eBay Watch: June 2011

So, welcome to episode #101 of eBayWatch, or episode #99, depending on how you’re counting! June didn’t quite explode as I hoped it would, but still there are some great decks that came up this month and I think you’ll enjoy it. We had lots of decks that broke the $1000 barrier in both the 70s and the 80s section, but of particular interest to me were some of the 70s clothing and protective equipment in the Miscellaneous section. Somebody made the request last month that I start including shots of the top of the deck if there is something interesting up there, so I started doing that this month, and will continue to do so. Not every deck, but ones with interesting top graphics or griptape!

Music wise I’m going to go with The Dopamines this month and their album ‘Expect The Worst”. I’ve been listening to a lot of new stuff in the car recently, but this one has stayed at the top of my list. The band hail form Cincinnati Ohio, and this is their third release, following a single and a full length. They even did a split with another band I like, The Copyrights, that is a takeoff on Big Blacks classic ‘Songs about Fucking”. Except their version is called ‘Songs about Fucking Up”! The array of bands belting out self-deprecating, powerchord-fuelled, melodic punk rock is seemingly never ending, yet The Dopamines have taken all the genre’s best bits on ‘Expect The Worst’ and given it their own unique sound. The second song “Public Domain” is probably the standout, but it’s all good. It’s fast, pounding and driving. At times they remind me of Dillinger Four (particularly on the first song) and at times they are a little poppier than that, but overall I’m sticking with the Dillinger Four comparison. And believe me, that’s a very good place to be.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

First up this month is this Dogtown Bob Biniak “Rocket” from 1978. It’s from the second wave of these decks when they were produced with the fiberglass bottom ply, which is why the graphic is so nice and bright on the white. It comes complete with Trackers and massive Kryptonics wheels. The seller claims, that the deck is in perfect condition, which it clearly isn’t, but it’s in very nice condition, that’s for sure. The stickers nose and tail are vintage but they need to be removed because they interfere with the main graphic. It sold for $760.

And here we have another classic Dogtown complete from 1978. This is the Dogtown Wes Humpston “Bulldog” model, and comes complete with first gen Indy 121s and mint green Powerflex 9 wheels. The deck is in great condition overall. Some stickers have been removed as you can see from the discoloration, and some were across the main graphic, so the seller got very lucky there was no damage! This is a great package: I’ve seen the trucks and wheels alone go for $400 here! It sold for $510.

Here’s a Golden Breed skateboard from the early 70s. I’m guessing that the deck is fiberglass? The trucks are by Suregrip and it has Rolls Royce Phantom urethane wheels with open bearings. It’s in really great condition, and it sold for $372. I’m guessing that this is an Australian brand?

And here’s an oldie but a goodie! It’s The Monster skateboard from the mid 60s, and has clearly been in a box since it was purchased, because the thing looks brand new. The trucks are shiny and the rubber wheels look unused: the graphics on the side are as bright as the day they were purchased and they say “Union Hardware, Torrington Conn, USA”. The thing is 9 ply and almost an inch thick. It’s a real beauty and it sold for $495.

Now here’s a real iconic classic. It’s a Santa Cruz Steve Olson “Circle on Checkerboard” from 1980. It comes complete with early Indys and Sims Gyros with Sims gold bearings. It’s in very good used condition, and the graphic looks almost untouched apart from a little wear on the tail and some wheel rub in wheelwells. It’s a truly iconic deck and it went big, selling for $1,875.

Here we have a NOS, undrilled Sims Taperkick deck from 1975ish. It has some minor bumps, dents and scratches, but is in overall great condition. Maybe not mint, but as close as you will find most months! It’s 33” long by 8” wide. The beauty of this deck is in the hardwoods used in its construction. It is just beautiful. It sold for $499.

So here’s a Dogtown Jim Muir Triplane from 1979. It comes complete with Indy stage 1s and Dogtown K9 wheels. It’s in excellent condition for its age, and even the top looks clean. Normally the clear griptape can yellow with age, but this looks nice and bright still. I don’t know that you will ever find a better example of this deck than this. It sold for $1,279.

And here’s an absolute piece of skate history. It’s the master Zephyr deck from which they made the mold to make all the other Zephyr decks that followed. Jay Adams sold it to Ed Economy who sold it to the seller who runs Z-Cult.com. It’s made from clear fiberglass/resin that is transparent when held up in the sun. So it’s a one of a kind piece of skateboard history, but probably only of interest to a select few. There were 29 bids and it sold for $2,525.

And staying with Zephyr/Z-Flex, we have this Z-Flex “Z-Woody” Jimmy Plumer model. It comes complete with Trackers (with mini copers!) and Hot Lips wheels! It’s in great condition and looks outstanding. It sold for $1,000.

And much like The Monster skateboard I featured earlier we have this Nash “Shark” sidewalk surfboard from the 1960s. The trucks and steel wheels look as bright and shiny as when they were new, and the deck looks almost flawless. They come up fairly often, but this is one of the cleanest Sharks that I’ve ever seen. It sold for $179.

Mid 1980s.

So first up in the 80s section this month we have this classic Santa Cruz Duane Peters complete from 1985. It’s in wonderful used condition and comes complete with Stage IV Indy 215s and 90a Rat Bones. It has no warping or delamination issues, and apart from some scratches around the edges looks almost as good as it did when it left the skateshop some 25 years ago. I would say that $500 was a very fair price.

Here’s a NOS Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Dragon and Bats” from 1988. This is the best colorway for this graphic in my humble opinion. You can’t tell from the picture but the purple bats are a metallic purple which really sparkles off the black dip, and the orange and yellow of the main graphic gives it even more of a 3D aspect. It’s just a beautiful deck up close. This used model sold for $495.

And speaking of Powell Peralta Steve Caballero models, here we have a “Dragon on Bearing”, his first graphic. This one is actually the earliest 6-ply version of that first graphic, and doesn’t have the signature under the graphic, unlike the second 7-ply version. Its complete with yellow magnesium Trackers and Powell Peralta Mini-Cubic IIs. It’s in very solid used condition, but that odd black “Peralta” sticker needs to go, as it is very distracting. Steve signed the sticker on the tail. It went for $1,001. However it’s up again in July, so I don’t know what the deal is here.

And to finish off this Powell Peralta Steve Caballero trifecta, we have this NOS stinger model of his second graphic. There were three versions of the graphic: regular pig, stinger pig, and a mini. This is the rarest, the stinger, and is in a dazzling red pearl dip. It has a few storage marks but is definitely NOS. Now I have to say that the orange on the red doesn’t really work for me, but I could see how some would love it. This one sold for $1,600.

This one might be my favorite auction this month actually. It’s the Circle A Bob Schmeltzer “Couch Guy” from 1989. The deck is NOS, never set-up or gripped, and it comes with a matching t-shirt and hat! I love the graphic; love it even though it’s not centered in the space! In some ways that drives me crazy, but maybe that’s what makes it s! Anyway, this should probably have gone in the Bargains section because this whole package deal sold for $208, which is crazy. The deck never comes up, and with a matching hat and t-shirt? It should have gone for way way more than that.

It’s funny how the crappy plastic taildome can make the rarest and coolest board look like a toy store piece of trash! Here’s a case in point. It’s a Vision Mark Gonzales first model, and a very early one at that! It has rear and front wheelwells. The colorway is great: the yellow dip and bright pinks, reds and aqua really work well together. The deck is in great used condition, and overall it’s a real winner. However it is let down by the cheap, generic components. It has trucks that look like Indys but aren’t, generic wheels, and generic plastics. Still, strip off all the crap and you still have a great early Gonz for $275.

So here’s the real big seller of the month, and it’s total grailage. It’s a Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso ‘Alice in Wonderland” from 1988. It’s still in shrink with the warranty card, but the shrink is torn, so the deck is dusty in parts, and has a surface mark on the nose. It’s in a white dip, and the colors still look super bright if the portion in the middle under the ripped shrink is anything to go by. This is one of those auctions where the big guns really went at it, and it finished up at $4,550 on 34 bids. Who said that there’s no money around anymore?

And here’s another great looking Santa Cruz from the same time period: 1988/89. It’s a SC Claus Grabke “Melting Clocks” street model in a speckled metallic purple dip. The colorway is truly exceptional here, and I can only imagine how great looks like in person. The deck was setup and lightly skated, but the graphic is all there. It’s been drilled for rail and tail. This deck sold for $400.

Here’s a Vision “Hippie Stick” complete from 1986. It comes complete with orange Gullwing HPG IV trucks, unknown wheels and Powell plastics. It’s in really good condition. I would probably leave the trucks and wheels on it but remove the rails as they totally fight with graphic: the straight lines don’t work with the circles. It’s a great looking complete and sold for $263.

Here’s a JFA Don Lincoln model from 1986. It’s in mint condition, but not in shrink. The seller must have been really surprised how high this one went for because I know I was. I would expect $400ish because it’s rare and JFA has a name even if the deck is hideous. So when it finished for $902 I was amazed, as I imagine are you.

Now this is something. It’s a Zorlac Craig Johnson “Voodoo Doll” from 1985. It’s in NOS condition: never gripped or setup, but it does have all kinds of storage marks etc. The colorway is one of the weakest I’ve seen: the teal dip and red hand just doesn’t really work for me, but still, it’s an original NOS Zorlac from 1985, and that makes it something special. It sold for $850 on 20 bids.

Here we have a Schmitt Stix Bryce Kanights “dragon” from 1987. It’s in good used condition having been setup and skated. However, the deck is in great condition, apart from the hideous Schmitt Stix stickers on the tail that is. We have two Joe Lopes and one Sawblade sticker back there, and they all have to go. The small Sims on the wheelwell and the Bryce sticker on the nose need to go too. Once they have been removed you have a very attractive deck. The light blue dip is nice, and works well with the green dragon. It sold for $305.

Ooh look, it’s a first generation PP Lance Mountain Future Primitive from 1985! Actually it’s version 1.5 of the graphic because the character by the back truck is doing an invert instead of a finger flip, but still, it’s a much rarer version than the one that everybody know, pictured in the next auction. This one is in average used condition, having been ridden hard. There are scratches and gouges etc., and the paint is faded, as shown where the riser pads protected the original color. Still, it’s a rarity and it sold for $810.

So here we have the much more common version of the Lance Mountain Future Primitive graphic. This one is a boneite deck, and is in NOS, never setup or gripped condition. The colorway is superb, and this would look awesome in anybody’s collection. It sold for $987, boneite or not!

Here’s a Santa Cruz Lucero “Red Cross” from 1989. It’s mint and in an excellent blue dip colorway that works really well with the yellows and reds in the main graphic. This deck is simple and to the point and came in a multitude of different colorways. There were a ton of them around for a long time and it was a sub-$100 deck, but not anymore. This one sold for $360, and it’s probably going to keep on its upward trend.

So here’s another Zorlac Metallica deck. Every month we seem to get at least one, but they keep going for mad cash, and they are Zorlacs, so I am going to keep on showing them. This one is a mini model and is probably the most famous “Pirate Skull” model from 1987. It has the classic Zorlac money bumps and crazy shape, and the artwork is by Pushead of course. This one has never been setup or gripped, so yes, it’s NOS. And apparently only 100 were made in the white stain, so this one is very rare, especially in this condition. That’s a really nice deck, and it sold for $1,420.

Here’s the infamous Santa Monica Airlines Natas Kaupas “face” from 1987. I’m not going to go into the history of this one again, but suffice it to say that it was only out for a very short period of time before the more traditional Natas “panther” series was seen again. This one is in average used condition, but the light blue dip is nice and bright, and the griptape job up top is what I’d call “traditional 80s tear spackle”. The venture sticker over the first A in Natas is funny, but the Dogtown sticker on the tail has to go. Even in this condition this is a very desirable deck, and this one sold for $710 on 33 bids.

Now here’s a real beauty. It’s a Vision “Old Ghost Guardian” team model from 1986. It’s on a grey stain, and has a blue to pink fade background with neon green and yellow icons on it, along with the white main skull. The colorway is just superb, and the deck is NOS, never been setup or gripped. It has some storage marks, but basically this is a collectors dream: rare deck in NOS condition in a supreme colorway. It sold for $1,725 on 29 bids, and was a bargain at that price. I envy the person who has this on their wall.

Here’s a Blockhead Mark Partain “Indian Chief” from 1989. It’s NOS, never gripped or setup. It’s a rare one: you hardly ever see any Mark Partains, and when you do it’s normally the “Lizards” model. And this one has the excellent green to red to green stain in the background, and purples, blues, greens and yellows in the main graphic. It’s very tasty and it sold for $412.

This Sims Jeff Phillips “Bust Out” is the second version of the graphic (three dimensional, angled Phillips) and dates from 1985. It has never been mounted and gripped, and is in the best colorway possible: black dip with fluorescent greens, pinks and yellows graphic. It’s truly an iconic 80s classic, and it sold for a price worthy of that: $1,500.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Eye 2” from 1990! It’s near mint: never set up or gripped, but does have a slight warp according to the seller. I think this dark woodstain with red white and black target and green eyeball was the only colorway for this deck? I’ve never seen another anyway. It sold for $363.

Here we have the Santa Cruz Salba “Baby on World” from 1990. It has been gripped and set up, but I assume that the original buyer took one look at how hideous it was and decided to put it in the back of his garage where it ahs stayed until now. Seriously, Salba had 2 absolute iconic graphics on Santa Cruz, and then they lay this huge turd in the punchbowl. Heinous, but it still sold for $371 despite not being NOS.

So I guess after seeing the SMA Jim Thiebaud “Joker” go for over $1500 last month the seller decided to put up this one. It’s mint in shrink and in a nice blue dip, but the collector need for this graphic must be satiated because the deck only sold for $855. So if you have one that you are thinking of selling, you might want to hold onto it for a few more months and try again in the autumn.

Here we have an Alva Skates John Thomas “Ankh” from 1986. It appears to be in NOS, unused and ungripped condition, but that is an unknown because there is only the one picture and the description is minimal. Seriously, guys, if you have a deck that’s never been gripped, put that in there because it will raise the price! The black to purple edge fade is really nice here, and the Rasta colors are typical of Alva decks at the time. It sold for $188.

And finally form the 80s this month we have this Tracker Dan Wilkes “Dinosaurs” deck from 1987. This one is mint, and in a lovely purple stain with lighter purple and green dinosaur. It’s a great colorway, and typical of this seller, it comes with a vintage t-shirt, hat and some stickers. It sold for $560, which is the highest price ever paid for this particular Dan Wilkes model.

90s-present day

Let’s start the 90s section this month with a Blind Ronnie Bertino “Dark Wing Duck” slick from 1993. I must admit that I know nothing about this skater at all. The deck is in NOS condition: never been setup or gripped, but it does have the usual surface scratches and marks etc. It’s your typical mid 90s run-of-the-mill graphic, with little imagination or artistic flair. It must be fondly remembered by some however, because it sold for $412 on 22 bids.

But here’s one you all do recognize I’m sure. It’s a Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Guadalupe” from 1991, and this one is mint, still in shrink! The colorway is nice here too, being in a black stain, which works beautifully with the yellow sunburst and bright colors in her robe. It sold for $475.

Here’s a Blind Rudy Johnson “Sylvester and Tweety” from 1992. This was part of the Blind Looney Tunes series, an unofficial, unlicensed tribute to their favorite cartoon characters. The deck is NOS never having been gripped or setup, and is in a wonderful, bright red stain. It’s a great looking deck for a kid’s room, but without the rest of the decks in the series it would look odd on an adults wall. It sold for $877 on 29 bids.

This would look great on an adult’s wall however, and wouldn’t be so great for the kids! It’s a Blind Jason Lee “Claudia Schiffer” from 1992. There’s actually great history with this graphic. Artist Sean Cliver actually came up with this graphic for Adam McNatt when he was still at Powell, but after he was let go, he took the graphic straight to Blind who hurriedly put it out for Jason Lee, along with a top graphic that says “This board is dedicated to all the Powell employees who lost their jobs in the war”. It sold for $874 on 23 bids.

And talking of Powell decks from the 90s, we have this Powell Peralta Cameron Martin “Statue” freestyle deck from 1990. I guess Cameron was the last freestyler of the classic Powell Peralta team, and this, his only pro model has exploded in value over the last few years. This one is mint in shrink and in a natural wood. It sold for an amazing $1,025 on 19 bids, almost 5 times what it was selling for just three years ago. So I would expect to see a bunch more of these show up in July.

Her we have a Powell Peralta “Blind Ripper” team deck from 1991. It is clearly a shot at Blind, with the top graphic saying “Blind Please Help” instead of Powell Peralta. It’s a real statement when you consider that it’s coming from the normally very conservative Powell Peralta. This one is in a red stain and is mint in shrink. The Small and blurry pictures might have hindered this one, because it went for less than I would have thought” $1,136 on 23 bids. That’s acceptable, but the price has hardly moved in 5 years.

Here’s one you don’t see every day! It’s a Foundation Steve Olson (no, not THE Steve Olson, another street skater with the same name) ‘Pipe Girl” from 1995. It’s super rare, being one of only 300 made. I like the red and black color split a lot, and the graphic is OK. It’s mint in shrink and it sold for $173.

Here we have a SMA (NHS years) Julien Stranger “Low-rider” from 1990. It’s in mint condition, and the colorway on this one is particularly impressive. The rich purple stain works amazingly well with the gold of the car, and I have to say that this deck grows more on me every time I see it. It sold for $725 on 16 bids.

Here’s a New Deal Ed Templeton “Crowd” from 1991. It was Templeton’s second graphic and this one is NOS. The colorway on this one is dark and not too appealing, and the photo is bloody awful really, but it still sold for $500. Funnily enough that is exactly the same price as it sold for two years ago, so this has held its value but certainly hasn’t exploded.

And finally from the 90s this month we have this H-Street Chad Vogt “Madonna” from 1992. It’s in a wonderful silver dip, but of all the pictures of Madonna to choose for a graphic, this has to be one of the worst! Rather than looking sexy, she looks like a clown here. Plus the placement of the graphic is awkward. The deck is NOS: never mounted or gripped, and it sold for $636 on 24 bids.

Assorted Crap

So this month we start this section with this set of ACS 500 trucks in gold and black. These are totally mint and even come in the original bags! Never used, setup or even tightened, these are a true “Time Machine” find! The gold is still super shiny and the red bushings still look soft and supple. They come with about a billion photos of the trucks from every angle, which was a nice touch, but it didn’t really help the price as they sold for $122.

It’s really funny that prices on these original 70s helmets are going through the roof, because with most safety equipment form the 70s, they were basically useless! This design was based on the Cooper SK100 hockey helmet, and was the cheapest helmet you could buy (apart from the totally crap bike helmets that some folks wore and were ridiculed mercilessly for!). Almost every skate company rebranded the helmet at the time, and this is the Hobie version in bright green. It’s been used, but is in good condition, and sold for $489.

And here we have the California Free Former version of the same helmet, along with the totally useless knee and elbow pads and the original box! As bad as the helmet was, the pads were even worse. They were glorified volleyball pads, and as soon as you went to your knees they would slide right down and expose the skin beneath. They might have been good for gardening or something, but for little else. The set sold for $203.

Wasn’t skating in the 70s great? Not only could you wear totally crap safety equipment that wouldn’t protect you at all, if you were good you could get sponsored by a major corporation and be forced to wear some hideous outfit! Here we have a case in point! It’s a worn official Pepsi Skateboard team warm up jersey top and bottom from 1976-77. It’s a size large, which would make it a medium by today’s fatso standards probably. Yes, the pants are flares and they appear to have some zippers built into the legs for some reason. At first glance it looks like a sweatshirt, but it’s not. It’s a zip up jacket and you are looking at the back with turned up collar. It must have been ridiculously hot and uncomfortable to wear, but there you go. For only $530 you could look like a bad 70s gym teacher too!

So what would you wear under the warm up pants? Why these Rector tiny shorts of course! As if the man-whore cut wasn’t enough, they are made of a shiny gold nylon and blue, so it leaves you in no doubt! These are NOS, never worn, and are size 34, so they would probably fit a lot of my readers! You could have been wearing these to the skatepark this weekend! They went for $61.

The 70s riser pad craze goes on and on with no end in sight apparently! This set of used yellow Tracker risers sold for $204. Why I’m not certain. Somebody please explain.

So in the very early days of Powell (1980ish), not only was George making skateboard equipment, he was also making roller-skates. Yes, that’s right, you heard me, roller-skates. Here’s the proof: a set of vintage Powell Rollerbones from 1980, in the original metal case. They’ve been gently used, but the whole package is in overall great condition. The really funny thing is that the rollerskates don’t have Powell wheels: they are Star Pro. The whole thing is ridiculous and they went for $128.

Here we have a vintage Santa Cruz screaming hand sweatshirt all the way from Christmas 1987. It’s been worn a few times but is basically in very nice condition, apart from some “mild closet odor”. I guess the seller didn’t wash it in case it shrank or last some color. It’s a medium but fits like a small. It sold for $650. Seriously, what does one do with a $650 small sweatshirt?

And here we have a very similar Santa Cruz Screaming Hand t-shirt. This one is in similar condition to the one above and is a size large. It has no stains or holes, and is in a desirable bright yellow. It sold for $600.

And here we have a complete set of Thrasher magazines from its first year in existence, 1981. They put out 9 issues that first year, including that first issue which was on oversized newsprint. They are all in fair to good used condition, and the auction comes with a Skarfing material t-shirt. The set sold for $326 on 32 bids.

Bargains

Let’s start off the Bargains section this month with this Alva Dave Duncan “Scratch” from 1987. It comes complete with black anodized Indys and Schmitt Stix Sawblade wheels. This is the full sized version of the deck, and the red, purple and green colorway is vey tasty. All plastics and stickers have been removed, and the complete sold for $105.

Here’s one that surprised me. It’s a Vision Gator II from 1988, complete with white Trackers and Vision Shredder wheels. The colorway is great on this one: the red and silver graphic with the blue and white box looks great. However, something looks out of scale here: doesn’t it look super short to you? Almost like a toy. I assume it’s an optical illusion, but the trucks do look far too wide. Maybe it’s the giant wheels? It sold for $66.

This one is pretty beaten up, but it’s a rare deck in a great colorway. It’s a Alva Jeff Hartsel “Streetfire 2” from 1988. It’s been well used, but the beauty of the deck remains despite that. The classic Alva fade from light blue to natural is awesome, and the Rasta colors are a strong contrast to the muted edge. It sold for $61.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “Medallion” deck complete with black Trackers and G&S Street Chomp wheels. It’s in good overall condition, and the graphic is pretty much as it was brand new. Of course, brand new it sucked pretty bad, so there isn’t much difference with a bit of wear! It sold for $62.

Here’s a Vision Joe Johnson “Hieroglyphic circle” from 1988, complete with Ventures and Vision Hurricane wheels. The colorway on this is superb, and this must have looked spectacular when it was new. The dark woodstain works great with the light purple and light blue. It’s a real stunner and sold for $79.

Here’s a Tracker Lester Kasai “Clown” deck from 1985. For some reason there are lots of bootlegs of this deck floating around, although if you were going to copy a deck I don’t know why you’d choose this monstrosity. This has the small type under the hydrant, so is probably the real deal. The colorway on this one isn’t bad and it’s nice and bright, but still, pretty horrible. It’s NOS, never mounted or gripped, and it sold for only $138. This is one mid 80s deck that never gets any love.

Here we have a G&S Billy Ruff “Clown Puppet” from 1987. It’s in average used shape, with lots of scraping and wear on the tail and some scratches and scrapes in the main part of the graphic. The red dip is striking, and the orange, blue, green and pink in the main graphic are still bright however, making it a nice looking board. It would be a great score for the collector on a budget who doesn’t mind some wear on his decks. It sold for $77.

And finally this month we have this Santa Cruz Keith Meek “Slasher 1” from 1985. The trucks are both blue but are mismatched” we have a blue Tracker in the front and a blue Gullwing in the back. That’s why the copers are different if you were wondering. It has a lapper, rails, and a great Agent Orange sticker on the tail. The yellow colorway is bright and desirable, and overall this is a good buy for $108.

Seeya next month.

-Neil