OK, first of all let me apologize for this being so late. I went to a family wedding in England and was gone for 2 weeks mid-August, and that’s thrown everything completely off for July and August. I was thinking about combining them, but I have so many decks that I didn’t think that would be fair and it wouldn’t make sense. So here’s July, and August should follow in a couple of weeks, but be aware that I missed 2 weeks of auctions, so I don’t have as many auctions as usual for August. SO if you won anything for big dollars, or if you got a huge bargain in August, let me know and send me the eBay link and I’ll include it in August. There will be no music review this month because I’m so behind. Sorry about that. I was going to review Disposable 2, but I may not do that at all because I found it fundamentally flawed on many levels, but I’m sure it was a ton of work, so I’m going to leave it be.
60s, 70s, early 80s.
First up this month is this Powel Peralta Beamer from 1981ish. It’s in good condition, and comes with Trackers and Bones wheels. It’s a great example of this early PP deck, but at a price that won’t break the bank. $485.
And from a few years earlier we have this G&S Fiberflex deck. It is in mint, never ridden condition. I never knew that there was such a big market for old Fiberflex decks, but I guess I was wrong because this one sold for $1,425.
And from something classic from the 70s we go to something crappy from the 70s. Actually it’s not crappy, just sold at the toy store I guess. It’s a Hobie Surf Flex fiberglass deck in a lovely sea foam colorway, along with 2 blue Trackers and unknown wheels that look like they are either old and worn down as hell, or from a 90s deck and were moved to this complete for the sale. It’s an odd mash-up, and as it sold for only $31.
So Hobie didn’t just make toy-store decks. In the mid 60s they made beautiful laminated boards with clay wheels like this one. It is gorgeous: solid oak, walnut and mahogany wood construction in absolutely beautiful condition. It is a Hobie Super Surfer. It would have been even more impressive if it had been photographed on anything other than a solid wood floor. The beauty gets lost. Imagine how it would pop on white linoleum or something! Beautiful. $750.
Again from the very early 80s we have this Powell Peralta Alan Gelfand complete. It looks like it comes complete with Independent Stage 1s and PP IIIs. It’s in a beautiful silver dip, and the deck appears to be in very, very good condition. There are some wheels burn marks, and a lot of plastic obviously, but it is a great example of a complete Gelfand from the period, right down to the lapper. $709.
Now this one isn’t even a skateboard per se. It’s a Techniski ski trainer that you use with poles. You stand on it, feet side by side and ride it like you would skis. I’ve never tried it, but I believe that it is a completely different feeling than skiing, and skating like that would be crazy. But it still looks like fun. It sold for $42, so it’s worth buying just for the curiosity value.
Now this might be the most desirable old slalom rig I have ever seen. ItÕs a Turner Slalom Full Nose, complete with Strokers and Fireball wheels made by Lunar Landscapes (?). The thing looks pristine, and so fast I can almost feel it! The trucks make this auction, but the wheels and deck are special too. Let’s face it, this is an incredible auction, and it went for an incredible price: $1,100.
Mid 1980s
OK, so here’s one I’ve never featured before. It’s a Bronze Age Jay Adams “zipperhead” model from 1985. There were only about 50 made, and they were sold locally in Venice Beach I believe. Wasn’t Bronze Age a Venice skateshop? If so these were made there and sold there. The graphic is pretty awful, so it’s for the hardcore Jay Adams collector only I’d say. $515.
OK, Vision must have sold a lot of these decks in 1985 after Skate Visions, but you don’t see many on eBay, especially mint like this one. It’s the Vision Agent Orange of course, the “pro” model for the fantastic surf-punk band of the same name. It’s a very unusual colorway of “superman blue and bubblegum pink”, or at least so says the seller. That’s one nice deck. $700.
Here’s a Schmitt Stix Bryce Kanights “gargoyle” from 1989. Is this the first Bryce deck I’ve ever featured? Maybe so. By all accounts he’s a Portland local and super nice guy, so here you go. I’ve always dug this graphic, and this is a mint example on a really nice colorway of a green/grey stain. The colors really pop off of it. It went for $375.
OK, so some of the good folks on skullandbones had a raffle for me, and raised $140 for me to spend on a deck of my choosing. I came close to pulling the trigger a couple of times, but ended up bidding on and winning this Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “dragon and bats” from 1988 in my favorite colorway. I tell you, words can’t describe how vibrant this deck is, and if anybody asks if there’s any difference between screened decks and heat transfer decks, then just take a look at this. Remember, this deck is 20 years old, but is as bright and vibrant as if it had been made yesterday. The ink is so bright that it stands off of the deck and almost looks 3D. It is truly exceptional workmanship, and it’s sad that most decks today are flat, lifeless tools, nothing more. The best piece was the price. The deck is basically mint apart from the fact that it was drilled for a tailbone at one point so it has 3 perfect holes on the tail. You really can’t see them, and like I say, it is basically mint. Normally this colorway goes in the $400 range, but I got this one for $149. So thanks guys! Underneath it is a similar one that also went off in July but sold for $350, even though it looked a little faded, so yes I got a bargain.
So, before Gator rode for Vision he rode for G&S, and he did have a pro model with them. This is it, and although it’s pretty badly chewed up, I wanted to show it because you don’t see it too often. The seller says it’s green, but in the picture it looks very dirty white or light brown. The graphics look like they took all of 10 minutes to do, and although they might once have been bright and eye-catching, now they just fade into the rest of it. Still, it’s rare as can be, and it sold for $100.
So here’s a really nice Vision Mark Gonzales “Gonz & Roses” complete from 1987. The guy that originally put this together sure was anal retentive because everything, even down to the griptape matches perfectly. The deck is blue pink and black, the trucks and griptape are pink, the wheels are black, rails are black, and tailbone is pink. Actually, it’s too much. The colored trucks detract from the graphic. Raw trucks would have let it display far better. So anyway, I guess the seller didn’t actually ride it much because it is almost perfect. There are a couple of minor scratches, but it’s basically the way they set it up in the shop. You know, when the guy behind the counter said “Are you sure that you want Gullwing trucks? And in pink???” It sold for $720.
And here’s a classic: a Santa Cruz Claus Grabke “exploding clocks” from 1987. It’s NOS with a couple of storage marks, nothing major. The white dip isn’t the best, and the gold clocks and pink type and explosion get kind of lost, but still, it’s a rare board to find in this condition, and it is an unusual colorway. It probably looks far better in person. It sold for $676.
So here’s a Santa Cruz Christian Hosoi “street flag” from 1987. It’s mint and in a sweet baby blue dip, but still, nothing remarkable here really apart from the price. It went for $586, which seems awful high to me for this. Let’s face it, they phoned it in for the graphic, and although the colorway is nice, it still looks like a very generic deck to me. So $600? Really?
But this, this is something special, and for it to go for less than the Hosoi is plain silly. It’s a Sims Lester Kasai “Splat” from 1983. It’s in an awesome neon lime green dip with bright blue and gold. This thing really pops, and the graphic was obviously saved by the plastics. It still has the nose and tail guard, and I’d lose those immediately. The rails have already gone, but they did their job. It’s awesome, just awesome. $406.
And talking of awesome, how’s this Vision John Grigley “Guardian” from 1987? The graphic is intense anyway, there’s tons going on back there, but this one also has the sweet green to red fade action going on. Just look at the blow up of this thing! Intense! It’s truly a thing of beauty for the Grigley collector. It went for $700.
Jumping back to Santa Cruz, we now have some of their team models, all part of the “Oops” series. First up is the first in that series from 1989, also known as the “street creep”. It’s in a purple dip that really allows the yellows and reds of the skull to pop. There are faces etc in the details of the skull. It’s pretty intense work by Jim Phillips of course. A collectible team deck? Really? I’d say so, as this mint in shrink one went for $850.
You think that one was high? Well this highly unusual colorway went for an even larger $960! Of course, the seller should insert foot in mouth, because he says that a mint Street Creep hadn’t gone off in 6 months, when in reality the one above went off the day before, but c’est la vie.
OK, so the Oops 1 went off for big cash, but how about others from the series? Umm, yeah. This Oops IV or “tramp” is mint in shrink and looking good on natural wood stain. It sold for $1,175. SO yeah, there’s money in team decks, if it’s the right team deck.
Fuck, Blockhead had some great graphics. This is the Blockhead Mark Partain “lizards” from 1990. I don’t think this is the best colorway for this deck because the true beauty of the NW imagery kind of gets lost, but on a white or green deck this is stunning. This might look better in person, because the greens and yellows might not have photographed quite right. For it to sell for $125 is a crime IMHO. This deserves far better than that. It’s a stunning deck in person.
Staying with smaller companies we have this Shut Skates “shark” from 1990. It was a team deck, but still featured some very cool artwork from this seminal New York company. Aaron Murray’s Koping Killer is using a similar motif today. Shut would later morph into Zoo York, but the original guys have revived Shut again over the last couple of years.
Now this is special, and I’m sure the east coast collectors got a stiffy when they saw this one drop! It’s a Sims Buck Smith “sun and moon” from 1987. The 80s east coast pros have a sizable following out there, but the decks normally top out in the $400 range. This one went for $1,000. That seems like a lot, but it is a great looking deck, and the colorway is perfect. The light wood allows the colors to pop and really jump off of the deck. This is an exceptional example of this deck and I can see why it went so big.
So this Sims Kevin Staab ”pirate” from 1988 looks silly in comparison. The graphic is giant and juvenile, but as this deck goes, it’s about as good as it’s going to get. It is in mint condition and the deep red stain does make it look the best it possibly can. There must be a number of Staab collectors out there because this went for $1,100.
So anything Suicidal Tendencies from the 80s goes big now, even if it’s a used complete with a lousy b/w color scheme. This is the perfect case in point. Let’s face it, the graphic is crappy and looks like it was drawn by a 10 year old. No thought went in at all, but that doesn’t matter because the 80s nostalgia thing is in full swing, even for stuff like this. The most interesting thing might be the Deadbolt trucks or the Alva Rocks wheels. It sold for $375.
So to put that Suicidal deck in perspective, it sold for more than this superb, mint G&S Bill Tocco “octopus” from 1987. How insane is that? This deck is just rad all the way round. It’s rare to find a mint one at all, never mind one with a color scheme as great as this one! As with a lot of G&S decks it has a fade, but this one is from top to bottom, not from side to side. Put it this way, I would love to own this deck. $325.
Man, how Powell Peralta Ray Underhill decks have jumped in price. There used to be a glut of these at oldschoolskates in the $70 range in every colorway imaginable, but then all of a sudden there was a run on them and poof! They were gone! They floated in the $150 range on eBay for the last few months, but now this mint red one just went off for $327! I would guess that it’s the highest an Underhill has ever gone for that wasn’t being raffled for charity.
90s-present day
I swear that this one sold just a few months ago, and here it is again. It’s a World Industries Ron Chatman “3 clowns” from 1992. It’s a creepy graphic and dark wood stain: not a great looking deck all in all, but rare. It sold for $800.
Hook-Ups decks are blowing up! This “Allison Wonderland” from 2001 is mint, and highly sought after due to its graphic featuring a slutty Alice doing a bong hit. It sold for $375, which is VERY big for a Hook-Ups deck.
This is a Blind Jason Lee “Support America” from 1991. It’s NOS and rare, rare, rare. The auction ended at $1,025, which seems about right. Didn’t this one go off a few months back too?
Ah yes, the Powell Peralta Mike McGill aquarium from 1991. Mint and still in shrink, and in a deep red stain no less! It’s a very fine looking deck, but for the seller to say that it’s been a “long, long time” since he saw another on eBay, well I guess he hasn’t been looking for hard or very long because they go off almost every month. They are still holding their value though, and this one stayed true to form, going off at $450.
Now I’d never seen this one before and was very close to winning this myself! It’s a Planet Earth Chris Miller “factory” from 1992, and is very rare. How rare is it? Rare enough that all AOS has of it is a b/w scan from Thrasher, with no pricing information. It’s a slick, and comes complete with Trackers and Tracker Ollie wheels. The colors are still vibrant, and the condition is very good: some scratches but nothing too bad. Overall it’s a fine piece of artwork that just happens to be underneath a skateboard. It went for only $152, I think because so few recognized it for what it was.
And here’s another unusual one. It’s a World Industries Rodney Mullen “7 dogs” from 1992. Actually I will admit to never having seen this deck before. The top bears the picture of somebody called Svetave Tovarny, and the stuff behind the dogs appears to be from a book or newspaper. I can find no info on either, so your guess is as good as mine. It went for $580.
Here’s a Plan B Sean Sheffey “troll” from 1991 in mint condition. This one is listed as a one-off because of the tri-colored hair, but I don’t know if that is true. The others pictured on AOS do have single colored hair though, so maybe that’s right. The natural wood stain really lets the fluorescent hair pop. If you were going to collect old Sheffeys, then this would be the one for you, silly graphic or not. $810.
Assorted Crap
So bootleg graphics are rapidly becoming one of the staples of this column recently, and July was no exception. Here we have the Highway Fox “dolphin”, I would assume from around 1987. It’s clearly a rip-off of the Santa Cruz Jason Jessee Neptune, but with a big shark head around the back trucks. So who knows why it’s called Dolphin? I guess if you’re putting the least effort into your product as possible, then nothing needs to make sense really. Look at the wheels! Somebody actually tried to ride that thing! Hats off to ya buddy, because I’m guessing that those bearings rolled like they had superglue in them. It sold for $20.
Now I never liked this SC Keith Meek “Slasher” graphic on a deck, but I think it works really well on this t-shirt! It doesn’t say unworn, so I guess this was worn for a few sessions, but it seems to be in pretty good condition. It sold for $312, and I’m guessing is in Japan right now. Old skate shirts often end up in the far east.
Shit, I used to have a pair of these in black. What was I thinking? It’s not just the graphic, it’s the cut! High waistband, short leg: now there’s a look! Well if you want to rock that look again you can, and for only $24, because that’s how much these NOS Vision shorts would set you back. Look, the tag and sticker are still on there!
And if you’re buying those shorts you might as well go the whole hog and buy the fanny pack too. And not just any fanny pack: a Vision tie-dye one! Yup, just big enough to keep your tampons in. $33 could have you looking the part at that 80s party you want to throw.
Bargains!
This is so stupid that it makes me want to punch someone in the face. It’s a Skull Skates Godoy Brothers gargoyle deck from 1986. It’s the mini, but it’s in great used condition: the graphic is 100% there. A few years ago anything Skull went for big cash, let alone Godoy stuff. But this went for $52. WTF?
And look, I know that Eppic wasn’t the most well known company, or Eddie Gomez a household name, but this “Sun Worship” from 1988 is an interesting graphic on an unusual shape for the time. It’s been set up, but is basically NOS. I think it’s a rad deck, but it sold for $62.
Didn’t a Haro Circuit Board deck go for $200 last month? Well you could have waited and gotten this lightly used one for $47. With a “Go Skate or Go Home” sticker to boot!
So I featured my first (maybe) Bryce Kanights in the 80s section above. Well here’s the second. It’s a Schmitt Stix Bryce Kanights “dragon and shield”, with a dragon that looks like it was drawn by an 8 year old. It’s used, but in pretty good shape overall. A lot of the dirt could be cleaned off, leaving you with a fine wall hanger for the collector on a budget. $43.
And this one is plain silly. It’s a Alva Jim Murphy “Wings”, complete with Indys and Slimeballs. The deck is in good used condition: the entire graphic is there, and it comes in a wicked red to black fade at the edge. It’s a great looking complete that you could buy and display as is for a great snapshot of 1987. So for it to sell for $41? Shipping is probably more than that.
Yes, this Santa Cruz Natas “kitten” has a chewed up tail, but the bulk of the graphic is fine, and again, for the collector on a budget $40 seems like a good deal here. Of course, there’s always some asshole with a completely asinine question. Somebody asked this seller if the deck was warped or had water damage. Err, hello, McFly? Have you seen the deck? I don’t think a warp is going to hurt it too much.
Yes, this BBC Monty Nolder slick has maybe the worst graphic of all time. But it is NOS from 20 years ago, and he is a name. So for it to sell for $38? The bargain bin at the skateshop probably had it for more than this 20 years ago. I’m guessing it would have been a $45 special with a free sticker or something.
And next to it in the bargain bin you might have found one of these: the Steadham Industries Citizen X deck. Steve Steadham was ahead of his time when he quit Powell and formed his own company, but unfortunately for him, he was ahead of his time, because in the mid 80s kids wanted decks from the big companies, especially when Steadham was churning out dross like this. The shape looks OK I guess but the graphic is totally unremarkable in every way. So is $42 a bargain for this? Hmmm you tell me.
More next time.
-Neil
