Well, March was good, but April was even better! I feature 49 items, of which 14 went for over $1,000. There were no $3000+ decks this month, but still, lots of good stuff changing hands. There was a lot of cash being thrown around. Maybe tax refunds being spent? And just wait until the stimulus checks hit!
This month’s Baywatch is fueled by Cheez-it Duos, and the soulful sounds of the first Dexys Midnight Runners album, “Searching for the Young Soul Rebels”. If all you know of Dexys is the fake celtic twaddle that was “Come on Eileen”, then you are missing out. Before they invented that threadbare persona, they were a shit-hot, 60s sounding combo, complete with full horn section. Check it out sometime, you won’t be disappointed.
Also, we may have some eBay Watch t-shirts coming down the pike soon, so if you are interested, watch this space. Actually, do more than that: give us some feedback and let us know if you’d buy one if we made one!
60s, 70s, early 80s.
First up we have this Sims Dave Andrecht complete from 1981. Personally I much preferred the earlier Sims style that had the routed out hand and the name down the middle. This “new wave” style of graphic is crappy, nothing like the earlier classic Sims style. Anyway, it’s complete with Indy IIs and Powell street cubics. It has all of the plastic of the era, which is probably what kept the graphic in such good shape. Now let’s investigate those stickers shall we? I see a Town and Country, a Rip City, a Vision, and prominently displayed we have the classic “No Bozos”. Classic stuff. $941.
And here we have a Dogtown Bob Biniak from 1978-79. It’s in great shape, and the blue dip is a really nice touch, and very unusual. As I always say, the stickers do detract from the graphic here, but at least they are in line with the rest of the package. Funnily, even though it is shown as a complete with Lazer trucks and Kryptos the auction is for the deck only. It’s a very nice example of classic Dogtown deck art. $1,494.
And here’s another painted Dogtown deck, this one being the Wes Humpston model, and in a solid white dip. On this one you mist see what I say about the stickers? They completely choke the life out of the graphic here. It looks to be in awesome, almost mint condition, but the damned stickers completely kill it, like weeds in a garden. Apparently the owner had both Tracker and Lazer trucks, and rode UFO wheels at the Val Surf skate park. And he liked drag racing. Anyway, it still fetched a very respectable $813, but without all the stickers it might have hit the thousand mark.
Man, we are seeing stickers on everything this month! Here we have a Caster Tom “Wally” Inouye model from 1979. Apparently it was his personal rider that was sold on years ago, but kept in great condition. The trucks are Trackers, and the wheels are Kryptos. There’s not much else to say really. It’s a real slice of history. $2,157.
And the hits just keep on coming! Here we have a Kryptonics K-Beam 11” pig deck from 1979. It’s in great condition, looking like it’s only been ridden a few times. The slick base barely has a scratch on it. Again, the auction is for the deck only, not the Indys or the Kryptos. Sound familiar? It’s from the same seller that sold the blue Biniak above. Those Indy stickers alone are probably worth $50. The deck went for $1,200
Only one sticker here, and it could probably use some more. Let’s call this one “generic skateboard #1”. Yes, it’s an early Santa Cruz complete, probably from 1978-79. It’s in superb condition; the wood looks as clean as if it had been made yesterday. Guys, in the wheel-well Olympics we might have a gold medal winner. Those wheel wells are big enough to eat cereal out of! And lordy lordy, it has Indy Stage I’s, and Kryptonics stage IIs. The trucks alone would probably sell for $200, so for this complete to go for $427 is a steal. This must have been one of the earliest uses of the classic Santa Cruz font too.
We seem to get one of these every month, and they seem to get cleaner and cleaner each time. It’s a Dogtown Shogo Kubo airbeam from 1978. The graphic on this one was on the top, covered by clear griptape. The grip has been removed on this one, which is why the graphic is so clean. Good idea, because that dirty clear griptape serves no purpose at this point. It is a complete, with Trackers and PP Bones wheels. The tail is worn and there is some delam, but on the whole it is a very nice example of this model. $899.
You all probably saw that I did an eBay special on the new high price champ, the Caster Chris Strople that went for $6,099. Well here’s a well used complete of that same board, and it held it’s value well too, going for $2,280. Of course it should, this was one of Chris Strople’s personal riders! The seller even included a photo of Chris riding this particular setup! Man, those Caster freaks have some cash! The yellow Trackers are a nice touch on this red deck. The wheels are original Gyros. BTW, it’s from the same guy that sold the Inouye above.
So Neil, how much are those Z-Flex Jay Adams deck going for these days? You know the early fiberglass ones? Well let me tell you. This one is mint, never been drilled, never been gripped. It’s even still in shrink, but that must have been added later: I don’t think they shrink wrapped decks in the mid 70s. So it’s as clean as they come. $948.
God I love Flyaway helmets. They scream style and individuality. Not like the parade of grey and black helmets we see today. This one is really nice, having the star highlights that were so big back then. This vintage one went for $330, but if you want a new one, a guy named Von Wolf is making them again. You can custom order them, or get them at Rip City or Tailtap.com. They aren’t cheap, but he does an amazing job, and no two seem to be alike. Check out the thread on Concrete Disciples. The people that have them RAVE about the workmanship and detail. We also talked about it here.
Mid 1980s
I love my iPod, and I really love how easy it’ has made buying music. Love it. You know the biggest reason? A couple of months ago I was out of the door, on my way to work when I thought, “I’d really love to hear some Agent Orange right about now”. Problem was, I didn’t have any burned on my iPod. So I look on iTunes real quick, see an album, and 2 minute later I’m out the door, with the Agent Orange Greatest Hits on my iPod, ready to jam on my way to the office. How cool is that?
Anyway, I digress. Here’s a Vision Agent Orange pig, complete with blue Gullwings and Sims Street wheels. The deck is in used, but decent shape. I’m not digging the colored trucks: silver would look far better here, but it is what it is. It went with a $375 Buy It Now.
So, Steve Saiz sold a lot of his collection in March, and the sell-off continued into April. Here are two PP Steve Caballero “dragon and bats” decks. Both are rare, because they are on the wrong shape (the Saiz shape), and both have a gradation in the Caballero name. Yes, that stuff matters to some people! The top white one went for $688, and the blue one went for $773. The same buyer bought both decks btw.
And here’s another twosome for ya. It’s the Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso “heaven and hell deck. It was his last deck with SC, and features a clever graphic that has the starting G and ending O of Grosso partly blacked out, leaving Ross, as in Ross Goodman. I guess it’s the first ever dual-pro deck not involving brothers. Grosso was on his way out, Goodman was on his way in. They are both NOS, the main difference being the color of the stain. The top red one went for $811, while the lower one in the deep purple stain went for $1,075. Personally I think there’s WAY too much going on in the graphic. I like them simple and striking.
This PP Hawk “birdclaw” went for $495. The dark brown wood stain is kind of fugly to me, but what do I know. The seller thinks it’s a classic and we might never see another like it. I hope not.
And here’s the same ugly-ass colored stain, this time on an H-Street Matt Hensley. Yes it’s a classic graphic, but this stain makes it look like poop. $700.
This is the pre Skull Skates version of the classic Christian Hosoi hammerhead. Kilwag had one of these, right Randy? In pink, just like this? I’m putting this in the early 1986 range. See the wheel wells up front? The colorway is hideous and strange. $511. (I did have a pink one, among others, but it might have been a knock off casue it was a certified P.O.S. I don’t remember the dot being green, but I don’t remember what it was instead either – K.ed)
And from that Hosoi to this one, his first pro model. He rode for Sims back then, and this model was later issued sans his name as the Kamikaze. Can you imagine a tiny Christian riding this huge piggie? His poor little legs must have been exhausted! He must have been about 15 when this deck came out. Anyway, it’s in nice, but clearly not mint condition. It looks like it might have been sold as a complete at one point, and the buyer stripped it and sold it on. Nice move. $1,000.
Here’s an interesting SC Jason Jessee “Neptune” for you. It’s a team rider deck that Jason gave to a guy on the SC team back in the day. Jason was into basic riders for himself, so he had his decks made that way. Raw deck with one black screen, not even a clear coat. He didn’t want the shark on the tail because it got smeared from dropping in, so what was the point? It’s a piece of history, and the guy selling it ought to know. He made the movie on Jesse, literally!! $1,325.
And here’s the later version of the graphic in all of its colored glory. This colorway is highly sought after; bluish green stain with red tattoos and gradation in the mermaid. It’s mint, not in shrink, the best way to display a deck. Get that plastic off! There’s not much else to say really, I’ve featured so many Neptunes. This one went very high though: $2,125.
This deck has been getting a lot of action these days. It’s the Santa Cruz Micke Alba “grave” from 1985. This was a deck that was barely getting $300 a few years ago, but this one went for $912. The artwork is by Mofo, and it is really striking with the bright yellow glow on the black deck. Nice.
I have always found this 1984 PP Mike McGill deck to be totally generic. I know, I know, lots of you love it, it’s a VCJ “classic”, but it doesn’t move me at all for some reason. This is a nice specimen, never having been mounted or taped. It’s difficult to tell if it’s white or silver. Classic pig shape, no nose to speak of, and big ass wheel wells. $720.
But this is better. This one has some character. It has a shape, and the snakeskin background adds to the simplicity of the graphic. I do like this one. It’s a sharp deck, especially in the grey and pink. This was another one of Saiz’s auctions. It’s from 1987, and is the boneite version, so don’t get it wet! $1,250.
And here’s another deck from Steve Saiz. It’s a Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “future primitive”, and is red and boneite. Man, Saiz made a killing here. It seems like all of his decks went for at least a grand, and he must have sold at least twenty of them. That’s pretty nice, especially when he probably got them all free. $1,200. I’ve featured a lot of FPs recently, so that’s it for a while I think.
Ok, so I guess that Saiz was also given freestyle decks, because this is another one of his. It’s a mint Rodney Mullen “chess” graphic, on a very nice white dip. This is a very striking deck, maybe the best colorway for this graphic. The skeleton really pops off of the white. $1,440.
All right, enough with the Saiz collection and the Powells. Let’s see some Natas’s! First up we have this purple stain Natas Panther. It’s the 5th version of the panther graphic, even though the seller lists it as #3. Number 1 was the original SMA that only came in yellow and was very simple, #2 added leaves to that, #3 was a full size with artwork by Wes Humpston (pictured in white in the next auction), while #4 was a mini with artwork by Jim Phillips. So this is Natas panther #5, with artwork by Justin Forbes and Natas, based on the Humpston. Whatever number you call it, know that it’s a great deck in awesome, mint condition. $1,025.
And here’s the Wes Humpston graphic that the one above is based on. This is #3, and what a beauty it is. The graphics scream off of the white paint, and the deck is in superb condition. This is really, really nice, and the price shows it: $1,750.
Let’s keep up the high prices with this Dogtown Suicidal Tendencies “possessed to skate” deck from 1986. The deck is dirty, but is unmounted and ungripped, which in itself is a rarity. Real Skateboards are currently making a spoof of this deck, called Realicidal Tendencies, and they even have button-ups and baseball caps with the logo on the brim. It’s all pretty funny, except that the decks are stupid popsicles instead of being the original shape. If you’re gonna do it, do it right! It went for $1,525
The Realicidal Tendencies product.
I guarantee that you’ve never seen this deck here before! It’s a Kryptonics Denny Riordan “people in my head” model from 1988. Now, it’s tough to tell if the crap on the tail is from light reflection, or whether it’s well sued, and the seller isn’t saying. His terse description says “one Kryptonics Denny Riordon skateboard”. So buyer beware I guess. The interesting thing is that the graphic is different than the one on AOS. That one says Denny Riordan on the tail, where this one says it in the skullcap. I think this one may be earlier. Kryptonics later reinvented themselves as Toxic, so he has the same graphic on Toxic too. $340.
Ok, back to the Saiz collection, and it’s about time he sold one of his own decks. It’s the PP Saiz “totem pole”. Actually, this might be the most striking colorway I’ve ever seen this graphic in. The lime green paint is stunning. Actually, this is a very underrated graphic. The quality and detail of the screen-printing is incredible. This deck normally goes for well under $100, but this one fetched $355, probably because it’s one of a kind with no top graphic. This would display very nicely.
And here’s the last from the Saiz collection this month, this one being a PP Skull and Sword in a baby blue, on completely the wrong shape. This looks like a Cab full dragon shape to me, and I can guarantee that you won’t see this graphic on this shape anywhere else. Now that’s a nice piece for the PP collector who has everything! $702.
This is a G&S Doug Smith from 1989. A great graphic idea that has been stolen numerous times since. Doug has a great part in the 1990 G&S video “Footage”. Watch it if you can sometime. $475.
90s-today
Here we have a New Deal “adventures of . . ..” Justin Girard deck from 1991. If you can’t tell, the graphic shows Justin lighting off fireworks, and a pimp walking down the street. All right, I admit I don’t know anything about Justin Girard and I think this graphic is 100% retarded. So sue me. $513? What??
You probably recognize the graphic, but not on this shape or with the broken foot. Yes, it’s a Mark Gonzales deck, a redo of the famous “Gonz and Roses” graphic, but this time on ATM Click skateboards. It’s circa 1993, and they also did a version of his most famous first graphic. I assume he must have broken his left foot, hence the cast in the graphic. And maybe he was influenced by the “Blue Dog” paintings that were popular in the mid 90s, and that is why the blue face. Or maybe not. Anyway, the deck went for $372. And btw, it’s not on AOS, so don’t bother looking for it there.
I hardly ever feature the glory that is/was Hook-Ups on this site. Probably because most of them aren’t worth a lot, and are look the same. But this one stands out. Yes, it’s the ‘Alice and friends” deck, featuring a very buxom Alice bending down to show us her jubblies, while the drunk rabbit looks up her skirt. Me likee. Benny Hill gives his seal of approval from beyond the grave. $400.
This one just gets into the 90s section, as it came out in 1990. It’s a Christian Hosoi “Japanese Flag” full-size, vert model. Christian had his own division on Santa Cruz at the time. This deck has very simple lines and graphics, but is very effective I think. It has the basic shape of the hammerhead without the notches etc. The top graphic is great too. $485.
Here’s an original Blind Jason Lee “cat in the hat” from 90-91. He had a few different Dr Seuss book characters as graphics, but this might be the most well known. It has a couple of scratches but is decent condition. $770 seems fair to me.
Boy oh boy, I love this graphic. Just love it. Don’t recognize it? It’s a Planet Earth Chris Miller “sleeping cat” deck, again from 1990. He had a few graphics that featured cats and birds, the first couple being on Schmitt Stix. This was one of his first graphics for his own company, and I think it’s one of his best ever. I would love to get this deck. This one went for $461, so I don’t think I’ll be getting it anytime soon.
Here we have a Chocolate Keenan Milton “basketball” deck from 1997. It’s a simple but effective graphic, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I kinda like it. I find most of the Chocolate stuff to be bland and, well, crap, but this one is all right. Still, I was amazed, nay shocked when this fetched $510. Man.
But this one fetched even more! It’s a 1991 Real Henry Sanchez “crayon kid”. It was Henry’s first deck put out by Real before he jumped ship to join Blind in 1992. The graphic is pure crap, and the colorway on this is just as bad, but it still fetched $671. Kids, the 80s stuff is played out. Stock up on early 90s stuff because this shit is skyrocketing.
Another crap graphic IMHO, but then again I’ve never liked Ed Templeton’s stuff. This is a New Deal Ed Templeton “girl” from 1991. It’s in great condition, but the wood stain is a crappy color, and exactly why is the girl’s arm attached to her leg? In England we’d call this “naff”. Naff to the nth degree. $426.
But I dig this one. It’s a Girl Skateboards Jovontae Turner model from 1995. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it, and it’s not listed on AOS. I don’t know who did the artwork, but it’s good. $435.
Assorted Crap & Bargains!
OK, something different this month. I normally focus on high prices decks, but I don’t want to give the impression that everything on eBay is out of reach. Here are a few real bargains I saw in April. First up is this Powell Steve Caballero “masks” deck from 1990. No, it’s not the greatest graphic, but it isn’t terrible, and it is Cab after all. The shape looks very rideable, and the grey wood stain is very handsome. Plus it’s still vintage, right? So for this deck to only go for $56 seems like a real steal. Hell, you might pay more for a new deck today, right?
And you’ll definitely pay more than this deck went for. It’s the 2nd Powell Frankie Hill graphic, the Van Gogh. Yes, the graphic is terrible, almost rivaling the Hawk decks of the period for crappiness. (Remember the pictograph?). But again, it is almost 20 years old, and the shape is very rideable. $28? Are you kidding me?
And this one REALLY surprised me. Santa Cruz Salba tigers have been hot as hell recently, and you NEVER see the rare white tiger version. I know it’s used and a complete, but the graphic looks to be almost perfect. It has white trackers and OJ II wheels. It just needs to be stripped of trucks and hardware, and you’d have a very nice hanger here. So for it to go for only $120 seems ludicrous. Insane in the membrane. However, the seller had a Buy It Now of $120, which explains it, and is how a lot of these bargains go down. You just have to be right place, right time.
And here’s another bargain. It’s a World Industries Mike Vallely “elephant 2” from 1989. It’s a rare deck, and mint might fetch in the $500 range. Now, this one isn’t mint, but it’s pretty damned good, and the colorway is striking. That is one nice deck, and for $77 a steal as well.
Ok. This auction was for “an original Mark Gonzales art piece, measuring a foot in diameter”. Apparently it’s a “100% authentic gem”, and fans of his work include Donald Trump and Sean Combs, “both of whom have collections of his work”. I bet if you asked Donald Trump he’d say, “Mark who? Get the hell out of here. He paints like a 3 year old. You’re fired!” Anyway, this circle with a silhouette on could have been yours for $510.
And as going ay present this month I leave you with these beautiful chunk of 80s excess. It’s a Kryptonics Krypstick “checkered” model, complete with Trackers and Kryptonics wheels. It didn’t sell, but I’m showing it anyway! Just looks at this thing! Marvel at the 4 different colored wheels, all neon! Be amazed at the graphics, which manage to feature not only a checkerboard but also a rainbow gradation in the type! Be frightened by the amount of plastic on it that made it weigh about 3 tons. This, my friends, should be in a 80s museum, locked in a time capsule. Rad? I’d say so.
See ya next month.
-Neil
