eBay Watch: November 2009

eBay Watch November 2009

I want to start off this month with a couple of rants, so forgive me please. First up, to all people selling decks on eBay, stop using terms like “Vintage” and “NOS” when you are selling a fucking reissue!! Using the word vintage implies that the deck is 20 years old or more. Your shitty reissue was made 3 years ago. The only thing vintage is probably the crappy PC that you used to type up the shitty sales pitch! The same goes with the term NOS. It stands for “New Old Stock”, meaning it’s an old deck that is as new, and has never been set up. When using this term, the inference is that it’s an old deck, not one that I could walk into a store and buy today. Are the sellers being unscrupulous and trying to fool ignorant buyers? Probably, yes. By inserting the word “vintage” you are making a claim that isn’t true. So stop. Also, while I’m on the subject of sellers that piss me off, stop listing the same deck week after week, month after month with the same inflated price! Look, it’s not rocket science. If your deck isn’t selling at $399 auction after auction, maybe it’s not worth $399 and the buyers by staying away are telling you that. But you are being too stupid to listen. It doesn’t matter what you paid for it 3 years ago, or what you think it’s worth. If you have it up for 3 consecutive weeks and it doesn’t sell, then your valuation is wrong and the current market price is lower. So lower the price or stop relisting the damned deck! I’m sick of seeing the same decks month in month out with the same stupid, unrealistic starting price on them.

This month’s BayWatch is brought to you by the fine album “The Traveling Vampire Show” by Arizona horror-punk band Calabrese. If you have never heard of them before, they have been described as The Misfits meets The Ramones meets The Damned. Now, that puts them in some pretty elite company, and they are certainly not there yet, but this, their second album is a pretty damned solid release. I’d say they are more like The Misfits meets The Groovie Ghoulies personally. The lyrics are typical psychobilly/Misfits fare, dealing with monsters and vampires and the like, and the music is hook-laden and catchy. Whereas Kepi always keeps things light and poppy, sometimes Calabrese get much darker and much heavier which can get a little annoying at times. You can’t take this shit too serious boys, you don’t want to turn into Danzig! They intersperse their songs with clips from classic horror movies and that’s a nice and unexpected touch that shows that maybe they do have a sense of humor after all! They also have a strong visual side, much like the Ghoulies, currently using the artwork of LA based comic-book artist D.W. Fryendall for their album covers etc. My favorite song on the album is probably the first one, “Death Eternal”, so if you give that a listen and don’t like it then you probably won’t like the rest of the album either. Give it a chance and get to the chorus though. I promise that by the end you’ll be singing along to the “Whooh ooh ooh oh oh” chorus. Two interesting things about Calabrese that you might not know: the band is comprised of three actual brothers with the surname Calabrese, and they are originally from the town of Antioch Illinois, moving to Arizona supposedly after their Antioch home became haunted following a Ouija board session.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

First up this month is this Bad Company complete from 1979ish. Bad Company was one of those companies that seemed big for a while, but never managed to make it out of the 70s. I can remember one particularly bad/awesome ad in Skateboarder where the entire team were supposed to be dressed up like 1930s gangsters, looking tough, but the girly curly long hair just killed the image completely. Anyway, it’s complete with untouched ACS 800s and Sims Snake wheels, all in really great condition. This complete wouldn’t appeal to the novice collector, but to those in the know, this is sexy as hell. $395.

So you’ve got your 1989 Batman model from Vision? Big fucking deal, because here’s the real deal. It’s the Batman Batboard! It was bought at Harrods in London in 1966 and features the immortal Adam West as the Caped Crusader! No Dark Knight here, this guy is a babyface all the way! Look, he’s running to kick your ass because you’re a deviant damnit! It comes complete with typical single action trucks and rubber wheels. But don’t even think about riding this! $357.

Now here’s one even older than the Batman board above it. It’s a Bun Buster by Cooley, and was advertised in Skateboarder in 1965. The dimensions are 22.5 x 6.5 inches and the wheels are made of clay. It was manufactured by Teenco of North Hollywood CA, so I’m not sure who Cooley was, but there you go. Considering that it is over 40 years old it is in really great condition. I’m not sure about Bun Buster though, more like face buster! $153.

This next complete is so entirely cool and rare on so many levels. It’s a G&S Frank Blood routed deck from 1979 complete with International Motosport trucks and green Kryptonics. It’s typical of most G&S Proline decks of the time: company name on one side and pro name on the other. But who knew that Frank Blood ever had a pro model skateboard? Not many I guess. He isn’t even listed on AOS. For those that don’t know, Frank Blood was probably the most well known vertical roller-skater in the world. Yes that’s roller-skates, not rollerblades. He could really rip up a ramp on 8 wheels, and I guess he ripped on 4 too, because G&S wouldn’t give a pro model to just any chump. It’s in great used condition, and the early Indy sticker on the tailblock is a nice touch. $582.

Here’s an odd one from a time when everybody was dicking with skateboard design to invent “the next big thing”. It’s a Hobie Sundancer 2 wheeler, the new gimmick being the huge paint roller looking wheels and no grindable truck surface at all. It’s a true oddity from a major player at the time, and has become a true collectible thanks to the curiosity value I think. And if you don’t like it, you can always dunk it in a paint can and use it to paint your walls. $172.

Now here’s a real beauty for you. It’s a Kryptonics Steve Alba K-Beam complete from 1979. It has Tracker Trucks, Z-Flex rails and NOS red Kryptonics CX66 wheels. The K-Beam featured a revolutionary construction technique that had a central beam with vertically laminated plies, allowing the rest of the board to have fewer horizontal plies to cut down on weight. Other stuff was involved too, but I’m kind of hazy on the exact details. Anyway, this specimen is as clean as you will find, the wheels in particular almost glowing with minty freshness. That’s a beautiful example of late 70s skate technology at its best, and the price reflects that: $1,475.

Now I like these 70s Sidewinder wheels more for the packaging than anything else! I don’t know much about Sidewinder wheels, but apparently they were made by Ornate Designs! I’m also not quite sure why they would sell skateboard wheels in packs of 2, but that’s the 70s for you? Maybe Ornate Design were confused by the Hobie Sundancer too, and thought that all skateboards only had 2 wheels! I have it on good authority that the buyer thought these were clay wheels when he bid, but they turned out to be urethane. Big bummer, right Randy? They sold for $53, and I’ll leave it up to you to decide if they were worth it!

Mid 1980s

So let’s start off the 80s section this month with G&S Neil Blender “Driving” deck from 1988. It’s not one of his most famous, or even one of his best graphics, but it is a NOS Blender, and the vertical green to yellow fade is innovative and attractive. It’s a nice looking deck and it sold for $610.

This is a Santa Cruz Jeff Hedges “Ffej” from 1988. I remember that he was a sponsored am for SC for years along with Spidey, and I wondered if he was ever going to get his own model. When he did it was a huge disappointment. It looked like some bad Grateful Dead album cover, and was simply uninspiring. Twenty tears later it still is. It’s one of the worst SC graphics of that time period. This one has a dull colorway as well, so the $203 it sold for feels high to me.

I featured 2 different Sims “Flagship” team decks last month, but this is a better example than either of those were. It’s in NOS/scuffed condition, and the colors are bright. Actually, it looks more like black than blue, but I assume it must be dark blue. It’s a great example of a generic team deck from 1985. $313.

So I haven’t featured a Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “Chicken Skull” for some time. How much are they going for these days? Well funny you should ask because they are going high. We have 2 NOS examples here, one in a common color (blue) and one in a rare colorway. The blue deck went for $810 and the yellow went for a huge $1,121. These are simply ridiculous prices because Powell made literally thousands of these decks, and there’s probably more of these in NOS condition than almost any other mid 80s deck out there. These were Xmas gifts I’d guess. Good for the seller, but insane prices.

While we are looking at well known 80s decks, here’s another. It’s the SC Jason Jessee “Neptune” obviously, and this one is the early sharktail model. I am only featuring this one because I like it as a complete. The whole thing works as a total package to me: the colorway of the deck, the red copers on the Trackers, and the blue of the wheels matches the color of Neptune. It’s simply a very solid complete that looks really good. $355.

And speaking of completes we have this crazy Kryptonics Krypstik complete, with Trackers and unknown wheels. You want 80s? You’ve got 80s, from the blue and black checkerboard deck to the rainbow lettering. It has been ridden a few times because the tail has some wear, but basically this displays as a NOS hunk of the 80s in all its excess! $365.

There have been a few of the reissue Madrid Lucero “Jester” decks going off recently, but just to keep things honest here is the real deal. It came out in 1985, and this one is NOS. It has a few surface scratches from storage etc, but has never been mounted. It’s in the classic neon green, the best colorway for this deck. It got whopping 48 bids, and ended at $430.

Here is a real oddity. Yes it’s a Powell Peralta Rodney Mullen “Chess” complete from 1984, but that’s not what makes it odd. First up, this deck is a freestyle deck, and is very narrow. But who’d have thought that the trucks and wheels would be even narrower?! I mean just look at those things! Those look like they came off a 1960s skateboard! Talk about tippy! Also note the three white wheels and one red wheel and the VERY odd collection of stickers on there. I see Haro, Sex Wax, Tracker, OJs and Thrasher Skate Rock stickers on there. This was one very mixed up freestyler we are talking about here! Now, if those stickers come off the deck clean, you might have a very nice Mullen chess deck. But if not you’ve basically got a $510 chunk of strange! Seriously, that seems like a lot of bread for this. Maybe there was a bidding war perhaps?

From 1984 we have this Schmitt Stix Monty Nolder “Triple Named” complete. It has Stage II Indys and Santa Cruz wheels. The rails, nose and tail guards have all done their job because this complete is in very good condition. The colorway isn’t extreme by any means, but the red plays off the natural wood very nicely, and all in all it’s an excellent package. Monty is still a very popular skater, and interest in his vintage Schmitt Stix boards is high (anything pre the abysmal BBC graphics!). This went for $505.

And speaking of completes from highly regarded skaters, here’s a Sims Jeff Phillips “Breakout” from 1984. Much like the Nolder above, it’s a vintage complete that has stood the test of time well. The graphic are completely there, and the deck doesn’t have much in the way of major damage. Of course this was the era when street skating meant boneless ones and berts, and I’m betting that this board saw most of its action on wooden ramps. So the scratching potential of railslides on curbs just wasn’t there. Anyway, it’s complete with lime green Gullwings and Sims wheels. It even has the original white lapper on there, which proves tat it wasn’t ridden on the street, because within 15 minutes of street riding that thing would have snapped! This good looking complete from a legend went for $305.

So last month I featured a 90s Red Hot Chili Peppers deck that I’d never seen before. Well here is the classic 80s Skull Skates RHCP deck from 1987. Now I never liked the RHCP, but even I must admit that this deck is sweet. The colorway with the black dip, white doodles and orange and yellow graphic is outstanding. It has been setup ands used apparently, but to me it looks almost NOS. It’s in awesome shape and would be a great gift for the RHCP fan in your life! It went for $380. I’m wondering if any band had more decks than the RHCP, at least when band decks mattered. These days’ bands see putting their logo on a skate deck as just another marketing ploy, just like they would put it on a lunchbox and sell it at Hot Topic. However, there was a time that only bands that meant something or had ties to the skate community would get a deck, and it was an honor for the band to even be considered.

I haven’t featured a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp for a long time, mainly because I hate the frigging things, but this one caught my eye for some reason. It’s the Roskopp 5, the fifth and final deck in the series with the monster bursting through the target. There’s tons going on inside this graphic, and it has a completely different monster if you look at it upside down. I think I just like the colorway on this one, because the graphic is just too complex and contrived. The red dip is deep and rich, and the greens, blues and orange inside the graphic are vivid and bright. It went for $810, so maybe I know nothing.

Of all of the 1980s decks in this column this month, this might be the most unusual. It’s Skull; Skates “Mutant 2” from 1988. Like the original Mutant from 1986, this deck came in either regular or goofy foot shapes. I assume that this one is the regular shape; because this is the only shape I’ve ever seen in either graphic. I’m still not quite sure of the advantage of this shape thing either one way or the other, but it was a novel concept I guess. Maybe it made tic-tacs easier or something. It is NOS, and went for $450. This graphic is not featured in AOS by the way, which says something about its rarity I guess.

Now this Santa Cruz Keith Meek “Slasher” from 1986 isn’t rare by any means, but I’ve never seen it in this colorway. Like me, you’ve probably only ever seen it in white or black, and to tell the truth, I didn’t even know that it came in other colors! I normally hate this graphic, but I have to admit that it looks pretty sweet on the baby blue dip. It is in good used condition, with no huge gouges or dings. It went for $210. I want to note that it has an absolutely abysmal griptape job in neon green and pink. Ugh.

Now here’s a rare beauty from 1984. It’s the Alva Street Fire team deck, and it’s really really rare to see one in this condition. It’s never been set up, and is NOS with some scratching and storage marks. For an Alva collector this would be a grail, especially in this condition and in this colorway! The dark green stained deck with the pink and mustard yellow graphics is a real eye-popper, and an outstanding addition to some lucky fellow’s collection. Of course he had to pay $560 in order to get it.

And here’s another real stunner! It’s a Skull Skates Tod Swank “Splendor” model from 1987 in a fantastic black dip. It features the crescent moon and star graphic that was to become such a big part of Swank’s Foundation empire a decade later, but it’s never been more effective than it was on this deck. I mean just look at it! The graphic is simple but very effective, and it’s in beautiful condition. I also love the shape of this one, from the stinger to the nose. It’s probably a bitch to skate with the non-existent, pointy nose, but it looks killer. Maybe this one was designed for the wall, but I don’t care. It’s awesome. $406.

And to put the 80s to bed this month we have this totally 80s Town & Country team deck. This one is a rare one, as it’s not featured on AOS. T&C was and is a surfboard company out of Hawaii, and most of the decks they released in the 80s had typical surfboard style graphics: geometric shapes and loud colors around the yin yang symbol on a the same pig deck. They did put out a couple of pro decks, but are most well known for their team decks. But this one has much more flash in both graphic content and deck shape than their usual fare. The leopard skin background is more hardcore than their usual laid back stuff, and the different sized graphics suggest that the design team had been looking at some punk flyers and album covers. It is setup but has never been used in anger. Just look at the shine still on the wheels! This is a nice looking complete, and must have come as a nice surprise to the T&C collectors out there. It went for $350.

90s-present day

Just like last month we have some big hitters in the 90s section. There are lots of very desirable and unusual decks here, and one I’m featuring just because I love the idea (and movie) behind it. We’ll start off the modern day section with this Blind Jason Lee “Silly Animals” from 1991. It’s in NOS condition, not mint because it is scuffed in some places. There’s not much else to say about this one really. I neither like it nor dislike it; it’s simply there. $610.

But I do like this one! It’s a Foundation ‘Adventurer” team deck from 1991. It’s not on AOS, so details on this one are scarce. Tod Swank did the artwork, and it looks like it is part of a bigger painting, because I have no bloody idea of what is going on here. But I know I like it. . I love the style and the use of color. This would look great on the wall, which I’m sure drives some people crazy, but it’s the truth. Well done Foundation for putting this kind of stuff out while other companies were putting out such total shit. This one sold for $300.

And here’s another hot deck. This one is a Girl Guy Mariano “spaceman” deck originally from 1995, with artwork by Clive Noctchaw. I love the 1950s/early 60s graphic style and subject matter. It’s simple but complex all at the same time. It’s good to see that companies were doing cool stuff in the mid 90s after all. It went for $173. Now, there is some confusion and controversy surrounding this auction and the one below. This deck had a super limited reissue in 2001, and this appears to be the reissue, not the original. The bad thing is, the seller didn’t mention that it was the reissue in the auction. Even worse yet, the seller was Lance Mountain, which leads us to…

Another deck with a similar story, originally from a similar time period. It’s a Firm Lance Mountain “Jimmy” from 1995, but rereleased in 2000. If you know anything at all you will recognize Jimmy sitting on his Lambretta from the classic 1979 movie Quadrophenia. If you haven’t seen it, then you need to immediately. Go watch it now and come back, we’ll wait. AOS has it listed as the Lance Mountain “Vespa” deck, but as any scooter owner will tell you, Jimmy rode a Lambretta, not a Vespa. The deck sold for $76, and was sold by Lance himself. Again, there is no mention of it being the reissue, not the original, but it is indeed a reissue. The top graphic clearly says so, and the top of the deck is not shown in either of the auctions. So what’s the deal here? Why is LM selling reissues with no mention of the fact in the auction? Did he simply not know, or was there something more sinister going on? Hmm.

There’s no doubt about this one though. It’s a 101 “Robot” team deck from 1994. The classic Forbidden Planet graphic is by Mark McKee, and supposedly this one was owned and gripped by Natas himself, although proving that might be tough. So it’s not mint or NOS, but has never been skated or even had trucks mounted. It’s a rare one, and sold for $800.

Last month I featured a Blind Jason Lee “Grinch” in a one of a kind multicolor background colorway. And this month we have more similar items from the same seller. First up is this Blind Jason Lee “Dodo” from 1992. Of course it’s a rip on the Powell Hawk chicken skull graphic, and in a regular colorway a NOS model would fetch big, big cash. But this one is a one off sample test print direct from the original manufacturer! So how to put a price on it? Well it sold for $2,000, so I guess that’s the going rate now.

And here’s another one of a kind test print. This time it’s a Blind Sean Sheffey “troll” from 1992. Now it’s not quite as desirable as the Lee above, but the colorway on this one is even more extreme and eye catching. So where a plain dipped model might go for $800, this one went for $1,525. It went to a different buyer if you were interested.

And finally we have these 2 Plan B Danny Way “Danny the Menace” decks from 1992. They both feature Danny Way ripping up a variety of different terrain. The nose and tail graphic is the same on both: the nose is Danny railsliding a picnic table while people try to eat, and the tail is a frontside grind in a pool. The middle graphic is the difference. The top one has a 50/50 down a handrail, trapping Mr. Wilson’s fingers on the way down, while the lower one features a one-footed ollie over a trashcan. The bottom one was the production graphic, while the top one was a rejected graphic. Both are on the one-off, sample, multicolored “chicken scratch” colorway. The top one sold for $604 while the bottom went for $570.

Assorted Crap

So if you skated in the 1970s you will recognize this iconic helmet. Before the flyaway there was the Cooper SK100 hockey helmet. It was basically a square plastic box for your head with about an eighth of an inch of foam padding. I’m sure that it would have been absolutely useless if ever really called upon to protect the melon, but seeing as how most of us wearing them were noodling around driveways on plastic banana boards, attempting to spin 180s, they were more an accoutrement rather than a necessity. Still, it is an iconic thing of beauty, a remembrance of a simpler and purer time. It can’t just be me feeling nostalgic because it sold for $126.

OK, just what the fuck were we thinking in the 80s? This is a pair of Life’s a Beach pants from 1987ish. These shorts were wildly popular with the skatepunk kids of the 80s, but full pants? That goes beyond cool to something more sinister. Also, beyond the knee just isn’t cool for a skeleton pattern for some reason. Let’s face it, they are hideous and you should be beaten on sight for wearing these abominations. The seller has a long story behind the pants, mentioning that he wore them to a Billy Idol show with The Cult warming up, and in a nearby surf shop before the show Ian Astbury supposedly told him “nice pants”. The seller took it as a big compliment, but dude, I think he was ripping on you! They sold for $500, but there was only one bid, so I’m suspecting foul play was afoot, but who knows? Maybe it was Ian Astbury who finally scored his holy grail of pantdom.

Here’s a huge Santa Cruz Speed Wheels “screaming hand” sticker. It went for $150 which is a lot of dough, but contrary to what the guy that brought this to our attention said, it’s not the most ever paid for a sticker. Not even close. I know I’ve featured a sticker that went for twice this amount in the past, but I’m too lazy to look right now. I’m sure one of the readers will know and can tell us all in the Comments section!

Ok, we all remember the Tracker Swatch style watches that they made for a short while, but Tracker soap? WTF? Apparently they made very few and they were only given to Tracker team riders, maybe because the effort it took to make Trackers turn made the riders sweat a lot. Who knows what made the powers that be make Tracker soap, but here it is, 25 years on. Who the hell knew? $5.

So you want to impress the crusty old farts at the skate park? Well, buy a Cooper SK100 helmet, and top it off with this vintage, worn and faded Skateboarder Magazine long sleeved t-shirt. Just how cool is this shirt? Well, apart from being from the best Skateboard magazine of all time, it also belonged to Sam Cunningham at one point. It’s a size large and has no rips, tears or big stains. It sold for $51. Now that’s rad.

Bargains

Now I know that this G&S Neil Blender “Coffee Break” deck is beat to hell, but take a second and really look at the graphic. It’s all there isn’t it? You get the full effect of this fantastic piece of skate art, and you get it for the knockout price of $56. I’m sorry, but unless you collect mint only, that is a great deal on this deck. The colorway is sweet, and the marks are classic skate wear, not the result of being stored in a garage or getting run through a wood chipper like some of the sued decks that you see.

So you want mint and a bargain to boot? Well here you go. It’s a Blockhead “Simple Simon” team deck from 1988, graphics by the great Ron Cameron. This is just awesome all the around. The shape is spectacular, the colorway is outstanding, and the graphic is typical Cameron and awesome. How much would you pay for this deck? I’d say that most of us would pay more than the $99 that it sold for.

Much like the Blender above, this Santa Cruz Corey O’Brien “reaper” is well used, but certainly not abused. There is a lot of (even) tail wear, but the graphic is all there. Remove those blue trucks and wipe it with a wet rag and you’ve got a very respectable classic deck for your wall for $46. Well spotted somebody.

Don’t recognize this one? It’s a Tracker Adrian Demain “Face 1” from 1988. Actually, Kilwag and I got to meet Adrian Demain when he toured as part of the Bones Brigade Tour in 1986, along with Lance and Jesse Martinez. From what I remember he was the nicest of the three, and had no ego at all. He never became a super well known pro, but his skating was smooth and he shredded everything. This used deck is actually in really good condition. Just look at the tail: no wear at all. There are some smudges in the graphic, and you can see where the risers were, but all in all it’s a nice piece, and for $40, well…

This is a Schmitt Stix Steve Douglas “Brew” from 1988, and unlike most of the decks in this section, it’s NOS. You see a lot of Douglas decks on eBay, but most are overvalued, probably because of the multitude of colorways that Schmitt used. You see lots of silver dips and the like that go unsold for $149. Some of the colorways are too involved, but the red beer label stands out on the natural woodstain. It’s really simple, and for $71 it seems like a very solid deck for a great price.

Here’s a Vision Gator II as if you couldn’t tell. Yes it’s been lightly used, but the tailskid and rails have really protected the graphic beautifully. Let’s face it, remove the Gullwings and the plastic and you’ve got a spectacular looking Gator in an awesome colorway for a great price. $115? For a Gator in this condition? Daylight robbery! The pink and yellow is rad, and the green lettering just tops it off. Sweeet.

There’s not much to say about this deck really. It’s a very generic Madrid “splat” team model from 1984. It’s a total pig, and this appears to be the early version, because the later one had concave, evidenced by the big “Concave” tag on the tail. There’s nothing too exciting here, but it sold for only $34, which sounds, like a bargain to me for a deck that’s 25 years old.

And finally this month we have this SMA Alan Peterson ever-slick complete from 1991ish. It comes complete with Trackers and Santa Cruz OJII Street wheels. You don’t see many SMA slicks in any condition, let alone basically NOS. There is no evidence that this deck we ever ridden hard. The slick bottom coating is hardly marked at all: in fact the biggest problem is the mysterious Cheerios sticker on the nose of the board! It’s an awesome example of 1991 era skate culture and equipment, and it sold for only $67.

See ya next month.

-Neil