How was February where you live? Here in Chicago it sucked ass. It has been the worst winter for snow that I can remember, and February was the worst month yet. We’ve had about 60” of snow so far this winter: the average is 40”, making it in the top 5 worst winters in 80 years. And when it gets done dumping snow on us, then the temperature plummets to zero, making it icy and just miserable. Basically what I’m saying is, if you’ve gotten any skating in this winter you’re lucky. Lots of us haven’t.
By the way, even though I write this column every month, I want to thank Kilwag for getting it up on Skate and Annoy. I don’t know what all is involved in the back end, but he does a great job on the site and I appreciate all he does or this column. Thanks.
Let’s get to it.
60s, 70s, early 80s.
First up, we have this used and abused Alva splat. It is complete with 1st gen Indys that look to be in great condition, and, get this: 2 Alva conicals (green) and 2 Powell Bones. I’m not sure why the wheels were mixed like that, but there you are. The deck is pretty beaten up, but the Alva graphic is all there, and the first gen Indys alone make this a good buy. $750.
Now this is in sweet condition. It’s a very early Bahne deck in green fiberglass; with Bahne trucks and dark green Cadillac DK51 loose bearing wheels. This sucker is totally mint. It looks like it was purchased yesterday. This thing is just awesome, but it shows how few people collect 70s stuff, (at least anything not labeled Dogtown) because it went for a paltry $249.
First Santa Cruz made the Bevel deck for Salba in 1979, and it had the deepest concave of its day, years ahead of its time. Then a few years later they reissued it as a generic team model, and this is it. I believe that it only came in blue, much as the Salba model only came in yellow. Pretty unspectacular all the way around really, so I’m amazed that this went for $510.
I was recently on vacation in Hawaii. On Maui actually. The main shopping strip in Lahaina has a ton of “surf” clothing stores, and one of them has a few 60s skateboards in a glass case. It looks pretty kick ass. I think this is one of the completes they have in there. It’s a Hobie Super Surfer from 1964. It has the original clay wheels and the trucks are perfect. This thing is a work of art, and I love the different laminates in there. It truly is a great example of the history of our sport. $437.
Here’s a set of 1st gen Kryptonics Star Trak 70mm wheels in bottle green. They have squared, not rounded edges, recessed backs, raised letters, and plain bearing seats. $380.
Here’s a Sims Bert LaMar complete with Indys and some no name conical wheels. The thing is in great shape actually. The graphic is all there and pretty clean, and the griptape looks unused. The trucks are “barley scraped”, which means they were scraped with barley I guess. Some chipping on the nose, and the tail dome needs to go. $536.
I’ll tell you something. Sometimes the photography can make or break an auction. It can also determine whether I feature it here or not. Often I see interesting decks go for big $, but I won’t feature them because the pics are so shitty. You guys want to see what the thing looks like, right? Anyway, I normally wouldn’t have been too excited about a Logan Earth Ski from the 70s, but the photos on this one were outstanding. The really helped sell the deck I think. There are a ton of pics, from all angles, and all of the pics are clear and well lit. Others take heed. Anyway, it’s an undrilled 1975 Bruce Logan deck. $277.
And here’s another solid wood deck, but this one isn’t quite as pristine. It’s a late 50s/early 60s solid oak deck, wood burned “Phil Edwards model surf skate board”. $843. It’s complete with original trucks and Chicago wheels. The seller says that it’s very rideable. I wouldn’t take it to the local skate park though. $710.
About a year ago Powell “uncovered” some vintage Quicktail skateboards in one of their warehouses. They sold out within hours. I’ve a feeling that this is one of those. It is complete with Tracker Midtrack reissues, and Sundancer Park Dancer 2s. If you don’t know the history of the Quicktail and wonder why it doesn’t look like the other Powell Peralta decks, it’s because George hadn’t teamed with Stacy yet, and he was still using materials like aluminum and fiberglass to fabricate his composite slalom decks. Anyway, this complete went for $400.
This an unused set of Road Rider 4 wheels from around 1976. Everybody rode Road Rider 4s back in the day, but there seem to be very few NOS sets around. They even have the original Hoover-NSK black sealed bearings. Of course, these aren’t NOS either because somebody has colored the outer edge of the wheels with a black marker. Little brothers eh? They went for $324, but that might have been doubled or tripled without that.
Mid 1980s
This Rip City Black Flag deck is from the collection of Steve Caballero. It’s from 1984, and obviously features the artwork of Raymond Pettibon, who was actually Greg Ginn’s brother. The deck has a couple of blemishes, some delams etc, but it looks pretty fine to me. This is the deck that appears on p130 of Disposable. $1,525.
Now we have a couple of Blockhead decks. I know, they are not famous and didn’t go for big cash, but guess what, this is why I do this column. I love seeing these obscure old decks, and I’m interested in however little they go for. This is a Sam Cunningham from 1986. This is Sam’s first pro model. It’s epoxy and fiberglass (their decks were made by Uncle Wiggly) and is from Jeff Madrid’s collection. $320.
And here’s an even earlier (1985) team “street” model. Apparently this is a super early model, because later the sidewalks all appeared cracked: in this model the sidewalk is new. Again, this is from Jeff Madrid’s collection. $360.
Here we have a lovely looking Powell Peralta Cab full Dragon fro 1986. Dude, great deck, but remove that sticker! The Cab full dragon has great lines, but that stupid sticker just ruins it. Something else that ruins it is the bloody big hole somebody drilled through the middle of the deck to hang it. YOU PLONKER! What were you thinking? Hang it from the front truck holes like the rest of the world!!! Maybe it was made into a clock?? It still went for $895, but I’ve got to imagine that a 7-ply, pink full dragon would have easily fetched $1500 without the hole.
Dressen is a real mystery to me. Some of his graphics through the years have been totally killer, but some have been just terrible. I think on the whole he’s had more terrible graphics than good ones, but this is a good ‘un. It’s the Dogtown “pup sized” from 1988. It’s mint and autographed, and even has a photo of him signing it. Yup, this is a nice deck. $615.
Aaah, the legend that is John Grigley. Actually, I don’t know what the legend is or much about him actually. I do know that he drew a graphic left handed once because his right was broken. Was it this one? Maybe? The face is kind of janked. It’s a Vision Grigley “death mask” from 1987. The colorway isn’t the best, but it still reached $471.
And here’s an Alva Jeff Hartsel from 1988. I love the fade stains that Alva was putting on their decks in the late 80s, and the black to yellow fade just adds to the rasta colors here. This is one sharp looking deck. $310.
Yes, it’s a Tony Hawk. I think I said I wouldn’t feature any more chicken skulls in a while, but this is a little different because it’s the earlier pig model with wheel wells, not the penis shaped one. The seller claims it’s from 1983, which isn’t exactly accurate, and it’s not “almost perfect”: you can see the marks where the risers were. Still, it’s in pretty fine shape, and would be a great display piece. $1,000.
OK, I need help here, I admit it. We’ve all seen the classic Hosoi’s, and the history is pretty easy to follow. But this, well, what the hell is it? It’s obviously an early Hosoi hammerhead shape, from 1985 apparently. But what’s with the graphic that looks like it’s straight outta Walmart? AOS says that it’s a micro-mini, which might explain it: a deck for little kids, but still. If Hosoi is one of skateboarding’s studs, then this is the runt of the litter. $600.
One of my favorite skateboard photos of all time is the sequence of Jay Smith doing one of his mega contorted laybacks, almost flat to the wall, and pulling it out. It’s on p.79 of the Built to Grind book. Unreal. Just unreal. Anyway, this is his first model on Powell Peralta from 1982. Normally I don’t care for stickers on decks, but in this case the stickers help to lend some character to what otherwise is a pretty bland deck. Of course, I could do without the Columbia University sticker on the tail, but hey. It’s well worn, but it is 25 years old, so it’s not in bad condition. $666. Maybe Natas purchased it.
I swear that I’ve featured a purple SC Jason Jessee “Neptune” sharktail continuously for the last 6 months. And it seems that it’s for vastly different money every time. Now this one is a real prize though. It’s the original Jim Phillips version of the graphic, not the Mojo version. What’s the difference? No tattoos on Neptune, different face on the serpent, crescent moon. A red one in November went for $811, and a used purple one went off in December for $620. This one is an awesome colorway and is as close to mint as you could find. $2,225. That is a lot of cash.
I’ll tell you what; I dig this Variflex Lance Mountain from 1983. Not so much for the generic “lancer” graphic, but more for the Tracker Six Tracks and red and green Powell wheels which the seller put on there. I dig the dual color wheels. Stuff had so much more flare and style in the late 70s/early 80s. Take the Flyaway helmets for example. So much better than those generic plastic pieces of crap that we wear today. But I digress. $842.
This one surprised me. It’s a Schmitt Stix Joe Lopes “crystal ball”. The graphics are all there, but it is obviously well used. Let’s call it well loved. It’s still pretty rare, but still, I didn’t expect the $515 that is went for.
And here’s another deck that I wasn’t going to feature. It’s the Schmitt Stix John Lucero X2, in an average colorway, crappy photo, and I’ve never really liked the graphic. But then when I saw the price, well, I couldn’t leave it out. $911? Are you kidding me? Of course some of you out there are wondering if I’m crazy because this is your grail. To each their own I guess.
This is an awesome looking deck, and I don’t know why. The graphic is average and clichéd, but it must be the angle of the graphic, the perspective and the way the gravestone is outlined in blue. Whatever it is, I love it. It’s a SC Micke Alba from 1986, and it’s the pig version. There was a stinger of the same graphic released the following year. The graphic was by Mofo btw. $910.
This is classic Zorlac. The Metallica thing I don’t care about, but it’s the screaming yellow dip, the funky shape and the pushead graphic. This is awesome. $810, and counter-culture in every way possible.
Cor blimey. Have you ever seen a better colorway for this version of the Natas graphic? It’s a SC/SMA Natas of course, from 1988, and it is stunning. Super bright purple wood stain: the graphics just pop right out of it. Man, this thing is gorgeous. And it only went for $1,436, which is a lot of money I guess, but seems cheap for this. Ace.
This one is a Santa Cruz “oops III” logo sticker deck from 1989. The deck is the earlier shaped version, much like a Grabke, and the graphic is a collage of the many great SC and NHS logos of the 80s. It’s a great looking deck that you don’t see that often. We all had a sticker deck at sometime in the 80s, right? A deck where the base was completely covered in stickers of bands and skate companies? Of course, naff stickers lie “Keep on truckin” were strictly verboten, and would get you thrown out of the party. $633.
You hardly ever see this deck get auctioned off. Of course, it’s pretty ugly, but it is a Jeff Phillips, so that that’s a big plus. It’s the Bad Boys Club (or Better Board Company, an offshoot) Jeff Phillips vert swirl model from 1988. That is one crap colorway though. $546.
Here’s an unusual one for you. Don’t recognize it? It’s a Walker Reggie Barnes street model from 1988. He previously had a freestyle model on Walker, and this was his street model. Both of his Walker decks featured Egyptian graphics. After he left Walker, Reggie actually had a model on Dogtown in 1989. So now you know. It’s from Jeff Madrid’s private collection. $317.
And this is the deck that has probably rocketed in value more than any other deck over the last couple of years. Of course it’s the SC Salba tiger. It used to be the poor relation of the Salba voodoo, often going for under $200. But those days are long gone. The top deck went for $920, and when you thought that was a fluke, then the bottom one went for $941. It’s going to break a grand really soon, and I predict will flatten out at around $1200 in a few months, That’s just a prediction of course. Don’t gamble on one and then get pissed if it doesn’t happen!
90s-today
Here we have an Alien Workshop “Spectrum” team model from 1994. The artwork is by Mike Hill if that means anything to you, and it is screened, not a slick or heat transfer. What’s the wheelbase on that thing? 10”? Interesting enough I guess. Actually, I just heard that they are reissuing this graphic, so the seller did well to get it out there now. How well? $362.
Here we have the famous World Industries Randy Colvin “velvet safari” from 1991. Why famous? Because it was supposed to look like one of those cheesy 1970s velvet black light posters, and sure enough that is what they did. They silkscreened glue on the deck and sprinkled on the fuzzy powder that they use for hair on GI Joe dolls. There you go: a velvety deck. $760.
Here’s a set of 5 Driven decks made at Jason Jesse’s Automodown shop. Apart from that I know nothing about these decks other than somebody is obsessed with chopper culture and that they sold for $1399.
The mid 90s might have been a bad time for vert skaters everywhere, but you could still find some vert decks. Here is a Think Duane Peters “king skull” from 1996. It features his stripes, and is a much wider and more shaped than most popsicles of the era. It was his last model on Think; he went to Beer City shortly after this. BTW, Duane also signs it. $256.
How crap is this? Completely lacking in imagination and creativity, Girl simply ripped off the Tommy Hilfiger logo for this 1995 Jovontae Turner deck. They also ripped off the Tag Haeur logo for another Turner deck shortly afterwards. The seller claims that this is listed as extremely rare on Art of Skateboarding: funny that, seeing as it’s not even listed on there. $472. WTF???
“Hey Neil” I hear you shout, “Why are you featuring this complete that you obviously bought at Walmart?” Well, even though this looks like a piece of crap toy store board, it is actually a Blind Henry Sanchez “terminator” slick from 1992. Actually, when I did some research on this it is quite an interesting story. The early runs of this deck had 2 slick layers on the bottom. The top one featured the “human form” of the terminator, and as that got scratched off it revealed the robot skeleton below. It was a great idea but proved too difficult and costly to continue with, so they scrapped it, just going with this graphic. I guess knowing this I don’t hate it quite so much but I really hate the tiny wheels, and the trucks haven’t even sniffed a grind. $777.
Assorted Crap
Here we have the Claus Grabke reissue from a few years back. This was part of the Santa Cruz “30 fuckin’ years” reissue series, and was one of the early ones. The shape is great and the graphics are screened. It’s an orange full dip that really screams. It’s actually an awesome rider too, I bought one and rode the hell out of it and saved the other one. Others must love it too: $360!!!
And finally this month we have a first edition of “Dogtown The Legend of The Z-Boys”. It’s signed by Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Bob Biniak, Chris Cahill, PC, Shogo, Jim Muir, Peggy Oki, Stacy, Nathan Pratt, Allen Sarlo, Wentzle Ruml, Jeff Ho and Skip. It is one of only 80 made this way apparently, and used to belong to Shogo. It’s embossed with a seal and numbered. Wow. It’s like it’s the Declaration of Independence or something. Not a 6-year-old book on skateboarders. $660. I’m perfectly happy with my $20 copy thank you.
See ya next month.
-Neil
