eBay Watch: May 2010

Well I’m really excited about the selection this month. April was tough, but I really enjoyed mining for decks in May. There were tons of interesting decks, some that went for big $, and some that didn’t, but were interesting nonetheless. And lots of cool colorways too! This was actually one of my favorite columns to write, and a lot of it was written while I was waiting to be called up while at jury duty! At least I put the 3-hour wait to good use!

Just like last month there won’t be a full music review this month, because I saw some things in some auctions in May that really pissed me off, and I have to vent. But if I had have been doing a music review this month I would have featured the new Devo album “Something for Everybody”, which is most excellent in typical Devo fashion (and after 20 years too!), and the excellent album “On the Move” by Maine pop-punkers The Leftovers. Both have been on serious rotation on my car iPod while I drive to and from work this last few weeks.

Rant!

But I want to rant on auctions for these 2 decks. The top one is a Vision Gator reissue, and the bottom one is a Girl Eric Koston, which is still readily available pretty much everywhere. Read the listing for the Gator: “Rare 1980s Vision Mark Gator Rogowski with signature”. Nothing about it being a reissue in there, in fact it says “1980s”. Read on: “This board is a very rare signed Vision Mark “Gator” Rogowksi. The board is not one of the run of the mill re-issues as they do not have Gator’s signature,” Now, draw from this what you will, but in my opinion the seller doesn’t state anywhere that this deck is in fact a reissue. It sold for $365, so draw your own conclusion I guess, but I’m betting that the person that dropped $365 on this thought that they were getting a real Vision Gator and not a reissue.

Now let’s move on to the second deck. It’s a Girl Eric Koston “Powerslide”, and it’s a new deck but on a retro shape. They are readily available: here’s one at warehouse skateboards for $49:Now, the seller doesn’t state anywhere that it is an 80s deck, but he does say “retro”. And he sure enough doesn’t state anywhere that it’s a 2010 deck. And if he’s not trying to con anybody, why was the Buy It Now price $600? That would only be common for a desirable 80s deck. And sure enough, somebody pulled the trigger, paid $600 and got royally ripped off. Look, I know some of you might think ‘Buyer beware”, but the Gator auction was just a pure scam, making a deck look like the real thing when it wasn’t. And the Koston? Well that’s just bizarre. Please please please, try to be more honest in your listings. If it’s a reissue, state that clearly, otherwise you’re just covering shit up and trying to rip somebody off.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

Ok, enough of that, down to business and some REAL auctions. First up this month is this Super Surfer “Big Banana” complete. As you can see, it’s a vintage polyprop with urethane wheels and open bearings. It’s nothing too special, right? You see a bunch of these all the time in thrift stores. Well there must have been something special about this one because it sold for $455 on 37 bids. Either it’s a really rare early model from a company that became huge, or it was somebody’s first board and they couldn’t miss out on it. Whatever it is, that’s inane. Can anybody shed any light on this one?

Now this one is a real beauty, and talk about clean! It’s a Dogtown Bob Biniak complete from 1978 with 1st generation Tracker Sixtracks and Gyro double conicals. It also has Z-rails (note how short they are) and two Power Pivots. This is the “glass bottom” version of this deck, and the white paint is simply awesome. The whole package is great, down to the alternate colored wheels and the red rails. Really, it’s a state of the art skateboard from 1978. Freaking glorious. It sold for $850.

Now here’s one you don’t see every day! Boulder Boards made decks for all of the big companies (Dogtown and Kryptonics to name just two) in the 1970s, but here’s one of their own models. It’s in great condition overall, and has Trackers and green Kryptonics. If there was any doubt, see the original stickers on there! The only interloper is a Town and Country sticker; otherwise it’s all Kryptonics and Tracker. It has no major damage and would be a great addition for the 70s collector who has everything. It sold for $256 with 12 bids.

Here we have a Sims Bert Lamar concave deck from 1980. The deck is actually a silver dip, although it looks white in the pictures. Apparently the original owner did some touch ups to the silver dip to cover up some scratches, but the auction says that it’s “90% original” so there you go. It does look super clean, but the yellow tailskid is an eyesore and should have been removed prior to the auction. It’s big and hideous and detracts from the graphic totally. It sold for $350.

Here’s a Dogtown Shogo Kubo Airbeam complete from 1979. Now, the picture of the top of the deck looks super clean, but the deck is pretty beaten up. The tail is all chewed up, and there are plenty of scratches and gouges. However, it’s the top of the deck that will be displayed, and that is really nice, so there you go. It comes complete with 2nd generation Indys and Powell Peralta cubics wheels. It sold for $612.

OK, this will give all vintage Sims collectors total wood! It’s a Sims Gregg Ayres “Flying Wedge”, complete with Trackers and Sims Snake wheels (or tires as the seller says). Actually this auction kind of sucks, because the seller says the board belonged to her ex-boyfriend and he left it in her garage, and she’s selling it! She also says that it was his favorite skateboard. Man, ain’t love a bitch! Anyway, this was Ayres only pro model I believe, and is really hard to find. It’s been literally years since one went off I believe, It’s in great shape; some scraping on the tail, but that’s about it really. So one collector probably scored his grail, while another got ripped off by his ex-girlfriend. I hope she enjoyed the $950 that she scored.

Mid 1980s

So let’s start off the 80s section this month with this G&S Neil Blender “Driving” complete from 1988. The deck has the classic G&S two color fade, going from green to yellow horizontally across the deck. It comes complete with yellow Gullwings and yellow Powell Peralta Rat Bones wheels. It is in decent use condition: no major cracks or gouges, just regular scratches, scrapes and tail wear. Remove that hideous G&S Skate Rat Pool Party sticker from the middle of the deck and you’ve got a great looking complete here for a very $203.

Now here’s a freaking classic. The more I see early Brand X decks the more I appreciate them! They are like a fine wine. This is the Vertical Hold team deck from 1983. It’s flat and snub nosed; a classic pig. The graphics couldn’t be simpler, and yet they are super effective and really eye catching. I love this complete. The fact that the owner decided to go with the simple color scheme, and use yellow wheels and risers and black nose, rails and tail really add to the package too. This is simply stunning, and I heart this complete. By the way, the trucks are Indys and the wheels are City Streets, which excites some collectors by itself! It went for $232.

And here’s another deck that I love. There sure were a lot this month! It’s a G&S Steve Claar “Rabbit” deck from 1989, graphics by Neil Blender. One went off last month as well, but this one is in the very rare stipple paint colorway. There are storage marks etc, but it has never been set-up. I liked this one so much that I threw some bids at it because it was very reasonable for a long time, but it jumped at the end. It sold for $280.

Up next is this Madrid Bill Danforth “Misfits” complete from 1985. The deck is in really great shape, and truly looks “gently used” as the seller states. It comes complete with Underground trucks and Madrid Fly wheels. I think Underground were Madrid’s own brand of trucks that they put on budget completes, probably with last years decks. The original owner must have done his best: the tail and rib bones both match the deck colors, but the yellow wheels and risers don’t match at all and were probably stock. Overall it’s a really nice condition, used but reasonable Madrid Danforth. It sold for $261.

I think that we’ve seen this one before? Anybody? It’s a Rip City Black Flag “Loose Nut” deck from 1985. It’s in used condition as you can see, but that doesn’t bother me. What is annoying as hell is the stupid collection of stickers on here. Now, either the original buyer was a grom who wanted to show everybody he was hardcore by buying a Black Flag deck, or it was on sale at Rip City and he bought it because it was cheap. But I can tell you this, any attempt at being cool at school on Monday would have immediately have disappeared when they saw the stupid collection of face and yin yang stickers around the main graphic, the Bones Brigade tour sticker and the idiot “No Fat Chicks” sticker up top. All it’s missing is the No Preppies sticker and this would be the epitome of 80s wannabe. I’m sure he continued to have his head dunked in the toilet despite owning this board. Anyway, Rip City Black Flag decks are super hot, so despite the idiocy this still sold for $954.

I seem obsessed with Vision Gator completes don’t I? I seem to feature one every month, but I can’t help it. They look so damned good: really iconic. This is a first generation Gator wit front and rear wheel wells, and it is in really good shape. There is hardly a scratch on the deck, and the wheels and trucks appear to be almost flawless too. The trucks are Trackers (with huge copers) and the wheels are Sims 63’s in black and green. They all look black in the picture, but two wheels are black and two are green. It even has a lapper, but it’s not snapped so you know the original owner never rode it on the street. All in all it’s a great looking example of an early Gator, and it sold for $480.

I don’t seem to feature the Santa Cruz Tom Knox “ghoul” from 1989 very often, so here you go. This one is on a very nice deep red stain, and appears to be definitely NOS and almost mint. The yellow in the face and flames pops really nicely off of the red background, giving it more depth than the grey paint or natural that you normally see. $360.

It’s funny, I used to get really excited when I would find an Iron Cross deck, especially a Godoy one, but now I’m kind of blaah about them. Yes, Iron Cross decks are super rare and tough to find in any condition, so finding a NOS Steve Godoy “Phoenix” should be cause for celebration, but let’s face it, the graphic is naff. So naff that it’s tough to tell exactly what the thing is supposed to be. I’m squinting and I kind of get it, but still. Also, the colorway is very feminine. Pale blue and yellow doesn’t work here at all. Yes it’s in great condition, but so what? It’s crappy looking. Sorry guys. It sold for $204.

Here we have a G&S Nicky Guerrero ‘Cyclops” from 1987. Nicky Guerrero is one of those European pros, so his decks normally go for far less than they probably should. The graphic here is kind of crappy, a trippy Cyclops skull, but in typical G7S fashion the colorway is a winner here. It is a vertical fade going from green to orange at the nose. It’s very unusual, and enough to turn a common deck into a winner, at least in my eyes. It’s minty fresh, and it sold for $180.

So sticking with the Guerrero name, here’s a deck from the better-known Guerrero, Tommy (no relation). This is the Powell Peralta Tommy Guerrero “Iron Gate”, and it’s in a super desirable red dip. This is a deck that used to take a backseat to its more famous older brother, the Guerrero “flaming dagger”, but no more. The Iron Gate has exploded in value in the last couple of years, often outpacing it’s better known sibling. This fine model is no exception, fetching a large $822. I can understand why though. Just look at the large sized picture. The screen work is intricate and stunning here. It’s an excellent looking deck, especially in this colorway.

Now here’s an absolute classic, but one that I haven’t featured in ages. It’s the Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “Screaming skull”, but on the earlier pig shape, not the more common bottle nosed shape. It’s not NOS, as it ahs clearly been gripped and setup, but it is in fine shape. The thick red dip is still shiny, and the purple and white bounce off it nicely. It’s simple and classic, much like the Gator above, and would look great on anybody’s wall. It sold for $766, so that gives you some idea of the going price for a good condition used Tony Hawk pig.

This graphic doesn’t do that much for me, but the colorway was so bright that I just had to show it. It’s a Santa Cruz Christian Hosoi “Rocket Air(?)”, complete with Indys and Vision Blurr wheels. It’s been ridden some, but the deck is still in really good condition considering. It is in a super bright yellow, and the neon pinks and greens in the graphic really scream “look at me!” Couple that with the pink and green tail and rails and you have a screaming hunk of 80s, just like the man himself. It sold for $250.

Here we have a Schmitt Stix Bryce Kanights “Gargoyle” from 1989. The typical Schmitt Stix quality is evident here, in everything from the shape to the meticulous screening job. The deck is mint, and is in a very unusual brown and orange colorway that I’ve never seen before. It’s muted, but it really works well here, giving the deck a more sophisticated look somehow. It’s certainly different to the bright greens and blues that I normally see this deck in. It sold for $190, which seems like a real bargain to me.

Yes I’ve featured a lot of Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall decks recently, and I hadn’t planned to show another snake for a while, but this complete was so excellent that I couldn’t pass it up. For once I’m at a loss as to what I’d do with this complete. Would I strip it and hang just the deck, or would I keep it as is in all of its purple and yellow glory? The colorway of the deck itself is excellent; the purple dip really works with the blues, oranges and different shades in the snake itself. But then the original owner had the bright idea to add a touch of color to the proceedings, adding bright yellow Trackers and yellow tail, nose and rails. The yellow really frames the deck well, but I don’t like how the rails cut into the graphic, so on reflection I probably would at least lose all the plastic. What would you do? It sold for $500.

So yes, I’m featuring some classic Powell Peralta graphics this month that I haven’t shown for ages. Here’s a Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Future primitive” in a very handsome blue/purple stain with white shadows and red and black cave figures. It’s one of the best colorways that I’ve ever seen for this deck, and would look awesome in any collection, immediately becoming one of the centerpieces. It’s lightly used with holes and griptape residue, but it looks great overall, and I was surprised when it only sold for $454. I guess some folks only like the more conventional one color backgrounds and don’t dig this shadowy, stippled effect. Me, I’m a sucker for any interesting colored background.

And sticking with your Powell Peralta classics, here’s a Mike McGill “Skull and Snake” pig from 1984. It has the classic early Powell block wheel wells, and is in the same awesome thick red dip as the Tony Hawk pig above. And yes, they did come from the same seller, so he must have had quite the early Powell collection. It’s in awesome condition: the graphics are bright and clear and the dip looks like it was made yesterday. The deck sold for $627.

Here’s a wonderful example of a late 80s Zorlac deck. It’s a Zorlac Donny Myhre “Florida Gator” from 1988, with classic Zorlac graphics by Pushead, and an awesome funky Zorlac shape with bumps, cutaways etc. It’s on a very handsome deep green stain, and is mint. These later model (Stanton, Mertz, Abrook etc) Zorlacs are becoming very collectible, and this one ended at a very respectable $350.

Now here’s one that you don’t see everyday. It’s a Lake Skateboards Jimmy O’Brien “Gone Fishing” deck from 1989. You don’t see mint Lake decks much at all, so this is a real rarity. The grey stain colorway is sweet too, and although the graphic isn’t the best, it is at least something personal to Jimmy, assuming of course that he really does like fishing and it wasn’t simply the creation of some artist! It sold for $110, and I think that some collector got a really nice, unusual deck here!

Now here’s a true rarity. It’s an Alva Eddie Reategui “Warriors” from 1986, in a truly exceptional colorway. First up, finding this deck in NOS condition is unusual in itself, but just look at the colors of this deck. Start with the lustrous dark green stain, and then add the cream to red to cream fade in the main graphic itself and you have a real winner here. It truly is one of a kind, a most wonderful example of mid 80s Alva artwork. It sold for $670, and I think the buyer can count himself lucky to have a real piece of artwork like this on his wall.

And talking of the Alva Eddie Reategui deck, here’s a later example of a Reategui graphic, this one being the “Caged Monkey”. The graphic itself is childish and kind of stupid, but again the background colorway here is the star. It’s a horizontal green to red fade that looks like it has been airbrushed. It makes a very pedestrian deck into something special, and without that I probably would have bypassed this deck completely. Alva and G&S were the leaders in producing odd stains, fades and stipples. Stuff like that was what made the mid-80s era decks special. It sold for $135

And yes, we have yet another classic Powell Peralta deck from that same seller, and again in a predominantly red colorway. This of course is the ripper, and it’s an early pig version with wheel wells. I’ve never been a super big fan of this graphic, but this one looks nice. The pale blue accents and eyes of the ripper are a nice accent, and overall the deck feels really well balanced color wise. It’s yet another solid deck from this seller, and it went for $594.

This Sims “New Wave” team deck is from 1983, and is so ridiculous that I had to show it. First and foremost, the screen job here is ridiculous. It has lots of overlapping colors, along with lots of shadows, and varied colors even inside the main areas of color. Now, Bernie Tostenson worked at Sims before he left to form Brand X, and I have to believe that this was one of his, because the way that the colors overlap really reminds me of the Brand X Weirdo. Now it isn’t anywhere near as complex as the Weirdo, but it has a similar feel where the colors overlap. Maybe I’m crazy, but I don’t think so. Anyway, it’s a screaming piece of NOS 1983 goodness, and it sold for $266. And I bet that the colors look much more vivid in person.

Now here’s another “classic” Powell Peralta deck, all set up and looking fabulous. It’s a Skull and Sword in white dip, and comes complete with black Gullwing Mach V ultralite trucks and Powell Peralta T-Bones. It’s been setup, probably as a shop complete, because there is no grip on top, and it clearly ahs never seen the light of day. The trucks are unmarked and the wheels still look as clean as the day they rolled off of the line. The black trucks and bright yellow wheels really add something to the overall presentation here, and the buyer got an excellent looking complete for This one sold for $757, and I can’t stress how clean it is. Just look at it!

And talking of clean, you don’t often see the Dogtown Stonefish in any condition, let alone NOS like this one. And in a white dip too! There are some storage marks, but overall this is easily an 8/10, which for a deck this rare is amazing. It even has the front and rear wheel wells. It sold for $969.

Man I love this deck, and I can’t really explain my affection for it. The graphic is a crude stencil of a teapot repeated 3 times, but for some reason it really speaks to me. First things first, it’s a Skull Skates Justin Lovely (Tod Swank) model from 1988. This particular deck was sent to Poweredge Magazine where it was reviewed in their May 1988 issue, and the seller got it from the editor of Poweredge. It’s been used but not abused, and actually the wear adds to the “amateur” graphics on this model, making it look homemade. Supposedly only 500 were ever made, so good luck finding another in better condition! It sold for $300.

And here’s another “Oh Hell YES!!!” It’s a Town and Country “Primal Urges” team deck from 1986. The graphic features a caveman doing a frontside ollie on a rock halfpipe while dinosaurs look on. The graphic is very bright, featuring yellows, oranges and pinks on an attractive green stain. It all sounds unbelievably childish and like something Nash would put out, but the graphic is beautifully rendered, and the whole thing just works for some reason. It doesn’t look cheesy; it looks kitschy. I especially like the way that his arm and head are breaking out of the main graphic and into the green space. The different colored blue, pink and red plastics match colors in the deck, and actually add something here I think. It sold for $537 on 21 bids, so I can’t be alone in my feelings!

And finally from the 80s this month we have this outstanding lime green Tracker Dan Wilkes “Dinosaurs” deck, which is complete with grey Trackers and yellow rat Bones wheels. The deck has been drilled for rails, and has scratching and wear, but is an absolutely fantastic colorway for this deck; the best I have ever seen. It comes with 3 stickers attached: a Santa Cruz screaming hand, a Transworld Aggro Zone, and a Dogtown Aaron Murray. The graphics are all there, and the main orange and yellow dinosaur really works o n that lime green dip. The whole setup is freaking fabulous, and it sold for a measly $181. It could have made the Bargains section, but I have another Tracker Wilkes in there already, and that was even more of a bargain, so there you go.

90s-present day

It seems like I haven’t seen a NOS World Industries Mike Vallely “Barnyard” for ages, and the price reflects that. It’s got some storage marks, but has never been gripped or setup, and I must say that it looks rather splendid. The colors certainly are bright and clear. Also I don’t think I’d ever noticed how large the top graphic is either; it’s almost like getting a complete double graphic on a deck! It sold for $1,900 on 32 bids from 15 different bidders.

OK, so we are short of 90s decks this month, so here’s a deck that normally would have gone into the 80s section, but it did come out in 1990, so technically it fits here. It’s a Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall Jagermeister, and it’s basically mint, not in shrink. It ahs a couple of storage marks but nothing major. The orange woodstain is wonderful, giving this deck a lustrous and appealing look. I love this graphic for some reason; it just fits beautifully on a skateboard deck. It’s simple and yet striking all at the same time. It even has the original cellblock riser pad that shipped with the deck originally. It sold for $799.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Bucky Lasek “Youth Gone Bad” deck from 1991. It’s mint in shrink, and in an excellent natural finish, which really adds to the graphic here. You want this graphic to stand out, not get lost in the background. In the smaller picture the bird appears to be lighting a fart, and indeed the top graphic shows the bird with flames shooting out of his ass. It’s a rare one, and sold for $1,203 on 16 bids from 12 different bidders.

So here’s a Blind Jason Lee “Dodo” Tony Hawk spoof from 1991. This one has been set up etc, but the owner has made every effort to clean it up. The trucks and rails have been removed, and he has even removed the grip tape. The deck itself appears to be in fine physical condition, but has been out in the sun. It was clearly a blue-green stain in the beginning, but has oxidized to a dark green-brown. The parts of the deck that were covered by plastic reveal the original colorway. The color shift is so extreme that this one might have been best-left setup so you don’t see the garish color variance. The rarity and the condition of the graphic saw it sell for $810.

Assorted Crap

So I featured this Zorlac Metallica “Pirate’s Ghost” neverslick for the first time last month, so what do you know, another one comes up this month! This one has been signed on the tail by Kirk Hammett, along with the charming phrase “Hey Blow Me!” The seller was Jeff Newton, the owner of Zorlac, so you know it’s 100% legit, and apparently it was signed at his loft following the filming of the “Cunning Stunts” DVD in 1997. It sold for a large $1,500, but probably got a lot of bids from Metallica fans, not just skate collectors.

In the early 80s Variflex was a real company with probably the best collection of emerging vert pros in the industry. Lance Mountain? Variflex. John Lucero? Variflex. By the mid 80s however Variflex literally sold out and became one of the punch lines of the skate industry, producing crap product for the toy stores of the world, and almost rivaled Nash in pumping out shit. Anyway, at some point Coca Cola must have decided they wanted a promotional skateboard and who better than Variflex to produce it? So here we have Variflex Coke skateboard, complete with Variflex trucks, Street Rage wheels and copers, lappers and rails etc. A lot of you must love coke, because it sold for $103.

So in these days of austerity some of you must still have more bloody money than sense. Yes it’s an original Powell Peralta Allan “Ollie” Gelfand sticker from 1982, and yes it’s rare. But it’s a sticker, just a sticker. Easily lost, ruined or overlooked. To pay $500 for this is pure insanity. Some would think spending $500 on a deck is crazy, and they might be right, but on a sticker???

Here’s a set of first generation Kryptonics Star-Trac wheels with the raised printing. They’ve never been mounted, and are in a stunning translucent yellow as well! If you were looking for some mint Kryptonics to mount on that mint old Logan Earth Ski, these would be perfect. $406.

Ok, sorry Randy, I didn’t mean to wipe this one in your face! I know you bid on it and got sniped but I had to show it! It’s a Ben Lexcen Skatewing from sometime in the fabulous mid 80s. Just look at the state of this thing! The top of the wings have grab handles, and I guess as you carve it over, the caster wheels on the wings come into contact! That thing is fucking crazy, but might be a lot of fine to ride. Or you might never walk again. It’s a toss up I guess! Collectible for the wacky factor, there were 21 bids and it sold for $180. But where would you put this? You can’t hang it, and it would forever be getting in the way. You’d probably put stuff on it and forget you had it for years.

Vintage Vans are all over the place. Some go for insane prices, and yet some don’t even get any bids despite a low starting price. This is a pair of classic Van skate-hi’s from the mid 80s. They are size 12 and made in the USA, which is a nice touch. They are mint in box, with some storage marks on the box, and they sold for $316.

Normally I never show items that didn’t sell, but I just had to this insane collection of 10 Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp face decks from 1987. They are in almost every colorway that they made, and they are all NOS or lightly used. The red and black are blacktop editions and the red is signed. The set took literally years to put together, and it’s a real shame to see a collector being forced to sell a set like this. His BIN price was $8000, and although nobody pulled the trigger to purchase it, it still deserved to be seen by a wider audience. It’s truly a striking looking auction.

Bargains!

Starting off the Bargains section we have this Walker Skateboard Reggie Barnes “Egyptian mummy” street model. Reggie was one of those handful of skaters who had both a freestyle deck and a street deck. His freestyle deck also had an Egyptian motif, and both are hard to find, especially in NOS condition. This complete clearly isn’t NOS, but it’s not bad at all. The worst ting is that some knucklehead took green spray-paint to the tail! Apart from that it is solid. Some wear on the tail, some scratches etc. It has Bones wheels (in 2 different colors!) and Indys. It sold for $90, maybe because the seller listed the brand as Jimmy Z, not Walker.

So here’s a Blockhead Sam Cunningham complete. It is from the VERY early days of Blockhead, probably 1985. These early Blockhead decks were made by Uncle Wiggley, and they had the epoxy glass layer. The graphic was clip art and put together by Dave Bergthold, the owner of Blockhead. Ron Cameron didn’t come along until later, and he would radically change the art direction. It has Indys and Action Sports wheels, and a totally busted ass tailskid. It sold for $76.

So I never tire of seeing all of the different colorways on those crazy Vision Gator swirls! This is the second version of the shape and graphic from 1988, also called “Shapes etc”. I just love the colorway here. The yellow and blue background looks ace, and the black silver and red Gator box really stands out. The red rails and white trucks are great finishing touches too. The trucks are Trackers and the wheels are Vision Protons. All in all it’s a great looking complete with some minimal surface damage. It was certainly a bargain, only selling for $118.

Sticking with Vision we have this Vision Primo Desiderio street model from 1988! Vision put absolutely no effort into these graphics, as you can tell. It says Vision vertically down the deck with his name across it. They did a similar thing for the English freestyler Don Brown. The deck is in almost NOS condition, with a couple of scuffs but nothing else really. The trucks are Gullwing superlights and it has Powell wheels. Overall it’s in “lightly skated” condition, and sure was a bargain, coming in at $71.

So the completes just keep on coming, and just look at this one! It’s an Alva Skates Eddie Reategui “Warriors” from 1986 in an excellent baby-blue dip. But that’s not the best part. In typical Alva fashion, the graphic fades from yellow to orange to red, then back to orange and yellow again. The colorway really is fantastic, and it’s accented by the red and blue Tracker trucks and the blue, yellow and red Powell wheels. It even has the correct shaped tailbone for the diamond tail. This complete kicks complete ass, and it sold for only $128. Maybe because it was listed as an Reateui, so a search for Reategui wouldn’t find it.

So here’s another vintage complete that sold for less than it should have. While it’s not as nice as the Gator and Reategui above, it isn’t bad! It’s a G&S Billy Ruff “Clown Puppet” from 1987, and it comes complete with Tracker Ultralights and OJ IIs. The graphic is basically perfect: remove the badly placed rails and this would look awesome. The color is a lot more vibrant on the large pictures and the graphic really pops. It sold for $129.

The original Shut team decks from the late 80s/early 90s are all over the place in value. This is the Shut “Street Posse” deck, and I’ve seen it sell for well over $100 before, but this one only sold for $51. The colorway isn’t bad; I especially like the orange stain. It should have gone higher.

And finally this month we have this ridiculous Tracker Dan Wilkes “Dinosaurs” from 1987. There is a split in the bottom ply on the bottom of the deck, but very little wear apart from that, and it is ungripped, never mounted, no holes. It’s a rare deck to begin with, and this purple stain with blue and green dinosaurs is outstanding. Get ready to kick yourselves because it sold for a ridiculous $61! Nice work somebody out there!

-Neil