Ebay Watch: January 2013

So welcome to the January 2013 edition of eBayWatch. This was one of those months that on first glance looked like a really bad one. But as the month went on and as I dug down to explore some of the “mid-price” decks I found some real beauties actually. And some unusual ones too! The Zorlac “Willie and Billie Damn it All Curb Thang” is a favorite, as is the G&S Bill Tocco “Octopus”. But that’s just me. Maybe you can find some other favorites in there. And actually after looking at this deck selection again, I really dig what I’m showing in January!

I really enjoyed all of the differing opinions that came out of my review of the Bones Brigade documentary last month. Some loved it, some hated it, and some were merely disappointed because there was nothing really new in there. The overall reaction to the movie has been less than Stacy would have liked I’m sure, but the reaction of the internet community to the reissue decks and shirts etc. has been immense, and caught PP off-guard by all accounts. They weren’t able to keep up with demand, and most of the decks missed their original deadlines. The reissues will continue for the foreseeable future too. There are supposed to be 4 different colorways of each graphic to be released, with 2,500 decks in each colorway: a grand total of 10,000 decks for each graphic. It will be interesting to see if the decks continue to be as hot or if they will saturate the market and kill all interest.

The music selection this month is the album “Masked Intruder” by the band Masked Intruder. I recently saw these four miscreants opening up for Teenage Bottlerocket. It’s tough for an opening band to make a huge impression, but these guys managed it, so impressing me that I rushed out and bought their album. Well, not quite, I sat behind my computer screen and ordered it from iTunes, but you get the drift. They are a 4-piece pop-punk band out of Madison Wisconsin, and by pop-punk I mean Ramones-core, and not crap like Blink 182. They wear leather jackets and different colored masks (get it?!) and go by the name of Intruder Green, Blue, Yellow and Red. They have their shit together both in a uniform and look, but also in the tunes department. The songwriting is top-notch, tunes are catchier than strep throat, and the lyrics are just bloody funny, most dealing with their ridiculous attempts to charm the ladies. “Heart Shaped Guitar” is an instant Valentines Day classic. The album came out last June on Red Scare and has 13 songs on it. It’s very highly recommended.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

I wanted to change things up a little this month and throw some different stuff in there. So no Z-Flex Jay Adams or Dogtown Big Foots this month! First up this in the 70s section this month is this Fireball 500 Competition complete from the mid 70s. It’s an aluminum deck with Fireball “Stud” trucks and Sims Pure Juice Competition wheels. The board is in very good used condition, and although I’ve never really heard of the brand before, but I do think that Fireball had a cheaper, beginner line of polyprop decks too. It is an attractive and very collectible piece of mid 70s skateboard history. It sold for $300.

Here we have one of those strange oddities that pop up from time to time. A true Frankenstein of assembled parts that the owner must have had lying around. The deck is a Kryptonics Micke Alba K-Beam from 1979 in fairly good used condition. It comes complete with 97A OJ IIs from 1986, and strangest of all, black Nash XR-2 trucks. Yes, for some reason the original owner took the shitty-ass Nash trucks off of the (probably) broken dog-turd of a Nash complete they were originally on, and put them on this miracle of late 70s deck design. I can guarantee that this board didn’t turn at all. What an odd, odd complete. It sold for $565 on 14 bids.

Here we have a G&S Doug “Pineapple” Saladino “Pine Design” complete from 1979. It comes complete with stage II Indys and G&S YoYo wheels. The complete is in average used condition, but the powder blue dip is a nice colorway, and the rainbow lettering is awesome. This must have looked amazing when it was ne and shiny! This sold for $412 on 12 bids.

And here we have the Catalina Sidewalk Surfboard by Champion from the mid 1960s. This thing is 44” long and about 6” wide. Talk about an early longboard! It has very narrow roller-skate trucks and clay wheels. I can’t even begin to imagine riding this down a hill. The smallest pebble would have sent you flying, and I can’t imagine that the trucks were of much use. It sold for $675, hopefully to somebody who is not going to ride it!

And here we have a Winterstick “Streetstick” slalom deck from 1977. It’s a cambered slalom board made with 4 horizontal laminate plys, two fiberglass plys and two wood plys. It’s from Winterstick snowboards out of Salt Lake City. They’ve been making boards since 1972 I guess! It’s 27” long and 7.25” wide. It sold for $510 on 16 bids.

Mid 1980s

So first up in the 80s section this month we have this Santa Cruz Bod Boyle ‘Stained Glass” from 1989. It is NOS and has been signed on the tail. Actually, it is difficult to find a NOS Bod that hasn’t been signed! You normally see this in a red stain, which doesn’t work that well with the graphic, but this grey stain with pink, green and yellow glass looks far superior. I especially like the green and yellow SC logo on the tail! It sold for $619.

Here we have a Zorlac “Curb Thang” team deck from 1988. It’s NOS but does have plenty of storage marks etc. It’s a really odd deck. It clearly was not aimed at street skaters with that pointy nose and full sized shape, so who was this aimed at? Also I’d love to know the story behind the graphic. It appears to be a crazed killer chick on the bottom, and there’s a bunch of graves on the topside. Whatever the deal it is a rare one, and this one sold for $1,075 on 2 bids.

And here we have a Schmitt Stix Steve Douglas “keyhole” from 1989. It’s NOS, never been gripped or mounted. I LOVE the colorway on this one. The red dip is super shiny, and the silver keyhole and blue and yellow swirl really look boss. I predict that this graphic is really going to jump in value in years to come. It’s a good one. It sold for $311 on 20 bids.

Here we have a Dogtown Eric Dressen “Pup” team deck from 1988. It’s NOS, and although the green stain looks nice here, I’ve never been a fan of this graphic. I know that they liked to use the classic Dogtown cross on their decks with a small personalization for the rider, but this one is too generic. It worked the best on a graphic like the Aaron Murray, where the cross was just a small part of a bigger graphic. Of course some probably love it… It was his last deck for Dogtown, but the dog theme was to return with his “pit-bull pup” deck on Santa Cruz. . It sold for $796.

Here we have a Vision Mark Gonzales “Original Gonz” from 1985. It was Mark’s first pro deck as you all know, and is probably one of the most recognizable pro graphics of all time. This is in the classic white dip colorway, and Santa Cruz take note: look, after almost 30 years the white dip is still white! It hasn’t yellowed like your awful white dips! This one came very early in the production run, as it has rear and front wheelwells. Then they dropped the rear wheelwells, and eventually it dropped the wheelwells completely. I also like the Slam! sticker on the tail. They were a brand of wrist-guards that were sold in the mid 80s. It sold for $600.

Now here is a real beauty! It’s a Vision John Grigley ‘Old Ghosts Guardian” deck from 1985. It’s NOS< never mounted or gripped, and used as a display model in a skateshop in Florida since the 80s. I LOVE the colorway on this one too. It appears to be some kind of cream dip (or is it a white that has yellowed in the sun?), with highlights of lavender, blue and yellow and orange in the main graphic. It’s a beautiful looking deck and it sold for $550.

Here we have a really nice Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso ‘Acid Tongue” from 1989. It is mint in shrink (!), and looks fabulous in this olive green stain with red, yellow and bright green main graphic. Even though this sold for $810 it feels like a bargain because I think this graphic will grow in value much like all of the other early SC Grosso’s have done.

Now here’s one I don’t show very often at all, but I really like the way this complete looks! It is obviously a Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “chicken skull” deck from 1986. It’s actually an excellent colorway in it’s own right: the blue and silver background graphic and red cross is strong and eye-catching. But I really love what the owner has done with this complete. The white Trackers with yellow bushings, yellow Crossbones wheels, yellow risers and yellow plastics really pull this thing together and make it look truly special. It looks totally 80s, almost like a movie prop! For $792 somebody owns an awesome complete, especially because this deck has never been skated. Pull that Thrasher sticker off and you have a NOS Hawk if nothing else!

Here we have a Vision “Hippie Stick” team deck from 1985. It’s an amazing black dip with bright pink and green main graphic. It comes complete with blue Gullwings and red and green PP Bones Threes. It is in excellent used condition, close to NOS really. You have to see how clean the topside it! It sold for $327 on 15 bids, which is a huge bargain. If you look carefully you will notice that the tail dome hasn’t been put on correctly, so I’m guessing that a dad who knew nothing about skating put it on. It hangs over the end of the tail by a good half-inch!

Here we have a Walker Mark Lake “Nightmare”, complete with Indy 215s and well-worn Sims Street wheels. The deck has been ridden but definitely not abused, but that back truck looks like its either missing a bushing or it’s totally broken! Apparently there’s a hole all the way through near the nose because the original seller mounted a sail on it for windsurfing! I always love to feature a “Nightmare”! Nice colorway too. This one sold for $373 on 18 bids.

Here’s a classic! It’s the Foundation Justin Lovely (Tod Swank) from 1989. There was no Justin Lovely: he was a made up pro from the creative mind of Tod Swank. This particular one is NOS, but is also undrilled and unfinished and it appears to be a factory sample. It’s a great, simple graphic and I must admit that I love this deck! I also loved the Skull Swank “teapots” and “coffee pot” too. This sold for $203 on 7 bids.

And I absolutely love this deck; it might be my favorite of the month! It’s a Skull Skates Josh Marlowe “Tribal” from 1988. It’s NOS, but has the usual scuffmarks from storage etc. It’s one of those decks that is from a lesser known pro but that you NEVER see come up on eBay, so when it does if causes a flurry of excitement. At least it did with me, but that might just mean that I’m a total nerd! It lingered around the $200 mark for most of the auction and I wan gonna bid, but it jumped at the end and ended up going for $404, which still seems really low…

Here we have an SMA Jesse Martinez “Year of the Mess” mini model from 1989. It’s NOS, almost flawless. The colorway is great too. The natural wood really compliments the pinks, blues and greens in the graphic. I’ve always loved the nose and tail graphic on this one too; graphics that are completely separate from the main graphic and yet work completely. It sold for $500 on 2 bids.

Ooh, and here’s another beauty! It’s a Schmitt Stix Chris Miller “Faces” from 1989. You seldom see this deck at all, and this one is in NOS condition! It’s in a very wonderful deep purple stain, and the green, blue and yellow graphic really works on this background. It’s a very cool color palette, very sophisticated. It attracted a mammoth 38 bids, and ended up selling for $967.

And here we have a Plan 9 Misfits “Evil Eye” coffin deck from 1987. These decks were actually made by Zorlac I believe. The graphic was by Pushead, and legend has it that Glenn screen-printed these himself, though I seriously doubt that! This one is NOS, and pretty damned rare. It sold for $1,000.

OK, there was a time not so long ago that you could get pretty much any PP Lance Mountain deck apart from the Future Primitive for very reasonable coin. And by that I mean under $150. But those days are long gone. Decks like the Doughboy and now even this “Family” deck are going for double and triple that! Now, this one is NOS and in a very attractive baby blue dip, but still and all, it’s a pretty naff graphic. I mean, come on! So how much did it go for? Ok, try $450. Yes, that’s right.

But here’s a real beauty from Powell Peralta! It’s a Ray Bones Rodriguez “Skull and Sword” 6 ply BriteLite deck from 1982. Just check out the depth of those wheelwells! You could eat soup out of those! It’s in exceptional used condition, and it comes complete with Indys and black OG Mini Cubics. The seller states that they are stage 1 Indys, but I don’t think so, but it is tough to tell from the top view. The yellow hockey puck tailskids are a nice ouch too! The color is more purple than it shows in the photo I think, and it is in great shape overall. It’s a rare beauty and it sold for $1,527 on 17 bids. It’s definitely one of my favorite decks of the month.

Here we have a Blockhead Sam Cunningham “Snake and Lizards” from 1987. It’s NOS, never been gripped or skated. I’m not sure, but I think this is the mini model with the full sized model having the “big eye Sam” face between the snakes. It sold for $325 on 16 bids.

I had one of these in the watch last month, and I have to say that it has rapidly become one of my favorite decks! It’s a Skull Skates Steve Olson “Checkered” model from 1985. The orange dip and silver checkers is an exceptional colorway, and the black rails and Indy stickers actually add to the attraction here. I assume it was bought at Gremic in Huntington Beach because it has two of those stickers on there. It’s a beautiful deck in very lightly used condition. It sold for $391.

And the hits just keep on coming! Here we have a black dip Santa Cruz Rick Demontrond ‘Spidey” deck from 1987. It’s in average used condition with some tail wear, but it hasn’t been drilled for rails or tail. I absolutely love the black dip on this one. You normally see it in white dip but the black is superb: the leopard skin really stands out and the red and blue really pops. It’s a great looking deck, right? It sold for $500 on a Buy It Now, lasting only about 90 minutes.

And finally from the 80s this month we have this G&S Bill Tocco “Octopus” from 1988. It’s another one of my favorite decks, so this has been a stellar month for me! It’s NOS, never gripped or mounted. It’s in a lovely olive stain underneath, with a purple stain on top. The blue and purple octopus is bright, and the yellow and pink lettering looks great. It’s an awesome looking deck: even the top graphic is a good one. It sold for $422 on 9 bids.

90s-present day

First up in the 90s section this month we have this Shorty’s Steve Olson “Taurus” deck from 1997. It’s NOS, never mounted or gripped. It features his astrological sign, and you would think that would have been a good idea for a set of decks: different signs for all the different pros on the team. But I guess this was too good of an idea, because from what I can tell this was the only deck like this they put out. Instead they prefer the same lame logo in multiple colors. Oh well. And no, it’s not that Steve Olson. It sold for $463 on 3 bids.

Description 29Talking of sets, we have this set of decks from Real Skateboards from 2004. It’s called the “Crashed Out” series and features 5 decks, all for Real pro Peter Ramondetta. Each graphic can stand alone, but when put together they make a complete, bigger picture. It’s a nice idea that has been used a few times, but it works well here. However, the big problem is that skate decks, even when displayed, are seldom displayed placed together like this. So I’m not sure how they would look on a wall. It sold for $500 on 52 bids.

Here we have a Baker Andrew Reynolds “Weekend at Andrews” from 2003. It’s a take off on the lame/classic “Weekend at Bernie’s” series of movies form the mid 80s. But in place of a dead Bernie we have piss-drunk Baker pros holding each other up. It’s NOS and has been signed by Reynolds, Greco and Ellington. It sold for $300.

I don’t normally show decks from Supreme because they are normally short run “Art” decks that aren’t sold in skateshops. But I have to show these two. Sean Cliver did the graphics on these two decks from 2008. The top one is called “Halloween” and features kids dressed up in a range of politically incorrect costumes. The bottom one is called “Dick and Jane” and features the perfect kids from the learning to read books sacrificing their baby brother for Satan whilst their mom and dad look on! Great, funny stuff, and they sold for $300.

Here we have an H-Street Chad Vogt “Mad Chad” deck from 1991. The graphic is based on Mad Magazine characters, ad the top graphic has Alfred E Neuman himself, but the magazine says “Chad” instead of “Mad”. The deck is NOS, and must be fondly remembered, because as plain as the graphic is, it still sold for $1,050.

Assorted Crap

So with all of the Powell Peralta love going on at the moment it’s the perfect time to sell your old PP crap that’s cluttering up the house. Case in point, this PP World Tour 89 jacket. It has the different graphics down the sleeve, and the Ripper logo on the right chest and back. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice jacket, but as a jacket these things stink. They super thin and about as warm as a long sleeved t-shirt. So what are you getting for the money? Well I guess you are getting the right to look like you were there in 1989. Or maybe to look like you were good enough to be on the PP team. Bust ask yourself this, is that piece of foolery really worth $1,200? Because that’s what this cost. And it will look especially silly when PP reissue this jacket next month…

So here we have some classic old split axle Gullwings from the mid 70s; or to be more accurate, the confusingly named HPG IV! This set is mint, and in the super rare gold color. They are so minty fresh that the bushings still have a sheen of the original factory wax on them! They sold for $750 on 5 bids.

Ok, I’m breaking all of my own rules here because this complete didn’t actually sell, but I love it and so should you. Yes, at first glance it’s a SC Jeff Kendall “Pumpkin” alright, but look closer. No, actually this is a bootleg from Rox Pro(?), and not one of those half assed bootlegs either! They got the graphic pretty much spot on, and they can’t be sued because (drumroll…) this is the Jess Kendall, not Jeff Kendall! Too effing funny! I love this. It had a BIN of $130 but it didn’t sell. Funny thing is though, it’s actually probably much rarer than the real thing!

Here we have a set of Kryptonics CX64 dubcons from 1980. They are brand spanking new, and still have that minty new shone to them that old Kryps had. It’s also very hard to find a multicolored set, and you won’t find a brighter set than this! You missed this auction? I’m not surprised. They were up for a grand total of 9 minutes before they sold for the BIN price of $550.

Here’s something I don’t think I’ve ever featured before, but it is skate related so what the hell! It’s an oil paining called “Motel Kalifornia” by Justin Forbes. It is a 30” by 48” oil on canvas painting. The skater was based on Neil Blender, the composition by a photo by Jim Goodrich, and Justin’s biggest influence was Edward Hopper. So now you know. The painting sold for $1,200 on 3 bids.

And finally from the land of miscellany we have this 70s sticker collection. It’s a huge lot, consisting of hundreds of stickers from the 70s and very early 80s. We have original OJ stickers, Kent Senatore, Tunnel, Caster, Lazer, and tons of classic Alva and Dogtown. And the amazing thing is that there are multiples of every one! It’s all awfully impressive, and you probably might never see some of theses items again. I normally don’t show stickers anymore, but this set was so impressive that I had to, and the fact that it sold for $3,000 doesn’t hurt either!

Quick Hitters

1989 Powell Peralta Ray Barbee “Rag Doll”. NOS. $900.

1989 Blockhead “Hard Times” team deck. NOS. $499 on 1 bid.

1987 Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Dragon and Bats”. NOS. $600.

1990 Santa Cruz Corey O’Brien “Purgatory”. NOS. $499.

1989 Santa Cruz Jeff Hedges “Ffej”. Mint in shrink. $415.

1988 Brand X Sean Goff “Little Skaters”. Complete with Deadbolt trucks and Schmitt Stix Street Saw wheels. $425.

1987 Sims Henry Gutierrez “Impaled Skull”. Complete with Gullwings and Slimeballs. $309 on 17 bids.

1988 Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Sungod”. NOS. $780 on 25 bids.

1984 Zorlac Craig Johnson “Voodoo Doll”. $340 on 26 bids.

1989 Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Atom Man”. Mint in shrink. $780.

1976 Kryptonics Startrac 70mm bottle-green wheels. Mint. $499 on 3 bids.

1988 Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Crest”. Mint in shrink. $850 on 18 bids.

1987 Santa Cruz Ray Meyer “Skippy”. Complete with Indy freestyle trucks and SC Bullets. $362 on 14 bids.

1988 Powell Peralta Mike Vallely “Elephant” deck. NOS. $1,852 on 19 bids.

1988 BBC Jeff Phillips “Vert Swirl”. NOS. $334 on 15 bids.

1985 Sims Jeff Phillips “Breakout”. $415 on 20 bids.

1988 Zorlac Todd Prince “Toad Prince”. NOS. $561 on 5 bids.

1985 Powell Peralta “Ripper” team deck. NOS. $1,075 on 25 bids.

1987 G&S Billy Ruff “Clown Puppet” deck. NOS. $427 on 9 bids.

1977 Santa Cruz “5-Ply” team deck. Complete with Trackers and Sims Pure Juice Competition wheels. $370 on a Buy It Now.

1988 Skull Skates Social Distortion band deck. NOS. $955 on 22 bids.

See ya next month.

-Neil