eBay Watch: June 2012

So welcome to eBayWatch, June 2012 edition. There seemed to be a ton of great 80s decks but I really had to struggle to fins ten 70s and 90s decks. And don’t even ask about the miscellaneous section because it’s pretty thin this month. But the 80s section is packed, so enjoy that one.

My music selection this month is actually two albums. First up is “Live, Breathe, Build, Believe” the first album by The Skints. The Skints are a reggae/ska/punk band from London. Their first EP came out in 2008, and their first album came out in late 2009. So yeah, I’m late getting into them, but still earlier than most of you guys I bet! The album is probably more reggae than ska, and the only really punky thing is the lyrics and the attitude, but any fans of early Two Tone or old reggae will really dig this I think. The songs are great and the lyrics are hard hitting. Most Americans will have a hard time understanding the accents, but stick with it, it’s worth it!

The second album is “Flags and Emblems” by veteran Punk band Stiff Little Fingers. If most of you are like me, you rate “Inflammable Material” as one of the greatest punk albums of all time. The second album ‘Nobody’s Heroes” was great too, but nowhere close to the first one. And by “Go For It”, well I’d kind of stopped listening, as had most others I think. The band had a 10 year hiatus, but came back in 1991 with album “Flags and Emblems” with Bruce Foxton from The Jam on bass. I’d always been interested in hearing it but it was never top of the list if you know what I mean. But I got the chance to check it out last month and I’m glad I did. It’s excellent. It’s no “Inflammable Material” of course; what is, but I’d match this against most other albums any day of the week. The songs are all snappy and fantastic, and Jake Burns vocals are as evident as ever. My favorite track is “Each Dollar a Bullet” but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

First up this month is this blue Hobie Sundancer from 1972/3. The deck is fiberglass, but the most unusual thing is the single, wide wheel front and back. Yup, one wheel. Seriously, this thing looks like it would be more at home in a home decorating store than a skateboard store! It looks like a paint rolling device! It’s in good shape and sold for $188.

Here we have a Kryptonics foam core from 1978. It comes complete with Gullwings and Sims Mini-Comp wheels. The deck is in very good condition; a little dirty but no real dings or scrapes at all. It sold for $886.

And here we have a Sims Bert Lamar S-Ply stinger deck from 1979. The deck is showing a lot of wear, especially around the rails ad the tail, but is pretty solid. Some of the tape is missing from around the tail up top. It sold for $426.

And going back to the 1960s we have this Union Surfer “Say Hey” Willie Mays skateboard. It’s in good condition and has the original trucks and clay wheels. This is the kind of piece of memorabilia that can attract bids from both skaters and baseball collectors, which might explain the high price. It sold for $600.

Here we have a NOS very early Powell deck. We are talking about 1979 here I guess? It’s from just before Stacy Peralta got involved I would guess? The deck is used but in really good, clean condition. It has a nose guard and a wooden Space Plate. Look at those wheel wells! It sold for $1,313.

And going back to the early 60s we have this vintage Saturn skateboard. It’s in pretty rough shape, but the top graphic is all there so you get the idea. It has steel wheels if you were interested. It sold for $300.

Here we have a Sims Taperkick from 1977 complete with Trackers and Sims Snake wheels. The stickers are a trip on this one. It has a Tracker sticker, a Sims Pure Juice wheels sticker, and paper stickers from the USSA and the WSA (United Skate Skateboard Association and The World Skateboard Association). It’s in very good used condition, and it sold for $356 on 34 bids.

Here we have the infamous Skircle, or “Asphalt Ski” by The Round Skateboard Company. It’s an 11” round aluminum disk with Marco Polo trucks and MPI wheels. It was designed to help you with skiing in the summer, but it has left us with a true 1970s oddity today! If anybody out there has one, take it to the local skatepark and snap some photos, please! It sold for $333 on 20 bids.

And finally from ye olde days this month we have this original fiberglass Zephyr deck from 1973ish. It’s translucent blue, and is a real piece of history. It has molded grip on top, and although the nose and tail both have seen substantial damage, it still sold for $425.

Mid 1980s

So first up in the 80s section this month we have this Vision Agent Orange deck from 1984. It’s in really nice condition, and I like the red dip a lot. It comes complete with Indy Stage IIs and Vision Shredder wheels. It sold for $635.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Ray Barbee “Ragdoll”, first run graphic from 1989. It’s in NOS condition (gripped but never skated) and in a wonderful bright red stain. This looks like it was produced yesterday! It’s super bright! It sold for $620.

Here we have a Brand X “Circle X” team deck from 1983. It’s one of the first decks produced by Brand X actually and appears in their first ad in the July 83 Thrasher. It comes complete with Gullwings and no name conical wheels. It appears to be in good used condition, and it sold for $474 on 22 bids.

Here we have an interesting looking complete! It’s a Powell Peralta “Bug II” team deck, and it comes complete with lavender G&S Chromolly trucks and bright lime green Ratbones. The silver and white checkerboard background with green bug colorway is loud enough, but is overshadowed by the super bright trucks and wheels. The matching lime green rails are an added bonus/eyesore too! It is in very good condition and doesn’t look like it was ever ridden, instead being assembled with whatever spare parts were lying around at the time! It sold for $341 on 18 bids.

And here we have the exact opposite really: this is a really nice looking, classic complete that anybody would like to own. It’s a Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Full Dragon” from 1986, and it comes complete with Indy’s and Powell X-Bones. The medium blue dip colorway is very strong, and the well placed Indy and Powell stickers just add to the vintage look. This is one very solid looking complete, and it sold for $566.

Here we have an exceptional Santa Cruz Corey O’Brien “Reaper” from 1988. The colorway is really outstanding here. The green reaper and orange and yellow flames work spectacularly well on the magenta dip. It comes complete with Gullwings and OJ Teamrider wheels. And the matching yellow plastics are a nice touch too. It sold for $465.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Duane Peters “DP2” model from 1984. It’s in decent used condition and it comes complete with Indys and Bones wheels. But it’s the extras that make this complete! It has nose bone, tailbone, lapper, red copers and 4 rails! I’m not quite sure why it has 4 rails because I really don’t think that the concave was so extreme that the middle of the deck was rubbing during slides! This thing must literally weigh a ton! But it looks good on eBay! It sold for $263.

Now here’s an interesting on: you hardly ever see it! It’s one of those early 80s G&S team decks that was a mish mash of strange geometric shapes and effects. It’s half surf graphics, half new wave homage and 100% odd! This is the “Aggro Skate” model from 1984, and the effect is pretty damned good actually. The red and orange splatter colorway is great, and the graphic really does look cut in. The deck has been set up, but is in very good condition and it sold for $375.

Here we have a Brand X Sean Goff from 1986. The deck is NOS but does have some storage scuffs etc. It sold for $305.

This is a Vision Mark Gonzales “Color My Friends In” from 1987. The deck has never been mounted or gripped but does have a ton of storage marks from being moved around over the years. It also has the word ‘Garbage” written on the tail, supposedly from the Gonz himself. It sold for $500.

Here we have a really exceptional Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso ‘Acid Tongue” from 1988. It’s not exceptional because of the graphic: far from it. But the deck is mint and in a colorway that I’ve never seen before. The red stain with orange and lavender graphic is an odd choice, but it really works here. It’s a great looking deck and it sold for $1,025 on 16 bids.

And speaking of Jeff Grosso here we have his first pro model, the Schmitt Stix Grosso “Toy Blocks” from 1986. This one is as close to mint as you will get, and is a really breathtaking deck. The red stain is nice, and the main graphic is still colorful and bright. This could be the cornerstone of any collection, but because of that it didn’t go cheap: It sold for $2,950.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Tommy Guerrero “Iron Gate”. It doesn’t get much better than this one: it’s full size, seven ply and in the ever popular black dip! It does have some storage marks, but I would still class it as NOS. It sold for $470 on 32 bids.

Here is a Sims Henry Gutierrez “Top Hat” from 1989. The deck is NOS, never gripped or mounted. This is one of those decks that can still be picked up for a decent price even though it’s a great graphic, but I would expect even decks like this to dry up in the next couple of years. It sold for $315.

I don’t know if I’ve ever shown this one before! It’s a Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “Medallion” from 1990. This is one of those decks that nobody ever wanted, and it used to be widely available at most online old school skateshops for around $100. Those days are long gone however! The graphic is average, but the shape is probably what is selling this one. This one is a mini, is NOS and has been signed by Tony in 2000. These were probably being used as kindling at Powell back then! It sold for $530.

So here’s a much better known Powell Peralta Tony Hawk. This is the “bird claw” from 1989. It is NOS, and in a very attractive light blue dip with forest background and green and gold hawk. It’s a great colorway for this graphic, and it sold for $675.

And here is a Hosoi Skateboards (Santa Cruz) Christian Hosoi ‘Street Flag” from 1987. This is everything you would want in this deck. It is mint, it’s black dip, and it is the full size model! SO be prepared to shell out some big cash! And it sold for $911 on 21 bids.

For the second month in a row we have the honor of showing an Iron Cross deck! This is the “Street Sting” team model with graphics by Justin Ashby apparently. The deck is in NOS condition. If you don’t know, Iron Cross was a H-Street spinoff company started by the Godoys, hence the Hell Concave logo printed on the decks. It only lasted a couple of years, and the decks are very hard to find. This one went for a surprisingly large $397

Here we have a very plain complete, but I love it! It’s a Santa Cruz Jammer that comes complete with Indys and Alva Rocks wheels. I’m not sure why I love this one so much; something just speaks to ne I guess. The Jammer was the Santa Cruz entry point complete, designed to compete with completes form Variflex etc. A number of different versions exist, and the original ones didn’t even have the Santa Cruz name on them, but this one does: in small black print under the big Jammer. The red SC logos are all stickers put on later. Interestingly enough this appears to be misprint or a model I’ve never seen before because most of them had the chain link graphic full bleed, but this one stops at the tail. This one sold for $223 on 10 bids.

Here we have a mint in shrink Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Sungod” from 1988. Yes, it’s mint in shrink, blue stain, red and orange graphic. Does this one get any better? It sold for $489.

Now this one would have landed in the bargain section if I still had one, and shows that you can still get a bargain if you look had. It’s a Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Jagermeister” deck from 1989. It’s been ridden a few times so has some scratches, but the grip has been removed, and the deck is basically in very good used condition. It would almost display as NOS. The black dip/grey deer colorway is really nice, and the gold and red cross etc. really pops off of the black. It’s a great looking example of this great looking graphic, and yet t only sold for $118. I’m guessing that some thought it was a reissue? It’s not.

OMG! Powell Peralta Lance Mountain Future Primitive decks are going through the effing roof! True, they don’t get much better than this hot pink, mint full size seven-ply, but still, prices are nuts! This one sold for $2,350 on 25 bids. Jason, yours is looking like a better deal every second!

And here we have a Sims Lester Kasai “Splat” from 1984. This one is in very good used condition, with little wear and no real dings. It ahs been drilled for a tail dome but that’s about it. It is faded (that’s a green stain!), but the hot pink in the graphic still screams out, thirty years later! It comes complete with purple Gullwings and orange Vision Shredders. It sold for $555 on 23 bids.

So this one is for “John”, the guy that was just featured in Wired because he makes repros of old school decks because he can’t find the originals. He singled out this one as impossible to find in good condition. Well, this Powell Peralta Mike McGill “F-15” is in NOS condition, never gripped or mounted. It’s the original pig with the boxed wheel wells. It looks great in the natural wood, and while it wasn’t cheap, who would really expect it to be? It sold for $1,602 on 10 bids.

And here we have a G&S Chris Miller “faces” deck from 1985. It is NOS, never gripped or mounted, but does have a slight warp. The colors are very vibrant and the white dip is still bright. This one sold for $405.

Here we have a Town & Country Ken Park “Mugger” deck from 1986. It’s been mounted and ridden, but the deck is still in good condition: it’s just a little dirty is all. I’m not sure why sellers can’t do just 5 minutes of cleanup on their decks before they sell them. That could have bumped the value up by $50! And remove the retarded Sammy Hagar sticker too! He can’t drive 55 damnit! I’m also not sure why there is griptape on the bottom of the nose of the deck. If it were to help on sweepers and such that would rub layers of skin off the fingers I would imagine! This oddity sold for $395.

Here is a total classic. It’s a Powell Peralta Ray Rodriguez “Skull and Sword” from 1983. It comes complete with Trackers and red Kryptonics. The white dip is nice and pretty unusual, but somebody really needs to rescue this deck and remove the multitude of bad stickers on here. They completely take away from the graphic. Especially the Sims ones! Why the hell are they anyway? It sold for $1,010 on 22 bids.

And here is a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Face” deck from 1986. It is NOS, and in a most brilliant blue dip. It really is one of the most outstanding colorways that I’ve ever seen for this deck. Until you see this deck close up you actually can’t appreciate the level of detail in the graphic. It’s pretty damned amazing. It sold for $625.

And here’s a team deck that just keeps going up and up in value. It’s a Vision Shredder 3 from 1988. The 1940s, Flash Gordon style rocket ship is very cool, but it is the silver glittery dip that really makes this deck. It’s another deck that is just exceptional up close. This one sold for $500 on 11 bids.

So here’s a weird Town and Country deck. Most people are familiar with the surf inspired T&C graphics from the early 80s, but I’ve never seen this one, the “Thrilla Gorilla” before. From the shape I would say that’s from 1987ish. It’s been gripped and ridden, but it’s still in very solid shape. The gorilla is riding his skateboard down to catch some waves it looks like: he has his T&C boogie board under his arm. This oddity sold for $500.

Here is the CLASSIC case of a deck that needs a sticker removing for godssakes! It’s a Vision Street Wear deck obviously, but for some unknown reason it ha a Tommy Guerrero sticker right across the middle of the graphic! Rip that shit off of there! It comes complete with Gullwing Street Shadows and Powell Crossbones. And somebody please remove the hideous pink rails and pink tailbone too! Then it would be a very classic looking complete. Now it’s just a mess basically! It still sold for $430 on 19 bids.

And finally from the 1980s this month we have this mint Powell Peralta Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” from 1987. This is the XT (boneite) full size street model, and it’s in a really nice looking red dip. The runes really look great here. It’s a very handsome deck overall. It sold for $752 on 24 bids.

90s-present day

First up in the 90s section this month we have this Element Bam Margera “Old Bones” deck. It’s mint in shrink, and the auction also included the Old Bones ventriloquist skeleton that the graphic was modeled on. I guess it was featured in a TV show with him or something. I have no idea. But it was funny to see a skeleton and a deck being auctioned off together. It sold for $710.

Here we have an Alien Workshop Rob Dyrdek “Little Rob” deck from 1992. It’s NOS, never gripped or setup. It’s his first pro model I believe, and there were less than 500 made, which makes this super rare. The colorway isn’t great, but for those into this period or into Dyrdek, I guess this is a grail. It sold for $1,236. .

And from the same time period (1991) we have this Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “shotgun mouse”. It’s a used deck and has been gripped etc., but the deck is still in excellent shape. It has virtually no wear at all. Again, the colorway isn’t very exciting, but it is a rare Hawk, and that was enough to send this one to $510.

And here we have another Tony Hawk deck, but this a Birdhouse redo of the chicken skull graphic. It’s from 1995, is the “stuntman size” (whatever that means) and is NOS. This sold for $610 from an amazing 47 bids.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Mike McGill “Aquarium” model from 1991. It’s mint in shrink and in a fantastic red dip colorway. If you are looking for this deck then this is the one to get. It’s super bright and the fish pop like crazy off of the red. It’s really nice, and it sold for $650.

Here’s a NOS Zorlac Rob Mertz “Shark” from 1991. There are at least 3 different version of the Mertz shark, one having a large X behind the shark, one being on a bottlenose shape, and then this one. It’s a very straight shape and the nose is double drilled. The blue stain is nice, although the shark would probably pop better off of another base color. It sold for $800.

And here’s a G&S “Mona Lisa” team deck from 1991. It comes complete with Tracker Agro trucks (very well ground I might add which makes a nice change) and Powell X-Bone wheels. The trucks and wheels were obviously moved from another deck, because they are very well used whereas the deck is in excellent condition. This is during the period when to appear like a new company G&S dropped the letters and were simply known as &, hence the & on the graphic. It’s a nice idea for a deck, and the green stain compliments the painting well. It sold for $263.

Here’s a Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Doughboy Primitive” from 1991. It’s NOS and in the ever popular black dip. Lance’s shit just keeps going up and up, and this one is no exception. It sold for $326 on 28 bids, showing there’s a ton of people that want this deck. A few years ago this was $75 at OSS. I had one. It’s one of the few decks that actually looks worse in person, at least IMHO. Of course, I don’t know if there’s any hope of the Lance Mountain “Junior” or “Employee” ever being worth mad money, so don’t get your hopes up.

And here’s a Shorty’s Chad Muska ‘Shadow” from 1997. I am loathe to call anything from the last 15 years a classic, but this graphic was produced for years, and is probably as iconic as a late 90s deck can ever be. This is the full size deck and is mint in shrink. It sold for $600. So I guess I was right, it is iconic!

Here we have a SMA Natas Kaupas “drunk cat” from 1990. It comes complete with San Diego ‘Stealth” trucks and G&S Sprockets wheels. The deck is in very nice used condition, and remove some of those silly non skate related stickers and you will have a great looking bargain on your hands. What do we have here? A smiley face sticker? Q8? Empi? What the hell are these stickers about? Get rid, and this will rule for $272.

And sticking with Natas we have this 101 ‘Crackpipe” from 1993. It’s never been gripped or mounted but does have any number of storage marks, probably because it was displayed on the Beautiful Losers art tour. It was sold by Andy Jenkins, and it sold for $2,000.

Assorted Crap

So first up in the miscellaneous section this month we have this set of Powell Peralta 60mm Ratbones wheels. What’s so unusual about these? Why they are two-tone of course! Have you ever seen another set of two tone Powell wheels? They just didn’t do shit like this! Theses are incredibly badass, but they only sold for $170, which seems very cheap to me.

And talking of vintage wheels, we have this NOS set of Sims Pure Juice “Bowlrider” wheels from the 1970s. Actually it’s more than a set as you get 6 wheels in the auction for some reason! The wheels are enormously wide, measuring in at 55m tall but 68mm wide! It was a time of narrow trucks and super wide wheels. Why not I guess? They sold for $499. If the buyer has them mounted on a complete I would like to see it!

And finally this month we have this set of Stroker trucks. They are mint, or as mint as an old set of Strokers can be I guess. They have rust and dirt spots etc., but they are about as collectible as trucks can get, so it’s no surprise that they sold for $800.

Seeya next month

-Neil