Main I’ve been remiss with this one because it happened before Christmas!
Big news! We have a new champion! The $6,000 Hawk is no longer the high price champ! On December 18 2007 a Caster Chris Strople was won at auction for $6,099. It’s a flat deck with 2 layers of fiberglass between the plies. It’s been set up and ridden, and has a Woody space plate on the tail.
What’s more amazing to me is that it’s not mint or really even close. It’s in good condition sure, but has some dings and some rub marks on the wheel-wells. Plus, the nose guard and tail guard really detract in my humble opinion. And the graphic? Well, there really isn’t one, so it won’t look like much hanging on the wall. But of course, it’s not as if these show up every day, so those are probably minor quibbles. It was probably a grail that they buyer’s been searching for for years, so congratulations! And the seller? It probably went higher than his wildest dreams. So well done to both of you!
And before I get any emails, I know that decks have probably fetched more than this in private transactions, but this is an ebay column, so that’s my focus.
Behold, the new high priced champ of ebay!
15 comments
Pan's Dog
Still have my Strople Pro Model. Back in late ’77 early ’78, 11 year old me asked the dudes at Sidewalk Surfer, Scottsdale, AZ, what deck they would recommend. Caster Chris Strople Pro Model was the answer. For some reason they didn’t have any in stock. However, I found one in a decks-only pop-up store in Los Arcos Mall (razed/demolished in 2000). I did go back to SS and get the trucks and wheels – Lazer trucks and Gyro hub wheels. Love that board. I imagine the odds are pretty good that Charlie Watson at Watson Laminates had his hands on my deck. There’s a joke in there somewhere. At this point, it should really be in a museum somewhere.
Thomas Lasky
I had one of these back in 82 or 83. I told myself that I deserved a pro model after being a slave to my Hang Ten fiberglass board for several years. So I drove up to Tom Thumb Hobbies just north of Chicago and fell in love with this exact board except in white. I wasn’t leaving until it was complete, so I had the store owner put Tracker Extracks with copers and green Powell Threes on it. That board was scary fast and silent!! I truly loved that skateboard! And I was the “shit” of my neighborhood! Memories like that make “60” more tolerable….. lol. PS. I now have my Hang Ten Board and a few other goodies from my skateboarding past. Sadly, no Chris Strople Caster Deck. The upside to being “60” is that I have blow money to buy back as many memories as possible.
WTG
let’s face facts–the strople/inouye decks were GAME CHANGERS.
if you were marginal,ok OR STANDIN’ ON THE EDGE OF GETTIN’ IT ON—- they could GET YOU THERE.
that’s why.
Graphics be DAMNED.
Winston T. Grant
Yeah–that’s right–I SAID IT.
WHAT?
Hosoi used a Caster to stomp Hawk’s ASS in the CASL DECADES ago–Look it UP.
We could do FAR worse than bring them BACK-look around you at the stupid popsicle-stick ‘revolution’–whatta JOKE-we have computers now–and the manus are selling dogshit and calling it GOLD.
WRONG.
Flynnnaryd
Thank you for the post.. did you see the minty Grisham with variflex core wheels in Ebay in April. I was lucky to get it. but I never realized how awesome those boards were wow
houseofneil
yes, get on that, immediately.
It’s coming. About 2/3 of the way done, but now we have decent weather I skate on the weekends instead of sitting in front of a laptop doing the watch. I hope to get it finished by this weekend.
Flynnnaryd
Great site!! jonesing for another update!!! Do I need to send you a clash tape and a pint of Canadian Cider!!
Chris Strople
Thanks for the post up on the board. Us dinosaurs still get some props. I guess this board proves all the graphic stuff is overrated. Sometimes you stand out by not standing out at all. I let my skating do all the talking back then and the boards were of unheard of quality. Most major manufacturers were going to mass produced crap back then and we stuck to our guns and made what we considered the highest quality boards. Caster’s surfboard background dictated no less. As us old guys know quality is still the driving factor in all of our skate equipment. The youth have been brainwashed to skate crap and they do. We know better but don’t tell them…..Great site, enjoy it daily, hope to be in the NW this summer for some the best skating on the planet….
Pan's Dog
Chris – did you ever visit Watson Laminates to see where your decks were being made? Any good stories about Charlie Watson or Bill Caster?
Thomas Lasky
Chris, I made a post to this strand, and now would like to ask you for a favor. Do you sign decks for people? I hate to ask, but it would mean a great deal to me. I am a retired teacher. After 36 years of teaching you learn that asking is the only way to know anything. I had your signature Caster deck 40 years ago. It would be for me personally and not for resale. I live in Northwest Indiana which would make getting to Cali difficult. I would pay all expenses for shipping etc. Thank you for your time.
GorgeGoat
Strople puts to “ope” in dope! Awesome Chris. Yer hot again……LOL!
Glenn
I had one of those until a year or so ago. It had been my rider when I stopped skating in 1980. Mine was in far worse condition but that did mean you could see the fibreglass construction on the nose and tail where it was worn. It was definately the nicest feeling non-concave board I ever rode, lovely shape too, sort of half way between the super-functional wide tailed DTS style boards and something more surf board inspired. The thing was also slightly thinner than a standard wood deck with just a little springy flex. Really wish i’d kept it but I sold off almost all of my old stuff on ebay a few years back. I got almost nothing for it but it did have an inch off the nose and tail and a ‘custom’ fish scale paint job done by 15 year old me. I miss it more than any of my other old skate gear 🙁
Kilwag
Surely you don’t mean he invented those X-Games shoes…
Har.har. I met Chris last summer. Seemed like a decent guy.
meekster
Nice, Chris Strople the innovator of the all mighty “ally oop”!
LP
it’s like on the third indiana jones movie when they’re choosing the holy grail. the ones with all the diamonds and rubies were the wrong ones, and the plainest ugliest one was indeed the real deal.