2007 got off with a bang. The dip in prices is a thing of the past: lots of high-ticket items went off this month, and lots of interesting stuff that we don’t normally see. All I can assume is that cash was tight before Christmas, but now that tax refunds are starting to come in, purse strings are getting as loose as Paris Hilton’s knickers. This month I’m starting a reissue section. Why? Because I can. Seriously though, I’m putting it in because some of the reissues are starting to get up there in price. Ridiculous? Maybe, but that’s the reality, and I cover what’s hot. Also new this month is the ability to click on a image and see an enlarged version. Remember, this is eBay, so we don’t have any control over the picture quality. While I’m at it:
Public Service Announcement:
A warning to eBayers. Some unscrupulous bastard(s) are straight off duplicating other people’s auctions under their own name and putting in “bargain” buy it nows to get your cash. I assume they pocket the quick cash and then get kicked off of eBay, but in the meantime they have your $$. This might be widespread, but the scumbag I noticed went by the name of teninchachi (and I assume he will resurface under a different moniker). One-day auctions that are in euros, even though the seller claims to be in Wisconsin. Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true (i.e., an OG Steadham that is worth thousands but is listed on a 1 day auction with a BIN of $200), it probably is.
This month, this column is fueled by Tetley British Blend, the sounds of The Bomb, and this time is 100% created on a 12” G4 iBook at 10.30AM on a Sunday morning. It’s effing freezing out there right now. Minus 5, minus 20 with the wind-chill. And that’s Fahrenheit bitch.
60s/70s.
Let’s kick it off in style. A multi-colored Z-Flex Jay Adams fiberglass deck in great condition. I’ve never seen one like this before. The Z-Flex collectors were creaming over this, and even though it’s not my thing, I can see why. $2,499.
Here’s your monthly Dogtown Humpston complete. Nice condition, complete with Trackers and YoYos. Fine and dandy I guess. Yawn. $700.
Now here’s something. It’s a Sims Brad Bowman from around 1979/1980. I have never seen one before with the Sims snake foil inserts in the cutaways. And the mini BB superman logos are too cool. It is complete with Indy stage 1s, and Sims Comp II wheels. Copers, rails and skid plate mean that it’s in awesome condition. Ruling. $2,550.
And talking of Brad Bowman, here’s another. This one has an interesting story. I guess the seller picked it up with no graphics on it. He had it “professionally screened” to be just like the original. It certainly looks very impressive, and apparently was authenticated, although I’m not sure what this really means. $612.
Blue 70MM Kryptonics. Nice condition. $229.
But here’s one better. Bottle green, translucent Kryptonics. It doesn’t get much more original than this. $311.
And here’s a set of mint Sims Comp IIs. A mix of yellow and red: they would look great on the Brad Bowman deck above. $405.
80s
Aah. Skate Visions. Classic, cheesy early skate video. Actually, it was the 2nd I believe, right behind the Bones Brigade Video Show. Who can forget Agent Orange playing poolside while Gator ripped it up? The Vision Agent Orange deck is a classic too, and you don’t see one in good condition surface very often. $760.
Neil Blender graphics always bring big money, even with a crap picture and in less than mint condition. Actually, it’s not too bad. Look at how narrow that bad boy is in the hips. A launch ramp session would have snapped it mighty quick. $287.
And here’s another Blender. This one is his first graphic for G&S, the snakes and ladders. An earlier graphic is rumored to exist, but without solid proof, I’m saying this is his first, so there. You seldom see this one. Pretty beat up, but the graphics are all there. Pull those stickers off and you are good to go. Nice pink full dip. $406.
And here it is: the Blender grail. The coffee break. Nice understated color scheme on this one. Great apart from that annoying white sticker. WTF is that? $1,093. I just rewatched my favorite contest video from the 80s: Streetstyle in Tempe. Blender’s run is great. He spends more than half of it spray painting a face on the wall. Now that is streetstyle.
Classic doesn’t even begin to do justice to this. A Powell Peralta Ray “Bones” Rodriguez in silver paint. White Gullwings and black PP wheels. Not mint obviously, but an awesome looking complete. $822.
Mint Jeff Grosso “acid tongue”. Grossos are blowing up at the moment. It was Jason Jessee last year, now it’s Grosso. $414.
This is a blue Tommy Guerrero flaming dagger clock. Dealer only I guess. The seller had some convoluted story about there only being like 5 in the world. I’d say so what, I’d prefer a mint one, but some like it I guess, because it went for $400.
Look you dweebs. There is nothing rare about the Tony Hawk screaming skull. It was pumped out for years, and there are probably thousands of them out there. And yet every month they keep exploding in price. A year ago they were going for $250. Now even the most common colors are going for double that. The green went for $525, and the black for $660. Annoying because I sold my yellow one for around $225 a year ago. Stop the insanity please. It’s up to you.
Hey Neil, remember the Vision pro Joe Johnson? How much would one of his decks go for? Well let me tell you. Around $168. So now you know.
Jeff Kendall. Underrated all around skater. I love his part in the first Santa Cruz video. Excellent stuff. We dissed him severely in Skate and Annoy about 20 years ago, but it’s all water under the bridge now. We’re sorry Jeff. Send us free stuff. Anyway, great looking deck. All of his graphics were great. $461.
There were lots of McGills last month, and this month sees more of the same. It’s a Mike McGill party! Actually, this is a pretty good timeline through the skull and snake graphic. First is the original graphic on a teal pig. Box wheel wells too. $1,025.
Then we have the same graphic on an updated shape. His signature replaced by an “electric” typeface. Purple woodstain, mint in shrink. $324.
Then we have an even later version, bottlenose shape and snakeskin background. Very popular. $352.
Then finally we have the same graphic in a better colorway, but complete with poorly placed rails and tailbone. Black trackers complete with clunky back coper. $355. After this he went to the fish themed graphics I think. So now you know. Class dismissed.
I’m not sure what the deal with this one is. It’s certainly a Mullen first graphic, but it looks like it was run through a sander. It also looks like it was photographed from a car traveling at high speed. Blurrrrry. The back truck is in need of some tightening too. Still, it’s a classic. I think. $660.
Now this one I never would have guessed at. The Per Welinder street deck is popular, but his freestyle deck? I know it’s mint, but I would have put at $400 tops. Noooo. Try $1025. Wowza. Who knew that freestylers were throwing around such big coin?
I’m tired of this graphic, so I won’t show it for a while. Ripper on updated shape. Big deal. Dull, and the $518 price tag won’t convince me otherwise. Don’t you have anything better to do with $518? New big screen TV? IPod video and a boombox to plug it into? Instead you’ve got this ugly ass deck to stare at.
I don’t think I’ve ever featured a Powell Peralta Steve Saiz before. It’s a common, late 80s Powell deck, but it is a beauty. The screening is amazingly intricate, and the shape is outstanding. They are getting more popular, but this one went for much more than I would have expected. Maybe it’s all of the bright yellow plastic: makes it a nice display item. Or an old guy getting back into skating again wanted a complete to ride for a week until he gives it up again. Either way, it went for $255.
The Salba tiger, holding its value very well. $499. A classic.
I really wanted this Dogtown Web back in the day: it was between this and the SMA Natas, but when I got to the skate shop I decided on the Natas instead. I loved the funky shape of the web, with the scallops around the front. I was very happy with the Natas though, so I can’t complain. Good times. I’m getting teary-eyed thinking of those days. No responsibilities, nothing to do but drink and skate. Shit. To anyone that’s reading this who is in his or her early 20s, savor this time in your life. Get out there and enjoy. $374.
90s-today
First up is the World Industries Ron Chatman from 1991. Interesting. I must say that I’ve never seen it before. $750.
Jason Lee decks are a goldmine. Even this well thrashed Blind Cat in the Hat from 1990. The tail is pretty much gone and the bottom is pretty marked up. It still went for $390, which is a lot of money.
Ooh, scary. The 101 Natas “Satan” deck. Blah blah blah. We all know the story. And how rare it is. I remember the first time one came up a couple of years ago the Internet world was agog. Now it barely raises an eyebrow. I know that $2,550 is not to be ignored, but this does seem to be on a downward spiral, at least to me. Of course, I’m not a collector in that realm, so what do I know. I’m at home with a wall full of reissues and common 80s decks. But I’ve got integrity damnit. And I’d never pay over 2 grand for a deck just because it’s got a picture of Satan on it.
This is an underrated deck that is starting to get some recognition. It’s the SMA Julian Stranger syringe. Julian was an early street pioneer, much like Natas and the Gonz. They got all the publicity, justifiably so, but Julian was still an excellent street skater, and this is his first graphic. $520.
A World Industries Vallely barnyard. Nothing else to be said really. Except for this. $1,625.
Reissues
Yup, reissues. They are here, so deal with it. The first ones came out about 5 years ago, and are as rare as the originals that they replaced. Prices aren’t up there yet, but they are climbing. Now, I’m going to take a stand here. There are reissues: decks issued by the same company that put them out originally. Some might not like them, but they have every right to do it, and they are probably paying a royalty to the artist and skater represented. Some companies do it better than others, keeping everything original from the shape to the mounting holes. Some slap an old graphic on an updated hip for ripping. Either way they have the right to do it.
But then we have rip-offs/fakes: decks with similar graphics to classics, but put out by companies who aren’t paying royalties to anyone. They don’t own the graphics, and they have no right to sell the deck. But they do. And sadly people are buying them. The company is Cease and Desist, and their Limited runs of decks sell out in days. Weeks later, dolts on eBay are shelling out big $ to pick them up. Let’s take a look.
First up are the Designarium Natas reissues. Designarium is Natas’s company, through Santa Cruz. He has reissued some of his classic graphics on updated shapes, all limited to 500, and signed. First was the panther, and then came the kitten. The Panther went for $187, and the kitten for $158. They are beautiful decks, and he obviously cares about this venture. But what’s most important is he has the right to do this.
Now we have the rip-offs. First is the Cease and Desist Satan, and then we have their version of the barnyard. Standard popsicle shape, badly placed graphics. Crappy basically. The Satan went for $305, and the barnyard went for $412. What are you people thinking? Seriously. Why spend big money on crappy popsicles with poorly rendered graphics? I hope some company from China starts issuing these too and floods the market.
Weird/ Stupid Shit
This deck doesn’t fall in the reissue or rip-off category. Let’s call it a tribute. It is hand painted by some enterprising artist. He did an awesome job. It’s the Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso “Alice” deck if you didn’t know. Killer job, great display piece. $455.
This one falls in the “how the fuck are they going to ship this?” category. It’s a metal mini-ramp. It even has decks and a ladder, along with a gnarly seam in the middle. It looks like a lot of fun actually. $500 won it, but seriously how are you getting it?
I know what you’re saying? What’s that? Well let me tell you. It’s a mold for Road Rider 4’s. Apparently it came out of a storage locker, bought at auction for unpaid storage in the San Jose area. This mold is for the Henry Hester Road Rider wheels made by Santa Cruz, and Henry apparently received 10% of the proceeds. It’s aluminum and weighs 25lbs. It went for $1250.
A car? Why are you showing car? Well, it’s Cab’s car. It’s a 1932 Ford or something like that. It got up to $29,392, but it didn’t reach its reserve. I thought you might find that interesting. No? Well screw you!
And finally this month we have this. Yes, it’s a reissue Cab bearing deck, with new Indys and new Powell cubics. It’s an obvious reissue. It even says reissue under Cab’s signature. You could buy it at any online store for around $120. The seller made no mention of it being a reissue anywhere in the listing, making mention of “80s” numerous times. Her starting bid was $400, and it had a reserve. I’m not sure if she is just stupid, or if she is trying to rip people off. EBay can be a weird place sometimes.
Seeya next month.
-Neil
