Something odd happened this month. I was sorting through the images of the decks, putting them in categories, when I noticed something odd: I didn’t have any 90s decks. That has never happened before, and I could have gone back through and looked for 90s decks, but that would have been forcing it. I normally go with whatever catches my eye, and either there were no interesting (to me) 90s decks this month, or there were some but the pictures just sucked so I didn’t consider them. That happens a lot actually. A blurry, postage stamp sized image of the deck on a crappy background. If I can’t see the deck, then you can’t see the deck, and I’m basically describing it blind. The best ones are where they actually put a huge blow up of the deck in the auction. That is the image I grab, scaling it down for the main display, but if you click on it you see it full sized. You all knew that, right? That if you click on the deck image you see it the size it was originally displayed. So, no 90s section this month, but there’s a very long 80s section so that will have to do.
This month’s Baywatch is fueled by the sounds of The La’s and their "BBC In Session" album. You remember The La’s. From the late 80’s early 90’s? Fronted by eccentric genius Lee Mavers who penned the greatest pop song of the last 25 years in "There She Goes"? They only released 1 album in their time together, 1990s "The La’s:, and the story of that is interesting. They were sent into the studio, but went through producers like The Ramones went through drummers. Mavers, a total perfectionist, knew how he wanted the album to sound in his head, but none of the parade of produces could even get close to the sound he envisioned. He fired them, along with band members. The label got tired of the money pit this album was becoming and sent Steve Lillywhite in to work with him. Lee hated him too, but the label sent the band home and told Lillywhite to release what he had, which they did. Their only album took three years, three producers, several engineers, and seven studios to record. Mavers’ penchant for experimentation — with sounds, with instruments, with drugs — was inexhaustible and rendered deadlines meaningless. The result was still a great album, but it does sound flat and the production is pedestrian. Mavers claims that the band played badly on purpose because they didn’t like Lillywhite, and rather than promoting it in interviews at the time, he said he hated it. He told New Musical Express, ”I hate it. It’s the worst, a pile of s—. There is not one good thing I can find to say about it.” Even though he had a ton of songs ready for a second album, they never got around to recording them because Mavers never really thought they had released a first one. The La’s split in late 1991 after John Power got tired of it all, and he went and promptly formed the band Cast. Anyway, the closest thing to the “real” La’s sound might be found in this BBC Sessions release. The band play live in studio, and the result is a sound that is totally fresh. The songs come alive with hidden depth and clarity. It’s like hearing some of them for the first time. Until Mavers decides to have another go, these are the best versions of these songs you will ever hear.
60s, 70s, early 80s.
Let’s start off with a bang. You want the “Bigfoot” well here you go, although it might not be the one you are expecting! I have little information on this big orange foot skateboard apart from the fact that it was made by Francisco Products. The wheels say Big Foot on them if you were wondering. Weren’t the 70s awesome? $198.
So Lightning Bolt was/is a major surfboard company out of Maui, but they also made skateboards back in the 70s, and they are pretty collectible. This one is fiberglass, and features Lightning Bolt trucks and Power Paw wheels. It’s 24” by 6”, and although the deck shows some wear, the trucks and wheels are NOS. This one went for the BIN price of $550, which is pretty damned major coin.
Here is a Sims Brad Bowman concave “multi-logo” model from 1980. It is missing the Sims stickers in the routed out areas which lowers the value substantially, but apart from that it’s in pretty good conditions. There are scratches obviously, but nothing too bad. It comes complete with Stage III Indys and Sims The Wheel II. It went for $750 with Buy It Now, but if the Sims stickers had still been in place I’m guessing that it would have sold for substantially more.
Now look at this chunk of 70s fiberglass! Run this into a wall and the whole thing would split end to end! Actually, it’s unusual for a regular 70s fiberglass deck to be as shaped as this one, so I assume it was slalom deck? It is a Sport Fun Competition 68 board from 1977. The trucks say Sport Fun Wide Track II, and the wheels say (wait for it) Fat Cat Streaker. I’ve never seen anything like this before and would assume it’s from the Far East because of all of the broken “engrish” and seemingly nonsensical words placed together, but who knows? That was the beauty of the skateboard boom of the 70s: so many crappy companies jumped on the bandwagon with insanely bad products. Anyway, this sold for $45.
So here’s a Sims Bert LaMar stinger from 1979. It’s kind of the opposite deal from the Sims above: it has the Sims stickers but doesn’t have the skaters name down the middle. It’s in a stunning silver dip, and with the multi colored Sims stickers it really is a beauty. There are a couple of scratches but nothing major really. If it did have the name down the middle I’m guessing that it would for over a grand, but as it is it sold for $400.
And here’s Bert LaMar’s other Sims model, this one coming from 1981. This was one of the Sims Epoxy decks, as evidenced by the big E on the topside. It comes complete with Indy 169 Stage IIs, and Sims B52 wheels. The copers have protected the trucks, and the rails (no longer there but the holes are) have protected most of the graphics. It has a few scratches and dings but is basically in great shape. Now personally I prefer the classic late 70s Sims like the deck above, but this was clearly made in a time of great transition of skateboard graphics, somewhere between the simple 70s logos and signatures and the complex mid 80s graphics and imagery. A time when simple repeated shapes and lines etc. made a statement, but were completely generic. You could substitute the name LaMar with the name Sims on this with no real difference. This sold for $450.
OK, so here’s a classic mid-70s wood deck. It’s an undrilled Sims Taperkick, 27” by 7”. It has some dings but is basically a very clean example of 70s deck craftsmanship. I love the 2 darker inlays on the rail sides that run the length of the deck. Very nice. $440.
OK, so here we have a Surfa Sam complete from the mid 70s. Surfa Sam was an Australian brand made by the L.H. Nicholas Company from the mid 60s right through 1976. Even though the wheels are called Detroit Super Wheels, it was all made in Sydney. If you want the full story on the brand you can learn all you ever wanted to know at www.surfasam.net. It is a legendary brand down under, and this one sold for $474.
Mid 1980s
Here we have a G&S Neil Blender “coffee break” from 1987. It’s the mini model, and minis don’t have quite the value of their full sized brethren, but still, $500 isn’t too shabby. I can’t say that I love this colorway, but it’s in NOS condition, and that’s a rarity with these.
Aah, Brand X. Who in the mid 80-s had better graphics or more intensely screened boards? The correct answer is nobody. Bernie Tostenson really did an amazing job with the early/mid period Brand X stuff, and this is a fine example. It’s the “Ded Head” model from 1985. It’s not NOS or anything close to it. It’s obviously been mounted and skated but is still super bright, almost like it was screened yesterday. It’s a testament to the quality of the materials and processes of yesteryear. I’d love to know what those 4 odd screw holes in the tail were for though. It sold for $151.
Now here’s one you don’t see every day (or every month for that matter). It’s a mint G&S Foiltail from 1983/4. It’s the same “Q Bert” style graphic that G&S used for their 1984 Gator model, just substitute the G&S for Gator and you get the idea. I don’t know which came first. AOS says that the Gator deck did, but I’m not so sure. I think this one might have. It’s typical of the shapes and pattern style graphics prevalent in the very early 80s. $399.
Here’s a Vision Mark Gonzales “fat face” deck from 1988. Now I don’t understand why this one went so low. Not low enough to get into the bargain section, but $177 seems really low for a 20-year old Gonz in very good condition. I really like the colorway on this one. The yellows and orange really pop off the nice olive green wood stain. It’s a sweet pickup for somebody, that’s for sure.
Now here’s a deck that just keeps going up and up in price. It’s a Santa Cruz Claus Grabke “exploding clocks”, and is high on the priority list for a lot of collectors, especially in NOS condition, as this one appears to be. The colorway here appears to be kind of muted and strange, but I’m going to say that’s down to a bad photo. It’s probably super bright: the pinks and yellows are probably neon and the green is a deep green. It sold for $400, which I’m guessing is going to look like a real bargain in a year or so
OK, so this is just weird. It’s the history of 80s Powell Peralta Tony Hawk models, all going off in one month and all going off for the same price! First was this white Tony Hawk version 1 pig. It’s very clean really; the multitude of plastics (as evidenced by the amount of holes) has kept the graphic completely intact. Rip that Bones sticker off of the tail and you have an excellent first gen Hawk and for a very reasonable $1000.
Next we have this Hawk screaming skull, but the pig version from 1984, not the penis shaped version from 1987. Could this sucker be any cleaner? The classic Powell dark blue dip is a perfect background for the red cross and white skull. Even though it’s been gripped and railed it’s obviously never been ridden. Remove the hideous yellow rails and you have a great looking classic Hawk. It went for the same amount as the one above: $1000.
And now we have the 1987 version of the Hawk screaming skull. It’s mint in shrink and in a very sweet red dip. Of course, it went for far too much money and normally I wouldn’t even feature it, but I thought it was odd that it too went for exactly $1000. How odd is that?
And sticking with Powell Peralta we have the Frankie Hill “bulldog” from 1989. Some love the graphic and some hate it. I think it’s kind of plain myself, but it’s rare and very desirable nonetheless. To a whole generation of younger street skaters who didn’t see Natas and Gonz, guys like Frankie Hill were the shit and that helps the value of these boards. $1050. Yup, more than the Hawks.
So here’s a nice Variflex Lance Mountain “knight with lance” deck from 1983. Lance rode for Variflex before Powell, and they issued this deck right before he left and filmed the first Powell Peralta video. I’ve only ever seen this deck in a black dip, and don’t know if it came any other way. The graphic idea is clever, but it’s really badly done. It looks more like some unfinished negative rather than a fully conceived graphic. But that’s just my opinion. Anyway, it’s a pretty rare deck and is in fine shape. It sold for $305.
Yes, here we have not one, but two Schmitt Stix Joe Lopes “Crystal Ball” decks all the way from 1986. Now, if you were hoping to learn why the seller had 2 decks or why he was selling both in one auction, then unfortunately you will never find out, because the seller ain’t talking. All he says is “2 lopes decks”. That’s it. Like we couldn’t have figured that out! They both appear to be in NOS condition and superb really. The red one is clearly older as it has rear wheel-wells while the green does not. Also note the different position of the Schmitt Stix type on the 2 models. They sold for a large $2,200.
Man is this one nice. It’s a Santa Cruz Micke Alba “Geo” from 1984. It totally reminds me of the Santa Cruz Street Skate from the same time period. It has a similar shape, and that one was also yellow and black. It comes with Trackers and Variflex wheels and it is all in almost perfect condition. The wheels have some dust, but that’s about all. The deck is pristine. Just look at the blowup! Excellent stuff. $325.
I tell you what, Mike McGill might not get much respect from a lot of folks, but his later period Powell Peralta decks had some great looking graphics. While the Hawks just got worse and worse and the Cabs kept digging the same ground over and over, Mike had a lot of fish themed graphics, but they were all very different from each other, and they were universally well done. This one is a beauty for example. It’s the “Fish (street)” from 1990 in a very handsome red stain. The simplicity is appreciated. It sold for $315
Meanwhile Lance had the “crest” out on PP during the same(ish) time period. Actually I’ve featured this so much recently that I don’t think I will anymore, but the colorway on this one was so nice that I had to. The silver dip is awesome, and the blues, reds and golds totally pop off it. One of the nicest colorways for this deck I think, and others must agree because it went for $650. It’s mint in shrink btw.
Now this one doesn’t need any write-up really, so I won’t. It’s a Powell Peralta Rodney Mullen “Mutt” from 1983. It’s unmounted and in the very rare pearly white dip. The seller says that it is NOS, but it does have some scratching and dings on the nose. Still, it is extremely rare, to the tune of $1,775.
Now for a couple of mid 80s Dogtowns, from a couple of Venice rippers. First is this 1988 Aaron Murray mini. The graphic is typical mid-80s Dogtown, with the cross and lots of other mysterious stuff going on behind it. I assume it all means something to Aaron, but I have no idea what’s going on back there. There are dolphins I think and some waves? Something like that. You get the idea. $350.
And then we have this Dogtown Scott Oster, again from 1988, and from the same seller. It’s on a much more basic shape, no funky sidecuts here, but the graphic tone is very similar: lots of nonsense going on behind the cross. Flames, dragons and who knows what else. I much prefer the colorway of this one to the white above. The green makes you want to look at it while the white is just blaah. It only went for $202 though.
So here’s not one, but two, Sims Jeff Phillips “breakout” decks for your viewing pleasure. Both are in exceptional colorways. The black is breathtaking in its simplicity, and the neon green and pinks scream off of the deck. The white is awesome in its own right though. You really get a 3D sense from this one. They are both beautiful decks. The black one sold for $699, while the white one sold for $650. Phillips collectors really had a banner month in May I guess, although choosing between these would have been tough.
Oh boy. Here’s another classic from the same time period. It’s the Powell Peralta “vato rat” from 1985 in a stunning silver dip. It’s complete with black Gullwings and PP Threes wheels. The seller says he was bitten b the skating bug but never got the hang of it. Well, his loss was our gain, because what that lack of skill left behind is an almost perfect silver dip vato rat. There are a couple of smudges, but basically this sucker is awesome. It sold for $433, but I think that is cheap. Not that I have that kind of money to throw around of course, I’m just saying that for this deck, I think that is a bargain price
Here’s a Schmitt Stix Reese Simpson “pool cobra” from 1989. Schmitt Stix was signing up some lesser-known pros at this time, guys like Steve Douglas and Reese, but issuing killer decks with great graphics and clean lines. This is no exception. The cobra coming out of the pool is a nice idea, and it’s beautifully executed on a silver dip deck. The seller should have removed the rails because they really crowd this great deck and totally screw up the visual. The deck has been ridden, but the graphic is all there. $178.
So how much are Santa Cruz Salba voodoos going for these days, and has the reissue hurt the value of the original? Well not much, as this teal beauty went for $725. It’s out of shrink and has some storage marks, but is still a NOS voodoo, which is a truly rare thing. $725 is cheap. A mint one went for almost $2k about a year ago, and even a used, drilled one went for $765 in March of 2008. So yes, I’m saying that the reissue has hurt the value of the original. This probably should have gone for around $1200. Or it could be the economy. But it’s probably the reissue. Or. . .
Now H-Street fans often email me and ask me what I’ve got against H-Street and why don’t I feature more of them. Well, I don’t particularly like them, and this is a case in point. I find the graphics mundane and lacking in any sense of style or sophistication, but hey, that’s just me. But anyway, here’s one for you guys that take the time to write in. It’s a John Sonner “Peace” deck from 1990. It’s mint in shrink, which is a rarity, and it sold for $400, which is easily the most that this deck has ever sold for, at least according to AOS. Now, there hasn’t been a listing for it in almost 3 years on there, so that could be wrong, but I don’t think so.
Yum. A Santa Cruz Spidey complete in the best colorway for this deck. It’s complete with Indys and OJs, and it’s been signed on the tail. It’s obviously been set up and ridden, but it is still in VERY good condition. Shit, this board is great. Keep it complete and slap it on the wall. $255? That seems insane to me. It should have been twice that. That was a great purchase by somebody
So here is a Suicidal Skates (Dogtown) team pig from 1984. The graphic is average, the colorway is simple, but the Suicidal stuff is jumping off the charts in value! This one sold for $1025! You normally see this deck in black, so the white is unusual, and the fact that it is NOS makes it even more so. It was gripped at one point but that has been removed. It’s a very rare deck, and valuable both to skate collectors and Suicidal Tendencies collectors too.
And to finish off the 80s section we have this Jason Jessee “sungod” in a very unusual colorway. The green and blue in the beard and hair is not common, normally it’s a very bland red and gold graphic on a background, but the outlining in blue and the addition of green really makes this one something special. The deck was gripped and set up at one point, but the grip has been removed and the graphic appears to be free of major scratching and damage. That’s a very nice and unusual deck. $434.
Assorted Crap
So May must be the month for overpriced t-shirts, because there was a bunch. First up is this Santa Cruz Bullet shirt that was only give out to Speed Wheels team riders. It’s a size XL and never worn. Looking at it, it’s probably been folded in a bag for the last 20 years. How much would you pay? Somebody paid $316
And here’s a Powell Peralta multi-logo team shirt. Lots of stuff going on here, and I must admit I’ve never seen this before. It’s a sweet looking shirt with Animal Chin, Mike V’s logo, Bones, and rat bones logos all over it. It’s a medium, but comes from Thailand, so the possibility of a fake is there. It sold for $470.
And to top it all off, here’s a Santa Cruz Speed Wheels Psychotic t-shirt. It’s a highly sought after deck, and I guess the t-shirt is too. It’s an XL and is unworn from the same seller as the Bullet shirt above. This one sold for $530. So he made almost a thousand dollars from selling 2 old t-shirts that he found in a box. . I guess my question is, after spending that much for a t-shirt, what the hell do you do with it? You certainly don’t wear it do you?
So the crazy-ass Eppic deck from 1987 sold in April for $378, which I thought was $300 too much. Well imagine my surprise when another went off in May, and this one sold for even more: $405 to be exact. What are others seeing that I’m not?
So for the last 5 years I have been collecting pictures of every bootleg graphic that I find, and one of these days I will do a special just focused on those decks. What do I mean by bootleg graphics? Well this is a perfect case in point. It’s clearly a badly rendered version of a Christian Hosoi graphic (the “rocket air”), put on a generic deck with cheap trucks, wheels and extras added on. From a distance, if you squint, you could even be suckered into buying it. Of course, when you look closer you see that it says “Skate” instead of Hosoi, but the similarity is there. A company called Rolls Racer put this out, and they had a whole series of these types of graphic rip-offs. It sold for $41. Below it is the real deal.
So it’s the 80s. You have your Gonz deck, your Vision t-shirt and your Vision fanny pack and beret. What more can you add to the ensemble? Why some Gonz shorts of course! Loud and ugly as hell, these shorts were just discovered in a bike shop, probably hidden away by the original owner to save his eyesight. They are size large and just begging for a new home. $57 was all it took to win them.
Bargains!
Some might look at this used Santa Cruz Bod Boyle “Sick Cat” from 1990 and think that $100 isn’t a bargain, but I’m telling you it is. This deck is very hard to find in NOS condition, and when one does come up it normally goes in the $450 range. This one has dings and scratches, but the graphic is all there and it would display well. If you were looking for one this would be the perfect placeholder until a NOS one comes along. There were a lot of bids on this, so I think $100 is a great price.
And this Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “dragon and bats” complete is a similar story. It’s dinged up, and the nose is really biffed. Too many wall jams perhaps? But the graphic is all there and it looks fine from underneath. It has red Trackers and 95A Cross Bones. Hell, it even has ThunderBolts! It’s even been autographed by Cab on the tail. I don’t think you could go wrong with this for $64.
OK, so we all know that Steve Claar wasn’t the most well known G&S pro in the late 80s/early 90s, but this “universal sun” model has a nice graphic feel, was on the super popular C90 concave, and isn’t in bad condition at all. So for it to only sell for $36? It’s crazy I tell ya!
Man, a few years ago this would have been a $500 deck easy. How times have changed. If you didn’t know, this is the Kryptonics Godoy Brothers model from 1985. It’s never been set up, but the red dip is showing its age with plenty of scratches etc. It’s still an unmounted Kryptonics Godoy however, and that alone should have pushed it up. It is bright and sharp looking. It went for a paltry $112.
Vision John Grigley II mini from 1988. Complete with Indys and Bullet 66s. Great used condition. $61?
Talk about right place, right time. A mint version of this exact deck sold last month for over $1500. This Powell Peralta Tony Hawk bottlenose, screaming skull complete went for $50. Yes, you read that right, $50. It comes complete with grey Gullwings (nice colorway there) and G&S wheels. The deck appears to be in almost flawless condition apart from the stickers on the tail, and they can be easily removed. This is an absolutely awesome score. Congrats to the buyer on this excellent Buy It Now.
Look, I know that this Dogtown Malba “temple” from 1988 is pretty hosed. The middle of the graphic has been destroyed by countless slides and the nose and tail have dings. BUT, a majority of the graphic is there, the white colorway is sweet, and the deck does have just the right amount of wear: it looks aged and kind of cool. For $26 I don’t think you can go wrong, even as a rider.
Much like the Hawk complete above, this Powell Peralta Per Welinder “Nordic skull) street model is a great bargain. Yes it has holes for the rails and tail, but the rest of the board is basically NOS. A few light scuffs here and there, but basically a flawless deck in a great colorway. Super vibrant and bright, this would look awesome on the wall. $150.
See ya next month
-Neil
