eBay Watch: March 2011

March was an excellent month on eBay, but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to do it justice! I’ve just gotten back from vacation so I’m really behind. This month is gonna be one of those quickies I’m afraid. I’m not skimping on the number of decks, but will be minimizing the commentary, so you’re going to have to do without my smart-ass remarks for a month!

There is one thing I ant to bring up before I get stuck in though, and that’s regarding the airbrushed Alva swirls that I love featuring on these pages. It came to my attention recently that a lot of them are fakes. Or rather, the decks are graphic are real, but the airbrushing has taken place sometime over the last few years. The original graphic has been masked off and the airbrushing done around it. If you have one, the telltale signs are that the airbrushing isn’t behind the graphic, and it can easily be scratched off with the fingernail. Now, why somebody would chose to do this, well that’s a different story, and it’s for his conscience. But be warned: if you see one for sale, be very careful. If something looks “off” about it, it probably is, and suffice it to say, I won’t be covering any more of those auctions.

The music selection this month is the “First Four EPs” by Off!. Off! Is the new group fronted by Black Flag/Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris, and also features guys from Red Kross and Burning Brides, and has ex Alva skater Mario Rubalcaba on drums. Remember when Black Flag was crucial, before they got all fucked up by Rollins ego and Greg Ginn never knowing when to end a song? Well that’s what Off! Sounds like. Think White Minority era Black Flag, because it’s that good. It’s simple, direct early 80s sounding hardcore that sounds totally relevant and important again. All the songs average less than 90 seconds, and the full album clocks in at around 17 minutes for 17 songs! They make their point and then stop; no pointless noodling here. There’s even a eulogy to the late, great Jeffrey Lee Pierce of Gun Club fame. And oh yeah, the artwork is by Black Flag artist Raymond Pettibon.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

SO like almost every month we start the 70s section off with a Sims Andrecht from 1979. That’s my fault for doing it in alphabetical order I guess! The deck itself is in great condition, and it comes complete with Tracker Sixtracks and Sims Snake conicals. It’s an iconic looking complete, and the stickers really add to the package here. We have some Bones stickers, and I also see Tracker, Sims, Skateboarder and Alva. This thing is freaking sweet! It sold for $550.

Next up we have a Banzai aluminum deck in a bright, shiny purple. The seller claims that it was never mounted and is “untouched”, and it might have never been ridden, but the underside is covered with oddly mismatched stickers, so the mint designation doesn’t fly here. There’s no doubting that the stickers are vintage, because there is a RadPad, Fiberflex, a huge G&S, and an original Gullwing logo, but they just look odd on this aluminum Banzai. I’m guessing the seller tried to remove them but realized that it would ruin the finish, so he left them. It still sold for $500

Ooh aaah. Here’s a Hobie Vita-Pakt Super Surfer skateboard from the mid 60s. It’s in really great condition. The deck is still shiny and the clay wheels still have their gold lettering. The sticker is still firmly attached, and basically the condition is amazing for being almost 50 years old. It sold for $1,136.

And from the same seller we have this Duke Kahanamoku complete from the same time period. It’s not quite as nice as the Hobie, it looks like it was ridden around a bit, but it’s still in amazingly good condition. The clay wheels are dirty but not chipped, and the deck is a little dirty, but still very solid. It sold for $1,025.

And let’s finish off this same seller with this mid 60s Makaha Surf and Ski training skateboard. This one is completely mint, and comes with the original plastic bag it was shipped in. When I say mint, I mean mint: the wheels are super glossy and the trucks are shiny and new. The owner’s manual is rubber banded around the middle of the skateboard, so that’s what you see on there. It’s advertised as “the world’s finest hand made dryland balance trainer” so I guess they never thought skateboarding would ever take off as it’s own pastime! It sold for $665.

Here’s a Variflex Allen Losi “Stars and Stripes” deck from 1982. I know, it’s not officially 70s, but it feels 70s to me! It’s in average used condition, being drilled, dirty and damaged. The white has yellowed, but it’s still a rare one that you hardly ever see, from a very influential skater that was overlooked when the 80s boom hit. I like the graphic a lot, and with some cleaning this could look great. The top of the deck looks almost flawless, which is odd! It sold for $154.

If I was to hand out an award to the deck with the worst use of sticker it would be this one. It’s a classic Kryptonics Steve Alba K-Beam deck, and it’s a total grail for a lot of collectors out there. But wait, what’s that big pile of orange crap in the middle of the board? Why it’s a pair of Sunkist orange soda stickers! What on earth ever possessed anybody to put that there? I’m guessing the owner’s 5-year old brother did it or something, because I can’t believe that a skater would deface his deck with anything other than skate stickers. Unless he was sponsored by Sunkist of course! Either way it hurt the value of this deck, a deck that is otherwise in awesome condition. I’m guessing it would have gone for hundreds more than the $951 it ended at.

Mid 1980s

Let’s start off the 80s section this month with this Zorlac Mark and Barry Abrook “Ghoul” from 1987. It’s NOS in an awesome red stain. Look at the blow-up: it’s actually a really nice looking deck. And the Abrooks were like the Godoys but more British and less angry. It sold for $305.

Now here we have a Vision Agent Orange from 1985. This one is NOS apart from a small hole in the middle where they made it into a clock in a skateshop. It’s an excellent colorway and a real bargain at $295.

And here we have an Alva Bill Danforth “Skull and Candles” from 1989. It’s in a dark blue stain and is NOS. It comes from Bill’s personal stash. It sold for $300.

And here we have 2 very rarely seen Alva team decks from 1985/86. First up is this Alva “Dolphin” in white dip. It looks NOS< but has a little tail delam at the very end of the tail. It’s a very rarely seen deck, and finished at $315.

And from the same seller we have this Alva “Scratch” deck from 1986/7. This one has a little discoloration on the tail, but again, apart from that it displays as NOS. The shape is definitely later than the white one, with the blunt nose and lack of rear wheelwells. This one sold for $468.

Here’s a Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Dragon” from 1984. It’s exactly the same graphic as the earlier 1982 dragon (not on bearing), but on a cutaway shape instead of a pig. It’s a real beauty, NOS with an off-white dip. It has some scuffs and stress cracks, but is the cleanest early Cab I’ve seen in some time. It sold for $1,365.

Here’s an Alva Dave Duncan “Claw” full size from 1987. It’s NOS and in an awesome black dip. Seriously, this one is super special. I love the different shades of purple in the swirls, and the red, green and yellow combination in the main graphic is just killer. It’s a beautiful deck and it sold for $385.

Here’s a Zorlac John Gibson “Cowskull mini” from 1986. It is near mint, with a couple of paint chips missing from side, but nothing else apart from that. The pumpkin orange and purple colorway is very appealing, and you don’t often see this graphic in this kind of unskated condition. If this was a full size then the sky would be the limit, but being a mini this sold for $990 on 42 bids.

Here’s a Tracker GSD “Eye See Pterodactyls” from 1988. It’s NOS, not in shrink, never been gripped or mounted. The red dip is nice, and overall this is an interesting looking deck from the graphic to the shape. It’s a very underrated deck I think. It sold for $286.

Here’s a Powell Peralta Nicky Guerrero “Mask” mini from 1989. It’s NOS in a teal stain, and this one is going to start jumping in price. It sold for $124, but I’m guessing that’s because it was a mini. A full size might go for double that today.

Here’s a mint Santa Cruz Team Hosoi “Picasso” from 1988. Of all of the Team Hosoi decks I personally like this one the most. It is so well done and so detailed. Supposedly Christian’s dad did the artwork on this one. Very nice. It sold for $367.

And here’s another Santa Cruz Christian Hosoi deck, this one being the “Collage” graphic from 1988. Much like the Picasso above, it is super detailed, but there’s so much going on in this one that I don’t care for it as much. Jim Phillips loved putting tons of small details in his artwork at this time, and this is the epitome of that, along with the Roskopp V. It’s intense and colorful, especially on the white dip, but something about it just isn’t working for me. It’s on a modified hammerhead shape, which is a plus: it probably looks great on the wall! This one was set up: it is gripped and drilled for rails. The holes are barely noticeable however, and it sold for a large $1,150.

Now here is one of the nicest Schmitt Stix Joe Lopes “Crystal Ball” decks that I’ve ever seen. It’s the first version of the graphic, with front and rear wheelwells and the original top graphic. It’s in NOS, never mounted or gripped condition, and it’s in an absolutely awesome deep red stain that accentuates the blues and greens in the main graphic. It’s a corker of a deck, a real stunner. This one sold for $1,495, and that price does not surprise me at all.

This is a Zorlac Rob Mertz “Shark Arrow” from 1988. It’s in very good used condition, having been mounted and ridden, but not much. There are scuffs and marks, but the nose and tail look fine, and the graphic is totally pristine. This is the first version of the deck: there was a second version with a more streamlined shape and no background pattern behind the yellow arrow. BTW, AOS is way off in the year on this one. There is no way that a deck with this kind of shape was released in 1991. It sold for $271.

And speaking of Zorlac, here’s the monthly Metallica deck that always seems to pop up! This one is mint and in a really attractive blue/green stain. The graphic does look great in yellow, green and red, and if you are into Metallica decks, this one probably got your nipples hard. It’s pretty much perfect. It sold for $1,550. It is a shame though, that of all of the groundbreaking decks that Zorlac produced over the years, and the Metallica ones always sell the highest.

Here’s the Alva Jim Murphy “Outlaw” from 1989. The seller claims that it’s in a natural stain, but this is clearly a red/brown stain, so he either got the description wrong or stole the picture from another auction. Maybe he was selling two and messed the pictures up. It’s NOS, and although the graphic is terrible, it is an Alva that we don’t see every month, so there you go. It sold for $220.

And here’s one you never see in this kind of condition! It’s a Town & Country Ken Park “Mugger” from 1986. It’s never been mounted or gripped, but was going to be at one time because it has been drilled for rails and has a jawbone. The colors are super bright, and even though it looks like it was done by a 10 year old, it has a certain kitschy charm. It sold for $395.

Next up we have the Santa Cruz “Psychotic” complete from 1986, with artwork by Jim Phillips. It comes complete with Indys and OJ II wheels. It has some tail razoring and there are some scratches and scuffs across the graphic, but it is still in pretty damned good condition. Don’t let the fact that it is a team deck fool you, this is a rare one, done in very small numbers. It sold for $289, which is a bargain.

Alva did all kinds of graphics with all kinds of fades, splatters and odd backgrounds, but sometimes the simple ones are the most effective. That is the case here with this Eddie Reategui “Warrior” from 1988. It’s NOS, and the green, yellow and blue graphic looks superb on this bright red stain. Everything about this looks awesome, and I love the high gloss finish. Excellent and $372.

Now this one is a real beauty! It’s Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Face” from 1987, and it’s not just any old face, this is the Blacktop version. The colorway on this one is superb too: the purple/pink stain is deep and beautiful, and the rest of the graphic really pops and is right in your face. A few Roskopp “faces” sold in March, but this was my favorite. It sold for $946.

Talking of attractive colorways brings me to this Schmitt Stix “Rip Saw” complete from 1987. It has Indys and Slimeballs, and looks like it was set up but never ridden: it’s in superb, almost NOS condition. The light red stain is understated and makes a great background for the blues and greens of the main graphic. It’s a great looking complete and sold for $375.

And here’s a beauty. It’s the last in the line of Santa Cruz Ramp/Street decks from 1984. They were made to be pretty generic, hence the ramp or street designation. Like I say, this was the fifth and last in that series, and this is known as the “Optical Illusion” for obvious reasons. It sold for $305.

Here is a Santa Cruz “Spidey” from 1987. The deck is very clean, but the white has been touched up. Even though the photo shows a complete the auction is for the deck only. It sold for $359.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Dogtown ‘Stonefish” in this powder blue colorway before. Now one of you is going to produce a Baywatch from a few months ago where I said the same thing, right?! Well, even if that happens it’s still a rare one! This one has been set up and ridden, but it’s not in too bad shape. It has some wear on the tail and some smears on the graphic, but overall it’s decent. It sold for $206.

And here’s a Santa Cruz ‘Street Creep” from the Oops series of team decks. The deck looks great even though it was mounted and lightly ridden at one point, although the griptape has been removed. You can clearly see what kind of risers were used (Cell Block III), and that always amuses me! The skull looks great in pink and purple, so the fact that it sold for $400 doesn’t really surprise me. It’s a beauty. And btw, for those thinking or removing griptape before selling a deck, that’s a fine idea, but don’t do it because you think people won’t be able to tell it was ever gripped, because they will, and also, remove it all. Don’t leave a sticky mess up top. It’s a tricky job, so be prepared to go all the way and do it right.

And peaking of beauties we have this Suicidal Skates (Dogtown) ‘Possessed to Skate” deck from 1987. It’s in a red dip and has never been setup or gripped. I wouldn’t call it NOS because it has a ton of scratches and scrapes, but it may be as close as you will find. Plus the red is amazing. That is a beauty of a deck, and it sold for $1,025.

And finally from he 80s this month we have this Zorlac “Sacred Cow 2” team deck from 1986. It is in a great colorway: purple stain and aqua, silver and yellow graphic. It’s really eye catching and is simply a beautiful plank. It sold for $409.

90s-present day

Sometimes a deck will be up for auction that hasn’t been seen for a long time. That lucky seller will reap the benefits of that because the deck will sell for a ridiculous sum. Others will see that, and the next few weeks will see a glut of them as others try to cash in too. That was the case with this Social Distortion promo deck from 1992. Supposedly there were only about 100 made for executives and to be given away as promotion for the Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell album. I haven’t seen one of these for years, and it went off for an amazing $2,025. I have seen about 5 of them up in April, none of which had the same success. Not even close.

Here’s a Santa Cruz Bod Boyle “Fuck Bod” from 1991. It’s NOS, never mounted or gripped. The red stain is a nice colorway for this one, contrasting as it does with the green of the dress. It sold for $354.

So here we have not one but two World Industries Chris Branagh “Chicken Hawk” decks from 1992. The top one is NOS and in a burgundy stain. It sold for $1,500 at the beginning of the month. The second deck is in similar condition but in a blue/grey stain and it sold for $914 in the latter half of the month. Plus the first seller had zero feedback, which is always a little disturbing. So again, it shows that if you are first up with a deck that hasn’t been seen in awhile then you can really cash in. I actually prefer the blue stain because the graphic pops more.

Next up we have this Powell Peralta Frankie Hill ‘Eastwood” from 1991. It’s mint in shrink: never been gripped or set up. The blue stain is sweet, and overall this is a very desirable deck. It sold for a good price too: $1,811.

This is a Blind Jason Lee “American Icons” deck from 1991. It was gripped and lightly skated, and then the grip was removed and it’s got a small hole drilled in the nose for display purposes. Despite all of that it still displays really nicely, and it sold for $595.

This is a Powell Peralta “Liberty and Justice” team deck from 1991 with artwork by Sean Cliver. It’s mint, still in shrink, and in a very dark blue stain. It sold for $710.

Here we have a New Deal Ed Templeton “Crowd: deck from 1991. It’s NOS, never been gripped or mounted, but it is not in shrink. The grey woodstain is interesting because you can see some of the grain and natural color through it, giving it a very one-of-a-kind look. It sold for $990.

Now I really like this deck, and may try to get one soon. It’s a Powell Peralta Nicky Guerrero “Time Tripper” from 1992. It’s mint and in red dip, and I bet it looks just awesome out of the shrink and up close. The screen-printing looks intricate and incredibly detailed. Now as nice as this deck is it’s not super rare because there’s a good few out there and Nicky Guerrero isn’t he biggest name, so the one guy on eBay trying to sell it for over a thousand is out of his tree. This one sold for $300, which feels exactly right.

Here’s another of the Zoo York “Warriors” series deck from 2004. This one is for the main gang in the movie, The Warriors, and from the price appears to be the hardest to find and the most desirable. It’s mint although not in shrink, and it sold for $471.

Here’s one I normally wouldn’t have featured because the graphic is awful, but there’s been a ton of interest around Simon Woodstock on the site, so if one of his decks comes up I feel that I have to feature it. This “Mad Clown” deck appears to be a team deck on Woodstock Skateboards and dates from 1997. I say “appears to be” because the seller left no information on the deck and AOS is sketchy too. It looks like it’s NOS, and it sold for $390 on 6 bids.

Assorted Crap

So this month we start this section of the strange and the obscure with this Z-Skates Z-Pig lapper. Yup, that’s a lapper, but not one of those plastic, break in 5 minutes lappers that we all saw in the mid 80s. Nope, this bad boy is aluminum and super long, extending almost to the middle of the board. I think you could guarantee no hang-ups with this one, but it did require 2 more screw holes in your deck. It sold for $34.

And we have a NOS set of Gullwing HPG IV trucks in gold. They really are a sight to behold, and would round off any 70s-era complete in style! I remember my friend had a set on his G&S Stacy Peralta Warptail back in the 70s, and I couldn’t have been more jealous. They really did look like the last word in truck technology, almost as if you would immediately be able to skate better just by slapping them on. They sold for $322.

And to go along with that 70s complete you will need a 70s era helmet. The cheaper helmets back then looked like this, all based on the Cooper SK100 hockey helmet. The sizing was rudimentary; all done by adjusting that screw on the side, and the padding was super thin. Basically you were wearing a plastic box on your head with a quarter inch of polystyrene. But we all had them along with the pull on fabric volleyball pads and the gardening gloves. This particular helmet was rebranded with the Free Former logo, but was exactly the same as the Cooper. It sold for $238, which really amazes me, but I assume it’s going to sit on some rich persons bookshelf, so it’s all good.

So you have your trucks, lapper and helmet. Well how about some 70s wheels too? Here’s a set of NOS OJs, straight out of 1978. They’ve never touched the ground or had bearings, so they are as virgin as the Jonas Brothers. They cost their new owner $428.

Now sometimes an auction goes off that seems insane, and I get the link sent to me from like a thousand people. Such was the case with this Powell Peralta Bones Brigade t-shirt. Apparently this shirt was a one off, worn by Tony Hawk at a demo in Australia, and then given to the seller. I have no idea how one would authenticate such an article unless you had photos of the day, and even then, it’s a t-shirt. Somebody could screen something that looks like that next week. It sold for a quite ridiculous $2,125. Now I know that the Powell team-only tour jackets sell for high prices, but that I can kind of understand. But this? I’m baffled. Is it the Tony Hawk sweat stain around the collar, or is it just the unusual design that looks like somebody was bored in the screening room? Also, what does one do with a dirty $2000 t-shirt? Do you wash it or display it as is? Somebody explain this please. And also tell me how Tony was wearing an XL in 1988. He was always tall but he was super skinny.

Bargains

Let’s start off the Bargains section this month with this Alva “Dagger” team complete from 1984. It was a budget complete I believe with generic trucks and Alva Street Bomb wheels. It also came with the rails, nose guard and tail dome. AOS lists it as rare, and it normally sells in the $200 range, so this one selling for $47 definitely qualifies it as a bargain.

Here’s another Alva deck, this one being the Bill Danforth “Nomad” mini from 1988. It’s the later version of this deck and has the “Map of America” top logo rather than the earlier “Awa” script. It’s in really good shape with minty looking rails and flypaper. The colorway is great, and for $84 you have a killer deck.

Here’s a first generation Vision Gator “Swirl” from 1985. It’s got the front and rear wheelwells and the original top logo. The blue and white colorway is eye-catching, and it comes complete with early Indys and Powell Peralta Threes. It’s in very solid used condition, and would display beautifully. So $144 sounds like a bargain to me.

So here’s a Haro Circuit Board from 1986. This one looks like it was set up, but there is no evidence of any grip on top, so maybe it was hanging in a bike shop? That’s my best guess anyway, because it is scratched up and faded. This was kitschy and collectible a few years back, but maybe not so much now, because this only went for $40.

Here we have a New Deal Andy Howell “Happy Hippies” deck from 1991. It features a lot of groovy characters, along with a song sheet that has lyrics from “Aquarius” and “I’m on Top of the World”. It’s been gripped and ridden, but not too much because the graphic is still in great condition. Plus, the graphic is so busy that it hides the scratches well. A purple NOS one sold for over a thousand dollars in 2010, so this one really slipped between the cracks at $60.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Pumpkin” from 1987. It’s in great used condition; really solid looking. The teal dip is a nice feature on this, and the red, yellow and orange in the main graphic really screams. It sold for $76.

And finally this month we have this Madrid “Explosive” team deck from 1984. I was actually watching this one, but lost track of it and came back to it too late. It looks like it was gripped and mounted but never ridden, because it has mainly surface and storage scratches, not tail tail-wear or nose-bonk. The colorway is super vivid, I love the bright red dip and yellow and aqua paint spatters. It’s a fantastic looking piece of history and it sold for $102.

Seeya next month.

-Neil