ebay Watch: July 2011

So, welcome to July’s eBayWatch. July was a hot month with a ton of decks breaking the $1,000 barrier, and quite a few going significantly higher than that! There was a lot of variation this month, with some decks going off that you don’t see all the time. The exception to that would be in the 70s section where I see a lot of the same graphics going off every month. Are you guys tired of the same 60s and 70s boards every month? The problem is, I feel I have to show the classics, because what else am I going to do, show polyprops? If an unusual deck like a Bad Company goes off I will always show that, but they are few and far between. There’s always a ton of Dogtowns and Z-Flex, so even with the best will in the world I end up showing those. I always try and show an unusual 60s graphic however, and this month was no exception with the Voodoo. August is shaping up really well so far, and I have some great stuff picked out already.

For my music selection of July I’m going with The Arrivals and their album “Volatile Molotov” from 2010. The Arrivals are a melodic Chicago punk rock band who have been going since 1999ish. This is their 4th full length. How to describe them? Well let’s let them do that for themselves shall we? They sound like “Mission of Burma trying to write Kinks songs wearing The Jam t-shirts over their Pixies tattoos. Or The Strike trying to write Beatles songs wearing The Who t-shirts over their Elvis Costello and Naked Raygun tattoos”. That description is both humorous and accurate. They write muscular punk songs but with a real pop sensibility. They have lots of hooks and even more melodies in the vocals. In every song I find myself saying “This sounds a little like so and so”, and it’s a different reference every time. They are super tight and have that muscular rhythm section only found in old school Chicago punk bands. Simply put, they are fantastic, and I feel very lucky to have found them, so I’m trying to spread the love. Thanks to Terry for turning me onto them. If you want a good sample, listen to the song “Blank Slate” on Spotify or iTunes. If it doesn’t draw you straight in then we must have very different tastes in music, so don’t worry about it I guess. Totally recommended.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

First up this month is this Kryptonics Steve Alba “K-Beam” complete from 1979. It comes complete with Megatron trucks and original Powell Bones wheels. It looks to be in great shape, with very little wear to the deck on the bottom or the top. The griptape looks super clean actually. Now, the seller should have photographed the deck the regular way. Holding it like this so we can see his bad tie-dye t-shirt and grinning mug isn’t helping sell the deck at all, and actually takes away from it. It sold for $500.

Here we have an Alva Tri-Logo deck from 1978. It measured 10×30, so was one of the earliest large decks on the market. The deck is in decent used condition, but you can see how much darker the wood got: look how pale it is under the trucks! The topside is in great shape. The die cut griptape and red to yellow Alva logo looks as clean as the day it was purchased! It’s still a great logo and the die-cut grip is still an awesome look. It sold for $450.

Here’s a Dogtown Wes Humpston “Big Foot” complete from 1978/79. It comes compete with Indy Stage II 169s and blue YoYo conicals. The deck had full plastics at one time but they were all pulled off at some point years ago, just leaving a strange tiny tail guard. The bottom of the deck looks great, but the top is in rough shape, with dirty peeling griptape, sun damage, and a Scorpions sticker, which might just be the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. It sold for $463.

This is a Sims Brad Bowman “Superman” deck from 1979. The deck has a lot of wear around the edges and tail, and appears to have faded in the sun over the years. The topside is in even worse shape, with peeling tape and delamination of the top plies in places. Still, it is a Brad Bowman, and the main part of the graphic is there. Strangely enough it comes with stage III Indys, which would have come along about 5 years after the deck, so I’m not sure what that is about. Whatever the deal, this sold for $500.

This auction was for a Dogtown Wes Humpston “Bulldog” complete from 1978. It has Gullwing HPG IV trucks (or “brackets” as the seller calls them), and some kind of G&S wheels. The deck itself is in really nice condition, with virtually no noticeable wear at all. It has a couple of chips and dings but nothing major. The topside is in good condition too, and overall I’d give this complete a solid 7.5. It sold for $591 on 16 bids.

Now here is a deck that is totally ruined by the stickers on it. It’s a G&S Doug “Pineapple” Saladino “Side Cut Concave” model from 1981. It comes complete with Trackers and G&S Rollerball wheels. The wheels alone are an attraction here, especially getting two orange and two yellow. The biggest problem however is those two Pineapple stickers in the middle of the graphic. It’s a weak graphic anyway, and the geometric nature of it means that it has to be kept plain to be appreciated, much like pin striping on a car. The round stickers completely mess up the vertical lines. It’s a very rare deck and is in great condition both underneath and up top. It sold for $810 on 26 bids.

And to finish up the “vintage” section this month we have this truly vintage model from the 1960s. It’s a Voodoo model, with no other markings apart from that. It is a flat slab of wood with single action trucks and steel wheels. It’s in remarkable shape considering its age, and would probably be a nice addition to the Cold War series of 60s redo’s. It sold for $340.

Mid 1980s

So first up in the 80s section this month we have this G&S Bill Ruff “Chalice” complete from 1984. It comes complete with really clean old Venture trucks and generic red wheels. It actually looks like somebody slapped the first trucks and wheels they could find on this deck to sell it, unless the seller never really skated back in the day. But the wheels do have a lot of wear on them, and the deck and trucks are very clean, so who knows? The teal dip is a nice change for this deck; it’s one of the better colorways that I have seen. It sold for $174.

Here’s a mint Powell Peralta “Team Bug” from 1986. You can still find the much more common checkerboard version of this graphic in online shops, but this is the earlier and much more rare “ant” version. This one is on a pig shape and has an ant background instead of the checkerboard. You don’t see this version that often, and the black dip and the fact that it is still in shrink makes it something truly special. It sold for $500 on a Buy It Now, and the auction lasted for literally 2 minutes and 5 seconds. So I’m guessing that it would have gone much higher.

And here we have a used and stickered Alva Bill Danforth “Circle of Skulls” from 1987. I really like the colorway on this one. The black to grey fade is wonderful, and the pink and green on the main graphic is great on that background. The wear isn’t too bad at all, and remove all of those generic crappy stickers and you’d have a wonderful Danforth for $189.

And here’s another Alva Bill Danforth, this one being the candles model from 1989. It’s NOS and in a deep black stain with bright, vibrant foreground colors. Never mounted or gripped. That’s a nice looking deck, but this model never goes high for some reason. This one sold for $275 on 34 bids.

Here we have an NOS Skull Skates Duane Peters “Cross” from 1988. It’s ungripped and never mounted but does have some storage marks and scuffs etc. This has the TubTech 2 concave, and I believe that it only came in this single colorway. It sold for $425.

Here is a deck you don’t see every day! It’s a Walker Chuck Dinkins Pro model from 1988. It comes complete with white Trackers (with grey baseplates!) and OJII Teamriders. The setup is in very good condition because the guy who owned it didn’t skate at all really, he was just friends with some good skaters that skated for Barecover apparently. Due to the logo looking design of the deck, the 2 stickers on the tail are confusing and need to be removed, but apart from that, this is a great example of a hard to find deck from a small company. It sold for $293.

So here’s your standard Vision Gator II from 1988. Actually it’s anything but standard: the pink to yellow horizontal fade colorway is outstanding, and is even better on the green stain. Add to that, it comes complete with yellow Gullwings and pink Kryptonics that match the colorway of the deck perfectly. Yes it’s lightly used, but overall I’d give it a 7, and the colors here are what makes it a great buy at $143.

And here’s a Zorlac John Gibson “Cow Skull” mini from 1986. It’s a very desirable deck, and the pink dip and orange graphic makes it even more so. It is gripped and has been ridden, but there is virtually no damage to the graphic, and IF you can remove the Thrasher sticker form the tail and the old sticker residue to the right of it, you would have a wonderful old Zorlac at an affordable price. Now, the full size would obviously be nicer than the mini, but you don’t see too many full sized decks going off these days, so beggars can’t be choosers! This deck sold for $330.

Here’s a Vision Mark Gonzales “Original Gonz” from 1986. I’ve never been that big of a fan of this graphic to tell the truth. It’s iconic; no doubt about that, but much like the Hawk chicken skull, there’s so many of them out there that it bores me. This one is on a deep red stain with yellows and pinks in the main graphic. It’s a nice looking deck, and is in NOS, never mounted or gripped condition, but I think the $1,826 it fetched is high. The seller claims that this is the “first edition kicknose press”, but I’m not sure what he means by that. The first edition Gonz had front and rear wheelwells, and this one doesn’t, so it isn’t a first edition of anything. The graphic was out there for a coupe of years, so I’m sure the later versions had a deeper concave and a longer nose, so I’m guessing this might be a 1987.

Ooooooh! Look at this! It’s a Santa Cruz Claus Grabke ‘Exploding Clock” from 1987. But more importantly, it’s in a rare colorway and is NOS: never gripped or mounted! You seldom see this deck in any condition, let alone NOS or on white dip! I love this deck and everything about it. The shape is great and I really enjoy the graphic too because Claus designed it and it means something personal to him. It wasn’t just some meaningless picture that got slapped down to make a production run. It went super big, at least for a Grabke it did: $2,265 on 17 bids. Oh yeah.

Now this is a deck that I never used to pay much attention to, but seeing this one has made me change my mind. It’s a Vision “Street Ghost” from 1985 with graphics by John Grigley. It was part of the Old Ghosts series, and if the graphics look rough it’s because John drew it left handed because he’d broken his right arm skating. This one is in decent used condition. It’s been drilled for tail and two different sets of rails, but at least they saved the graphic because it is all there. The best part is the colorway, because this looks great. The baby blue dip with bright green, yellow, pink and orange is truly outstanding. It’s a great looking deck that you don’t see often, and it sold for $304.

And talking of John Grigley, here’s a one off deck, hand painted by John himself. It’s a Schmitt Stix “Ripsaw” prototype that John decided to redecorate, and here is the result. I don’t normally feature one offs like this, but I really liked this one and it’s my column so there you go! It sold for $510, and has probably made a Grigley collector very happy!

SoI got tired of showing the Powell Peralta Tommy Guerrero “Flaming Dagger” a couple of years ago because there was so many of them, but I like this one so here you go. This one is the later pointy nose version with no wheel wells, Its NOS but has been gripped, and the metallic blue colorway is fantastic! It’s mini, but this is still a great looking deck. It sold for $760.

So here’s a JFA “original” stinger deck from 1985. It’s gripped and been used, but is in really good shape overall. It’s a bright colorway, and although it’s got more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese, it would look great on any wall. It looks like a sticker has been removed off the tail and taken the top layer of paint, but it certainly could be worse. It sold for $405.

Here’s a beauty. It’s a Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Street Crest” from 1988. It’s in mint condition and in an almost glow in the dark fluorescent green stain. The deck is incredibly bright and the screen-printing is so precise on this. It’s just a great looking deck, and a great shape as well. It sold for $849, and the crest is slowly working its way to being a $1000 deck if it’s in this kind of condition.

Good go, look at this slab of gorgeous. It’s a 1986 Schmitt Stix Joe Lopes “Crystal Ball”. It’s in NOS condition with minor scratches. It’s in a great looking teal stain, with the main graphic in orange, pink and yellow. The natural front wheel wells are a great contrast to the rest of the deck, and overall this is just a great looking deck. It’s not the first version of the deck (that one had rear wheel wells too), but that’s a minor squabble. This one sold for $2,330 on 33 bids.

And here’s a deck I’m betting that most of you have never seen before. It’s a Deathbox (UK) Graham “Mac” McEacheran “World War” from 1989. Before the owners moved to the States and founded Flip they had a British/European company called Deathbox, and they put out some great decks and had a fantastic pro team too. Mac did all of the early graphics for them, and had a very dark, cartoony style. He was a great skater too, and I remember watching him skate at Kennington Bowl in London in 1985. He was pulling Andrecht inverts there, and if you’ve ever been to Kennington then you’ll know how shallow it is so that was a great achievement. Anyway, Deathbox decks are super rare and highly sought after, so it’s no surprise that this used one went for $420. The graphic is all there, but it has been gripped and ridden some.

Here’s the obligatory Zorlac Metallica “Pirate” from 1986. It’s in perfect condition and in a screaming, vivid 80s colorway of pink dip with bright orange and pale blue. If this is a graphic you are looking for then you will appreciate this colorway probably, so the $1,825 it sold for does not surprise me at all. There have been a ton of these surfacing recently though, all mint, so that makes me just a tad suspicious. There’s another one coming up next month too.

This Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Future Primitive 2” is in a great colorway, is in NOS condition (never gripped or set up) and is full size and seven ply. What more could you want? Well apart from the original graphic and wheel wells I guess! This sold or $1,308, which I hope the seller is going to put towards buying some new carpet for the house because that stuff is fucking horrible.

Here we have another Powell Peralta deck, this being a Rodney Mullen “Mutt” from 1984. Actually this one is interesting because the deck looks virtually untouched: it has surface, storage marks, but very little other wear and tear. The topside has been gripped, but the grip is obviously new, so my question is why would somebody grip a very valuable 30-year-old deck? Maybe it was to cover up some old grip that was removed? I’m not sure of the answer to that, but I do know that it sold for $1,300.

Here we have the Sims Eric Nash “bandito” from 1987. It’s in a very nice purple swirly woodstain, and the orange, green and yellow graphics really pop off of it. It’s not the first gen “Fuck You” model, but it is a very handsome looking deck, and one that has exploded in value recently. Has this column had anything to do with that? I’m not sure, but I assume that the more certain graphics get in front of eyes, then the more desirable they become. It sold for $700.

Now please pardon the poor quality photos of this deck. I normally wouldn’t feature a deck with such shitty images, but this one is special. It’s a true SMA Natas Kaupas “Panther II” from 1985. And when I say true SMA, I mean it. This is one of the early SMA runs of the graphic. It has the green to white fade in the leaves, wheelwells, and no concave. If you could see the sides you would also see that the sides are colored which is another giveaway. I believe that there were less than 1000 made total, and only about 100 in white. This one has been ridden pretty hard, but it’s such a historic deck that I had to show it. I’m not quite sure why the back truck holes have been double drilled, but it makes no matter. It’s an awesome deck, and will clean up nice I would imagine. It sold for $500.

Here we have a Santa Cruz “Oops III-Logos” team deck from 1989. It’s in a dark woodstain and is in NOS condition; never gripped or mounted. This series has become super collectible, as shown by the price that this one fetched: $835. Personally I think it’s the weakest of the series, but I guess I’m in the minority there. The auction had 23 bidders.

And here we have a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “face” from 1987. It’s in what I would call a Christmas colorway: red dip and green and yellowish graphic. This deck has grown on me like a fungus, and this colorway is particularly gruesome/wonderful, depending on your opinion. It’s been gripped (in hideous yellow griptape no less!) and was drilled and setup at one point. I can only imagine what color the trucks and wheels were. It sold for $340.

Man, we have a lot of Santa Cruz decks this month! Here’s another team deck, this one being the “Optical Illusion” from the R/S series from 1984. This is a nicely used complete, with well ground Trackers and Sunspot wheels. It is in very solid used shape, with no graphic were or scratching at all. It sold for $485.

And here we have yet another Santa Cruz team complete. This one is the Special Edition from 1986 with the red to yellow fade in the graphic. It comes complete with the red anodized Indys and red Slasher wheels. It’s in very good used condition, and just needs a little cleaning up. It sold for $510 on 15 bids.

Here we have a Sims “Flagship I” team deck from 1983. It’s in NOS unused condition. A lot of decks back then shipped with die-cut griptape applied art the factory, and this is one of those decks. It does have some storage scratches etc. but it’s super solid overall, and a pretty rare deck in this condition. It sold for $450. I can remember that at college in 85 a lot of kids that weren’t really skaters or punks would buy this deck. I guess it was some kind of English Beat/ska statement?

So here’s your classic Powell Peralta Skull & Sword graphic reused and slapped on a money bump street deck in 1987. It has the full background graphic treatment too, a technique that Powell started using on all of the decks in this time period. Put a screened monotone graphic behind the main graphic to give contrast and interest. It does work I have to admit. Without it this deck would look a little plain. Mush like they did with the Hawk Birdclaw. Without the forest background it looks a little lost, but that background ties it together. It sold for $800.

And talking of classic Powell Peralta graphics we have this Steve Steadham “Spade” from 1984. This is the classic red and white colorway and comes complete with Stage IV Indys and 85A Ratbones. It’s in decent used condition: the plastics have protected the graphic really well. They also work with the colorway, so I would probably keep it as a complete. It’s very clean and very nice. It sold for $449.

Here’s an absolute belter. It’s a Skull Skates Tod Swank “Splendor” model from 1988. It’s been well sued and has a lot of bottom scratches, but the topside looks remarkably clean. Despite the scratches it still looks great, and I think the large moon and star look far better here that they did when pictured smaller on the similar Foundation deck a few years later. The shape is big and ungainly and it’s just a wonderful, simple deck. It sold for $228.

And finally from the 80s this month we have this Schmitt Stix “Tarampula” team deck from 1988. It’s unusual because it appears to be on an Alan Midgette “Flower Picker” shape instead of the regular Tarampula II shape, and the seller claims that it is a prototype. It’s in NOS condition and the super dark red stain is beautiful and the fluorescent colors in the graphic really stand out. Normally I don’t feature one-offs, but this is a real beauty. It sold for $2000.

90s-present day

Let’s start the 90s section with this Plan B Ronnie Bertino “Sideways” slick from 1994. Why sideways? Because the face on the clown is sideways, see? I’m not sure why. It’s NOS and has been signed by Ron. He might not be the biggest name, but at least he knows to sign his sig small and not ruin the graphic! It sold for $299.

Here’s one you all do recognize I’m sure. It’s a Santa Cruz Bod Boyle “Sick Cat” from 1991. This one has been gripped and set up, but there is no evidence that it was really ridden at all, because the deck is virtually flawless. There is a tiny bit of wear on the tail, but that’s about it. It ahs a nice deep green stain, and the orange cat really stands out. It sold for $489.

Here’s a deck that has jumped in price over the last few years. It is a Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Biker Dragon” from 1991. Cab had a dragon as his first graphic, and was always keen to personalize it doing things that he was into, whether it be playing bass or riding a motorcycle. This motorcycle deck is mint but not in shrink, and has the later shape with the nose double drilled. Earlier versions of this graphic came on a more shaped deck with a flat nose. The grey wash stain is typical of Powell at the time, and this sold for $545 on 18 bids.

So we saw the first Powell Peralta Cameron Martin for years show up last month and it went for over $1k, so of course sellers saw that and decided to sell theirs too. It never normally works out for the second seller though, and such was the case here. The deck is NOS, but the colorway is kind of blah, and it ended up selling for $402. That’s not bad, but I’m sure that the seller was hoping for more.

And talking of Powell decks from the 90s, we have this Powell Lance Conklin “Seven Dwarves Lineup” slick from 1993. It’s a funny graphic: the 7 dwarves in a police lineup, dressed in typical early 90s skate garb: baggy pants, oversized t-shirts etc. The deck is NOS, never gripped etc. and is a rare one. It sold for $599.

So here is your classic Blind Mark Gonzales “Skull and Banana” deck from 1991. It’s one of the historic Blind series that ripped on classic Powell graphics, and although it caused huge waves at the time, Powell is only too happy to make similar spoofs of their own graphics today. How many times have they spoofed this particular one for example? The skull holding a candy cane, skull holding a camera etc. What I always found interesting is the fake shape drawn inside the real shape, vividly illustrating the difference in size and shape between 80s and 90s decks. This is NOS and a real beauty and it sold for $1,800.

And here’s another classic graphic that spawned a thousand rip-offs. It’s the Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Guadalupe” from 1991. This is the classic green stain with green and red cape on the gold glow. It’s probably the best colorway for this graphic. The deck is NOS and looks to be close to perfect. It sold for $727.

The online old school shops have very little stock left these days, but what you will still find is a lot of early 90s Powell Peralta graphics. Powell was still producing decks in large numbers like it was still 1987, and weren’t able to foresee the crash that was about to happen. Consequently there are still lots of Saiz ‘Buffalo”, Frankie Hill “Ear” and Lance Mountain “Family” and “Doughboy” decks still around at reasonable prices. Your only hope if you are buying one to make money on is to get a rare colorway, and that is what this seller has done. They are selling a matching set of black dipped Lance Mountain “Doughboy I and II” decks from 1990/1991. Both are mint in shrink. It’s an interesting selling technique, and I think it worked because he sold the set for $450. Both decks are still relatively easy to find for far less that the $225 apiece these got, but not in this colorway.

Here’s a Zorlac Metallica deck you don’t see everyday. It’s the Metallica “Snakepit” deck from 1992 with artwork by Pushead. I believe that it was the last Metallica deck that Zorlac did and they must have had a falling out, because this graphic later reappeared on a generic Zorlac deck. This one is NOS and apart from the price tag residue in the front truck region appears to be perfect. It sold for a large $1,495.

And finally from the 90s this month we have this Powell Wade Speyer ‘Evil Clowns” slick from 1993. It’s an interesting one because it must have some out right when the truck companies had decided to start drilling the baseplates in the new shorter span that is seen today. This deck is drilled with 6 holes front and back for both old school trucks with the wider span and the new school trucks with the shorter. The deck is NOS and has never been gripped. It sold for $500.

Assorted Crap

Remember the mid 80s BROTHER? Well if you were alive then, you will remember that skating was huge but so was pro wrestling. And who was bigger at the time than Hulk Hogan? This was before the rise of smarks and the internet. Wrestling fans still liked their heroes to be larger than life superheroes, and the Hulkster fitted the bill perfectly. So what better than to put Hulk Hogan on a skateboard? It’s your typical piece of crap 80s toy store complete, with wheels that didn’t roll, trucks that didn’t turn, and griptape that didn’t grip. But this isn’t for riding! It’s for staring at, jaw agape! It comes complete in its original WWF box, and is quite a sight to see! It sold for $178. I’m wondering if there was a Macho Man or Andre the Giant skateboard too? Having the set would be rad.

After being reprimanded for dissing the insane prices paid for stickers a year ago I haven’t featured stickers much, but I really liked this early foil Independent Trucks sticker. The seller claims it’s from the 70s, and they appear to know what they are talking about, so I’ll say yes, probably 1979. So here we have an Independent Suspension Truck Company foil sticker from 1979. It sold for $124 with 13 bids.

And here we have another toy store complete from the mid 80s. This is the “classic” Nash “Executioner”, seen and laughed at by a million skaters in the 80s, but apparently fondly remembered because it sold for $153. It is in unridden condition, and still has the original “Get a Grip” rails and crappy Nash lapper. The trucks are almost exact rip-offs of Indys, and the wheels look like duotone Sims wheels, but aren’t. So it looks like a real skateboard but is not.

But here’s something that is from the 80s but is very authentic and very rare. It’s a t-shirt from the Shut Up and Skate skate contest from Dallas Texas in 1989! The shirt has been worn and it’s faded with time and repeated washings, but it still appears to be in pretty good shape. It’s tough to tell the size: maybe a large? It looks wide but short. It sold for $406 on 21 bids.

So the fake wheels on that Nash above? Well they are supposed to look like these Sims street wheels from the mid 80s. These things are just awesome! They are double conicals and in a red two-tone of florescent green and dark green. They have been lightly used but are still in great shape. I remember that Gator rode a set of two-tone wheels in that first Vision video in the pool scene with Agent Orange, and they looked great with his classic swirl deck. They went for $70 on 22 bids.

And here’s another set of Sims wheels, but these are Pure Juice “Competition” wheels from the mid 70s. They are totally mint and despite being nearly 40 years old look like they could have come from a shop yesterday. These were some wide wheels, and they had to be because the trucks were so narrow! They sold for $553 on 15 bids.

Remember Thunderbolts? They were available for a short time circa 1988, and were one of those innovations in mounting hardware that were so important back then! Stuff like this was what separated the truly dedicated from the dabblers. We had to have specific mounting hardware, Motobilt speed rings, and the correct bushings and kingpins. Thunderbolts were designed to need only one tool to mount your trucks. They had a wedge under the head so when hammered into the deck it wouldn’t move or spin so you only needed the socket wrench. They also had a big T on the head of the bolt so you could tell form a distance. This set is mint in package and sold for $25.

Here we have a pair of original 1980s Vans. They are the old school Era low top style and in a tropical pattern that I’m sure they stopped making 30 years ago. You would always see ugly Vans like this on the bargain counter at Schwinn, and only creepy Jimmy Buffet listening Grad student dudes would buy them, thinking they could go to campus parties and still look hip. Fast-forward 25 years and this ugly-ass pair of shoes sells for $263 on eBay. So they might not have gotten creepy-guy laid, but at least they were good for something.

And here we have a pair of original Z-Roller trucks, still in their original bags with stickers and operating instructions (?). The trucks are fondly remembered for some reason, despite the fact that they weighed about 2 metric tons and they kind of took away the whole point of grinding. Still, they were an innovation in an arena where trucks have stayed basically the same for 40 years. They sold for $150.

Bargains

Let’s start off the Bargains section this month with this Blockhead “Neon Circus” team deck from 1989. It’s in used condition, but the graphic is all there and the nose and tail aren’t in bad shape at all. Remove the rip grip and the couple of stickers and you have a really nice rare Blockhead deck for only $45. An interesting thing about this deck is that there is writing on the griptape in paint pen, which was normal for the time, but the writing is in Russian!

Here’s one that is noting short of ridiculous. The deck is a G&S Florian Boehm “Stamp” full size model from 1989. It comes on the insane G&S split stain: half natural wood and half shiny black dip. The graphic is lavender woodcut style. The deck is NOS and totally rad all the way around. So what can we make of the deck selling for only $21? Well that’s just ridiculous.here is writing on the griptape in paint pen, which was normal for the time, but the writing is in Russian!

And here is it’s mini sized brother. Again, the G&S Florian Boehm stamp, but this one is in an even better colorway, a green stain and black dip split. The graphic is bigger and far more impressive for that. The red accents are a nice touch. Again, the deck is NOS and this one sold for $91. That’s better than the $21 for the full sized, but still. This should be a $300 deck easily.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Bullet team deck from 1986! You will normally see this deck in white dip with blue and yellow graphics, so the black with pink and yellow is hot. The deck is in used condition, but the graphic is all there and you totally get the point. The Quicksilver sticker needs to be pulled off the tail, but it is still rad. It sold for $86.

Here’s a superb G&S vertical split stain Steve Claar “Whales” complete form 1987. The vertical yellow to teal fade is totally hot, and the whales graphic is always a winner. It comes complete with OG Thunders and Ratbones. It’s a totally rocking complete, so the fact that it sold for $86 is just silly.

Here’s a Gordon & Smith Street Series “Shuffle Board” from 1990. It was setup at one point, but the grip has been removed, and overall it’s in awesome shape. I have always loved the old school surf inspired G&S logo, so to see it big on the bottom like this is a nice touch. The nose is double drilled, and overall this is a really clean deck, both graphics and shape wise. It sold for $100.

Here we have a first edition Vision Gator “Swirl” from 1985. It’s got the front and rear wheelwells so you know it’s a first edition. It’s in a rad blue and black colorway with the nameplate in red and white. It’s got a thrashed tail, but the important part is all there, and for $61 it makes a great collection starter.

So once you have bought that one you can go for this one too. It’s the “Gator II” (Shapes) model from 1988, and again is reasonably thrashed, but the beauty of this full bleed graphic is that you get the point even if some of it is scratched. The pink and black is really nice, and the red Rannalli (yes, that’s them) trucks and 66mm Bullets just add to it. I’d buy that for $70.

And talking of chewed up tails we have this Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Snake” with maybe the most chewed up tail I’ve ever seen. But the good news is that wear just misses the graphic, leaving it actually looking very impressive. It’s a graphic that’s been climbing the charts in recent years, and the colorway here is awesome. It sold for $100.

Here we have a G&S Chris Miller “faces” deck from 1985. It’s in very good used shape with barely a scratch to the graphic. But most importantly the colorway is super rare. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the teal dip with pink, yellow and light green graphic. The yellow nosebone is a nice touch, playing up the small amount of yellow in the graphic. It sold for $90.

And finally this month we have this Blockhead Sam Cunningham “Evil Eye” mini deck. The tail is chewed up and it has some other wear, but overall it’s in OK shape. What appears to be dirt on the background is actually a pattern of lizards. It’s a great colorway and a rad graphic and would look awesome on any wall. It sold for $100.

See ya next month.

-Neil