Hey everybody. Well it appears that we are in the yearly eBay slump. Seriously. I’ve never seen so many auctions go off where the decks didn’t meet reserve. There are some great bargains out there on decks that don’t have a reserve: I will list a couple, but go on there and do some digging. You might be surprised. I’ve also got a couple of funny auctions at the end. A couple should have the seller name “Hopeful Bastard”.
This month, this column is fueled by Heinz baked beans, the sounds of Ignite, and is 100% created on a 20” G5 iMac at 1 pm on a Friday afternoon. One of the benefits of being a consultant I guess.
60s/70s.
It doesn’t get much more 70s than this. A very sweet Dogtown Bob Biniak in a very unusual black paint. Check out those wheel wells. Unreal. Actually, this looks so minty fresh that it almost smells of repro to me. But I don’t remember the auction mentioning that, so I assume it’s the real deal. $1,026.
Now I know this is the real deal! A Dogtown Wes Humpston complete. The deck is actually in very nice condition despite the busted-ass stickers all over it. Actually, the rest of the stickers are pretty cool. The DTS and Lazer Trucks stickers probably add to the value because they don’t detract from the board. But the huge ass sticker is ridiculous and probably took at least $50 off the price. Anyone have any idea what Lkmet & US is? $800.
I’ve always loved these late 70s/early 80s Sims decks. For some reason I really dig those recessed rails where it says Sims. And the pro name vertically down the middle is a great touch too. It just screams “I’m a pro deck! Take me seriously you little grom bastard!”. Or something like that. I’ll swear that I saw one once with leopard skin pattern in the recess. Too sweeeet. Anyway, it’s a Sims Bert Lamar complete with Indy stage 1s and some kind of conical wheel. $298.
At least one set of Sims Snakes appears to go off every month. November was no exception. These are lime green which are obviously very desirable. Clean, clean, clean. $500.
80s
A few years ago this deck was the holy grail of more than a few collectors. It’s the Santa Cruz Jeff Grosso ‘Alice”. Pulled by SC after a very short run. This is a nice example of the deck. Dark wood stain really makes the graphics pop. But I guess most of the big $ collectors must have theirs already, because this didn’t go as high as I would have thought. Not that $1,991 is cheap, but I’ll swear a few years ago that these were going for over $2500.
Ooh, nice Corey O’Brien reaper. Great colorway too. This would look nice on my wall damnit. Why couldn’t SC reissue this one instead of the Ffej? I guess I’ll have to wait until I find one at a garage sale. Maybe by the time I’m 60. $433.
Here’s one of those bargains I was talking about. It’s a Tracker Adrian Demain from the late 80s. Not the best graphic in the world, but he was a super nice guy and rad skater. Probably still is. $64? Are you fucking serious? A popsicle in your local skate shop might set you back more than this.
And here’s more evidence that a sucker is born every minute. These Hawks are common as fuck. Every month about 10 of them go off. Some colorways are rare, but red is not one of them. But it only takes 2 ignorant buyers to make a seller’s day, and this is what we got here. This thing went for $610. It’s a $300 deck TOPS. Probably $250. And what’s with the red satin? Was it being sold at a whorehouse?
Now this makes more sense. It’s a Tony Hawk first model complete. The deck isn’t in bad shape at all. I especially like the nipple protector on the nose. What the hell is that thing? It looks like something that belongs on roller skates. And the trucks don’t look like they belong at all. They certainly aren’t of the same vintage as the deck. I can’t place them. Still, $797 isn’t bad at all.
And here’s another 1st model Hawk, this time in the even rarer red colorway. It just looks more impressive than the blue for some reason Nice. The “Fly Powell Peralta” sticker just adds to the effect. $1,224. Great score.
Jason Jessee “Neptunes” come and go, but this is one of the best colorways I’ve seen for this. The dark wood stain really helps the graphics to pop. Sweet, sweet deck. Rarer than most mermaid tails because Neptune doesn’t have any tattoos if you are keeping score. $600.
And here’s the original version of that graphic. This is the shark tail version (see the shark on the tail. Get it?) drawn by Jim Phillips. Johnny Mojo redid the graphics for the mermaid tail. Other changes include the sea serpents face, a smaller castle at the top, and different lettering. Another great colorway, and again, rarer than most shark tails. Most have the Santa Cruz logo in the circle above the castle. This one is devoid of said logo. $700.
It seems like I cover this deck every month. A pink Lance Mountain Future Primitive. Awesome, great, etc. etc. Worth every penny of the $665 the buyer paid. The reissue from a few years ago is going larger and larger every day too. Over $250 these days. If you can find one that is.
Now this is a nice complete. Actually, maybe not. The black trucks (Trackers?) blend in with the deck. And the wheels are shot, and the tail skid doesn’t fit. Fuck that, it sucks. Take it apart and just sell the deck. The deck rules. Killer. Rad. Gnarly. Bosker. $734.
How much black can this background be? None. None more black. I think this guy shot this photo in Valhalla. Or some kind of Nordic hell. That’s a great name for a band actually. Nordic Hell. I’m copyrighting that. See me for rights. Per Welinder street deck by Powell Peralta. $265.
Now this is a rad complete. A Sims Jeff Phillips tie-dye, complete with mismatched trucks (one black, one silver) and old wheels. Now this will really stand out at the skate park. But of course it’s being taken apart and put on the wall. Fucking beautiful $576.
SO how much is my Salba tiger worth these days? Well, this one in natural went for $500. The one below it in purple went for $511. Mine is purple, so I guess I can officially price mine at $511. Facing different directions for visual effect.
Collectors are a funny bunch. You could get a beat up Hawk first edition or mint first Cab or McGill for the price this late 80s team model went for. It’s a nice deck and all, but Powell China had these for like $200 a few months ago. This went for $783 which seems just insane to me. I could have gotten that Natas for this much, and still had $50 to spend on wrestling DVDs.
Banners. Those things that hung at contests in the 80s, you know, before fast food and fizzy drink manufacturers sponsored contests. This is an awesome example. A mint, red, Zorlac shrunken head banner. Ready to hang in your garage so you and your 2 friends can appreciate it. Seriously though, fucking awesome. $400.
90s-today
Nothing this month. Sorry noobs. .
Weird / Stupid Shit
One of the more annoying outgrowths of the skate phenomenon has been the skater-artist. You know, the guy that’s a famous skater who also fancies himself as a bit of an artist. Somehow these folks got the idea that they could put their name on any old piece of crap and people will buy it. The most successful has been the Gonz. Not content with putting his shitty artwork on decks, he’s also put out an annoying line of small sculptures. This one went for $285. You can’t get an idea of the size from this, so let me tell you, it’s pretty tiny. 4 inches maybe? $285? Man, mail that cash to me. I’ll get my 6 year old to come up with something better than this and I’ll send it right back to ya. Shined up real nice.
How about a crappy ramp, guaranteed to feel flimsy as hell? Who knows, you might fall off the side and be able to sue them? But who cares, it folds up for easy storage. That’s all that matters, right? Brought to you by your friends at Freshpark. And somebody paid $330 for this.
Here’s Mr. Hopeful number 1. He is selling a VERY common Powel Peralta Ray Underhill chain and cross deck. It’s not even mint. It has obvious riser pad wear, and a stupid Gremic sticker on it. Mint these things are lucky to break $100. Our hopeful friend was asking $1,079 for this. Guess what? No sale. Just knock about $1050 off, and you might have something fella. . . .
And finally we have this Plan B monstrosity. What’s special about it? The seller wanted $300. But wait, there’s more. It comes with a lifetime breakage warranty. (From the seller or Plan B? – k.ed ) So if the deck EVER breaks you can return it to them and they will replace it with a similar deck for free. That is assuming of course that you can find them in 6 months. Or that they honor this. Or that it meets the hefty list of requirements that qualify you for a replacement. Otherwise you are stuck with a broken piece of crap that you paid $300 for. Maybe you could trade it for a Gonz statue.
Seeya next month.
-Neil
