims Jeff Phillips “Bust Out II” decks from 1985. And the best thing is that both are NOS/mint. The first one is the absolutely classic neon orange colorway, with fluorescent green and light blue accents. It absolutely screams for your attention, and is absolutely stunning! How could you pass this up in the skateshop 30 years ago? It sold for $1,675 on 22 bids.

The second one is more restrained but still absolutely brilliant. It’s the black dip with florescent green and yellow accents. This one was never set up but was gripped. And it sold for $1,700. Damn, this was a great month if you were a Jeff Phillips collector.

Now here we have a Santa Cruz Gregor Rankine “Monster” from 1989. The deck is near mint, never gripped or mounted. The colorway is pretty fugly, but this deck is super rare, so that probably doesn’t matter. It’s one of those lesser-known decks that have become a total grail for certain people. This sold for $675.

Here we have the classic Uncle Wiggley “Argyle” team deck from 1985. Earlier versions exist with a different font for the company name, but this is the most famous. As with all UW decks it was a heavy epoxy/glass construction, which made it almost indestructible but also super heavy. There’s no concave to speak of and it’s enormous. What’s that old joke? “She’s a carpenter’s dream, flat as a board and easy to nail”? That would also apply here. The epoxy/glass construction made it very likely to split, hence the two rivets in the nose that were factory issued. It’s very fondly remembered, so much so that it sold for $821 on 12 bids.

And finally this month we have this Zorlac “Texas Competition” deck from 1982. It’s in good used condition. MoFo did the graphic, originally for “Wild Ryderz of Boards” in Thrasher. This deck actually belonged to MoFo and is the very one pictured in AOS. For a Zorlac collector this would be a once in a lifetime grail. It sold for $1,475 on 12 bids.

90s-present day

First up in the 90s section this month we have this set of 3 Acme Extreme Studios team decks from approx. 1994. They are all NOS, never mounted or gripped. The top one is signed but I have no idea who by. They sold for $810.

Here we have a Plan B Mike Carroll “Never Trend” deck from 1992. It’s clearly a spoof on the Nevermind album by Nirvana from late 1991. The deck has been set up but is in great condition. It sold for $680.

Here we have a World Industries Ron Chatman ‘Masks” deck from 1991. The deck is NOS, never mounted or gripped. This sold for $860 on 26 bids.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Frankie Hill “Clint Eastwood” deck from 1990. It’s in very good used condition and it sold for $600 on 37 bids.

Now here’s a real beauty! It’s a Later model Zorlac Craig Johnson “Superhero” deck from 1991. These later period (San Diego era) Zorlac decks have exploded recently. I think it’s a combination of the classic 80s skaters combined with super clean shapes and exciting vibrant graphics. Compare this to the crap that BBC was putting out at the same time! This Craig Johnson is no exception. It’s NOS, never mounted or gripped and it sold for $1,400 on 46 bids.

Now here we have a Blind Guy Mariano “Tragic gun death” slick from 1992. I don’t think that this was ever setup or gripped but I’m not sure Slicks often look a little faded and washed out. This sold for $666 on 17 bids.

Now here we have a 101 Natas Kaupas “Three Eyed Cat” deck from 1995. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted. This graphic has exploded in value over the last few years. The shape is totally mid 90s being super skinny, but the graphic is a throwback to his old panthers ones. Plus it’s super fun and it’s Natas! This sold for $1,500 on 22 bids.

Here we have a Blind Henry Sanchez “Lost in the Woods” deck from 1992/1993. The deck is mint not in shrink. I like the colorway and the graphic: very Halloween. It sold for $834.

And finally from the 90s this period we have this SMA Julien Stranger “Low Rider” deck from 1991. It’s been very gently used, although there is little evidence that it ever had griptape on it! Nice, simple looking deck from a time period when most decks were horrific in one way or another. And this seems like kind of a cheap price for this one, no? It sold for $710 on 39 bids.

Assorted Crap

Here we have the setup that Stevie Cab rode whne he was dressed in the wookie suit for that Vans/Star Wars commercial. If you never saw it you should; it’s a classic. I guess Steve plays “Lumpy” who is Chewbacca’s son. It must have been damned hot in that suit! No graphics because Lucas Films wouldn’t allow it. The setup went for $1,300 on 47 bids!

And here we have one of the original “Have You Seen Him” posters that were produced for and featured in the 1986 Powell Peralta video “The Search for Animal Chin”. Apparently only 4 of these custom framed beauties were ever made. And this is one of them. It sold for $1,225 on 36 bids. That seems like an awful lot considering that you could make a similar one for about $25 if you have a color printer…

And here we have an incredibly rare set of Gullwing Super Pro III trucks from 1991. Rare because they have a pure magnesium hanger, titanium axles, stainless steel locknuts and kingpins, and carbon fiber baseplates. They are claimed to be the lightest and highest quality trucks ever produced. They shipped in a presentation box, and although they are numbered out of 500, only about 40 sets were ever made. This is set #1. It sold for $1,500.

If you ever needed evidence that skateboard collectors are crazy, look no further than this auction. It’s for a vintage Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “snake” t-shirt. It’s in nice condition for a shirt that’s 25 years old, and it’s a size XL which is nice. But surely this is never going to be worn? Why not you ask? Because the shirt went for $800 on 25 bids! $800.

Now here we have some shirts that have some historical significance! They are G&S Fiberflex team rider shirts from the late 70s. Two short sleeve polo shirts and one long sleeve. Two are that thick terry cloth material, one is mesh, and all have a collar, which is a nice touch. After all, you want to look presentable with your bushy hair, headband and tiny Mad Rats shorts! These sold along with an old G7S complete for $788 on 5 bids. I can almost smell the sweat…

And if you thought that Jeff Kendall shirt was insane have I got an auction for you! Here we have a pair of Madrid Vans, size 13. Brand-new in the box. You remember these don’t you? In 1988 Madrid got together with Vans and made a small run of shoes in about 1988 using the Fly as the graphic, probably because of their flypaper griptape. This was the first run of the show with small flies: they did a second version later with much bigger flies. So how much for a pair of original, made in the USA Vans from 1988? Well my friend, how about a cool $2,200 on 20 bids? Yes that’s right. SO I suggest you truck right down to your local surf/bike shop and ask if they have any old stock in the back of the shop.

Quick Hitters

1984 Powell Peralta “General Issue” team deck. NOS. $920.

1987 Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso “Demon”. Decent used condition. $839.

1986 Zorlac Craig Johnson “Fire Demon”. Never set-up condition. $614.

1982 Sims Christian Hosoi “Rising Sun” complete with Trackers and Powell Peralta IIIs. $750.

1987 Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Future Primitive”. NOS. $1,300.

1988 Skull Skates Red Hot Chili Peppers band deck. NOS. $797 on 7 bids.

1987 Plan 9 Samhain band deck”. NOS. $850.

1989 Kevin Staab “Genie”. NOS. $1,000.

1988 Powell Peralta Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” Street II Spoon Nose. NOS. $1,155 on 29 bids.

See ya next time.

-Neil