eBay Watch: November 2010

60s, 70s, early 80s.

First up this month is this Sims Dave Andrecht complete from 1979. It looks like it’s complete with Stage II Indys and G&S wheels. It’s in solid used condition: it’s scratched and banged up, but no huge problems like delam or anything. The top is actually super clean, and seeing as most of the damage underneath is on the black, it would make a pretty easy restoration project. It sold for $427.

And here’s a Dogtown Jim Muir “Red Dog” complete from 1978. It comes with Gullwing (or Gull Wing as it was then) Phoenix trucks and Belair/Gullwing Wings wheels. Belair actually made them for Gullwing. The wheels look red but were actually tangerine originally. The deck is in great used condition, and apart from the goofy 70s stickers it looks awesome. It sold for $499.

And here’s a first run Santa Cruz Duane Peters from 1979/1980. All of the stupid stickers really ruin the look of the deck, covering up the stripes as they do, but I guess we all did stupid stuff when we were young. This is the early 11” flat pig, and is rare in any condition. Take those stickers off and you would have a killer deck for your collection. It sold for $698.

Here’s a Sims Mike Folmer S-Ply stinger model from 1979. This one is totally mint: it hasn’t even been drilled or had the factory die-cut griptape applied! Even though the seller says it is the 5-ply model, I will swear that it says S-Ply, not 5-Ply under the Folmer name. Were there ever 5 ply decks? I’ve never heard of it, but I don’t know much when it comes to 70s deck construction! It sold for $510.

This one is absolutely amazing. It’s a Dogtown Wes Humpston “Bulldog” white glass bottom deck from 1978. Most Dogtowns were on natural stain, but a very small run was done with a shiny glass (Formica?) bottom ply. It has never been drilled for trucks, and despite some problems with the graphic rubbing off the Formica, it is basically mint. It is absolutely glorious and it sold for $909.

And here’s a Kryptonics foam/fiberglass model from 1979. It comes complete with Trackers and Sims Snake conical wheels. It is in great, used condition. Actually apart from the holes for rails and tail, the thing looks almost new! Even though some will rave about the deck, I like the wheels the most. Those Sims Snakes sure were wide! It sold for $810.

And here’s another Kryptonics deck, this one being a Micke Alba model from1979. It’s the K-Beam construction, but for some ungodly reason some dolt decided to ride this recently, so it was drilled for new school trucks? What the fuck? Is nothing sacred? The buffoon could have bought any number of new decks with old school styling, or spent a little on some old trucks, but nooo, he had to drill holes in a piece of history. It comes complete with a set of Kryptonics CX63 wheels. It sold for $644.

Mid 1980s

Let’s start off the 80s section this month with this first run Powell Peralta “Bug” team decks from 1985. This is the early and rare version with the ants background and spoon nose, rather than the checkerboard graphic. It’s mint and in a lovely pink dip. I must say, it does look outstanding, and if you were after this graphic, this would be the one to get, assuming you could afford the $810 it sold for.

So let’s stick with Powell Peralta, but let’s feature a graphic I don’t show too often. It’s the Steve Caballero “Mechanical Dragon” from 1988. It’s a complete and has been ridden, but that didn’t stop the price from going up and up. The colorway is striking: the red on the black dip is nice, and the all sky blue plastics were a work of genius. It ties the complete together and makes it look totally coordinated. The graphic is all there, but I’m still surprised that this sold for $700.

Here’s a Zorlac “Devil Fish” from 1986. It’s the second version of the graphic, the first being deemed too scary for public consumption. Actually it just plain sucked, and this one isn’t much better. The shape is naff too, and from what I remember, this beast was massive and heavy. Not a good deck in any shape or form. This one is NOS and in a bright yellow dip. It sold for $413.

And now for something completely different: some Vision Gators. Yes we’ve seen the graphic a billion times, but the unusual colorways just keep coming, and I find that just awesome. Up first is this Gator II “Shapes” mini from 1988. It’s never been set up or gripped, and apart from some scuffs etc. it is NOS. The blue dip and pink to yellow fade (by way of lime green) in the graphic is simply awesome. It sold for $362.

And here we have a Gator I with front and back wheel wells. That makes it special, but add the fact that it is in never mounted condition, and in a wicked black stain with green to yellow spiral fade, and that makes it truly spectacular. If you were looking for a first gen Vision Gator then this would be the deck for you. It sold for $450.

And finally here’s a Vision Gator II “Shapes” full size complete. Even though it has been set up it has never been ridden and hasn’t even been gripped, meaning it was probably on the wall of a shop. It comes complete with pale blue Trackers (that match the graphic perfectly) and Vision Shredders. The colorway is superb, being a natural woodstain with blue to lilac fade in the swirl, with the colors being matched by the trucks and the rails. Brilliant, just brilliant. That is one outstanding looking complete. It sold for $550.

I know that this Powell Peralta Tony Hawk “chicken skull” graphic has been seen a billion times and is common as fleas on a dog, but I must say that I rather like it without the background distraction, and in this muted purple on natural colorway. It looks like a grown up version of the deck. It has never been gripped or mounted but does have some water damage and some storage damage to the nose and tail, but it still looks great. It sold for $338.

And here we have the more commonly seen version of the deck. Bright colors, garish background etc. Add the pink Gullwings and you have a huge chunk of 80s! It’s been setup clearly, and has clear grip on top, but never appears to have been ridden in anger: let’s face it; it’s the perfect poser board! It’s in great condition, and that has increased the value massively: it sold for $865. It would be the perfect complete to hang if you are into that, and the 13 photos that the seller put up left you in no doubt to the condition.

This is a Santa Cruz Hosoi “Picasso” on black woodstain. It is mint in shrink. I like this graphic a lot, and actually at $305 for mint, this is not totally out of the realm of possibility. For a complete or one with some wear I mean. I don’t have $300 to throw around. What am I, a millionaire?

Here’s a Zorlac Craig Johnson “voodoo doll”. Never gripped, never set up, but has some storage marks. I don’t like the graphic, but can appreciate the rarity of this, the first Craig Johnson deck. It sold for $500 which seems like a lot, but consider that the gripped and mounted Tony Hawk above sold for almost double that, and is a much more common deck. That stuff drives collectors crazy.

And here we have a Sims “Kamikaze” team deck from 1984. It is the same graphic that they used for Christian Hosoi’s rookie deck in 1983, and after he left for Alva they kept the graphic but changed the name from Hosoi to Sims. This is in an unusual red dip and black colorway instead of the more normally seen white and red. I especially like the light blue shadow behind the Sims lettering. It sold for $417.

Here is a very pink Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Crest” from 1988. It’s mint in shrink, and it’s boneite. There’s not much else to say really. If you are looking for a blindingly bright Mountain crest, then this one is for you. It sold for $530.

Here we have an original Zorlac Metallica “Pirate” from 1986. It’s in great shape, never been gripped or mounted. It does have some storage marks and chips etc. on the nose and tail, but nothing major at all. The baby blue dip is very collectible, and the yellow and pink works really well on this background color. It’s actually one of the best colorways I’ve ever seen for this deck, and it sold for $515.

Here’s a SMA (Santa Cruz era) Natas Kaupas “drunk cat” from 1990. I’ve never really liked this graphic or the shape of the deck, but I have to admit that the black to purple cross fade is exceptional, and the gold stars work beautifully on that dark base. It has never been mounted or gripped, and is in NOS condition. It sold for $300.

Here’s a classic complete for ya. It’s a Sims Jeff Phillips “Breakout” from 1985. It’s the second version of the graphic, and it looks awesome in black dip with fluorescent green and purple and gold. It’s a stunning colorway for the deck, and more than makes up for the tail wear and nose chips etc. It’s complete with white Gullwings and yellowed SC Bullets. It sold for $276.

I ask you, have you ever seen a better colorway for a SC Corey O’Brien “Reaper” than this? It is a stunning purple dip, and is still in shrink. There is nothing that isn’t spectacular about this deck. The blue cowl on the reaper is bright, and the yellow and orange fireball and matching name banner almost glows on that background color. This is from the collection of GSD, and if he’s selling his entire collection I imagine we will be seeing lots of other great stuff too. This is a very impressive looking plank, and it sold for $710.

Here’s a Skull Skates Red Hot Chili Peppers complete from 1988. It’s been set up and ridden a few times, but is basically in like-new condition as you can see. It’s a nice looking package: the bright yellow woodstain is eye catching, and the stark black lettering and logo is simple and effective. It’s complete with Gullwings and Skull Craniums, and it sold for $383. It’s a double hit: collectible for fans of the RHCP and Skull Skates stuff.

Now this is awesome. It’s a SC Rick Demontrond “Spidey Swindle” deck from 1987 in NOS condition. The baby blue dip looks amazing, and the leopard print really stands out. It would look awesome on any wall, and there haven’t been many of these about recently. We had a rash of them for a while last year, but all has been quiet on the Spidey front for months now. It sold for $500, which surprised me. I expected far more.

Here’s a Sims Kevin Staab “Mad Scientist” mini from 1986. It’s never been gripped or mounted, and the light purple colorway is a good one. Kevin Staab has signed it in gold sharpie, and it is this that differentiates skateboard collecting from collecting memorabilia of most other sports. There an autograph pushes the value up, whereas with a skate deck it almost always pushes the value down, and in some cases way down. Recently this deck has always been selling for well over $500, but this one sold for only $393. Blame the signature.

And here we have another Sims Staab, this one being the “Pirate” from 1988. Personally I’ve always found this one too busy; too much is going on to be able to focus on any one graphic element, meaning that it fails, but others clearly don’t agree. This sold for $1,045 on 35 bids. There was a crazy bidding war in the last 15 minutes, which saw it jump from under $500 to that final price. Amazing.

Here is a Dogtown Stonefish team deck from 1985. It’s never been gripped or set up, but has a lot of storage marks and is warped. However, the red dip probably won over a lot of bidders, and it ended up selling for $500. I think this same deck sold for $370 four years ago

Ooh I just love this one! I love all vintage Town & Country deck actually. It’s a surfboard company, so the surf inspired graphics work really well for them, and the logo is just timeless and classic. This is the “Street Team” model from 1984, and it’s a full on pig. The flat grey dip is awesome, and really allows the florescent green and powder blue to sparkle. It’s an awesome deck and it sold for $350.

Here is a World Industries Mike Vallely ‘Elephant 2” from 1989. It’s NOS, and in a green stain with wonderfully bright blue, yellow and silver graphics. It’s actually a wonderful looking deck. WI took the elephant theme and added meaning to it (Mike on the edge of a cliff), and made it visually stunning. I’ve seen lots of other colorways, but this might be the best. (Although the red stain/green elephant is nice too.)

And finally from the 80s this month, is this PP Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” street model from 1987. I’m getting sick of showing this graphic, so it will be the last time for a while. It’s NOS, and is the seven-ply version, not XT. The baby blue dip is nice, and contrasts nicely with the red and white main graphic. It sold for a large $697.

90s-present day

Here we have a Santa Cruz Bod Boyle “Fuck Bod Boyle!” from 1991. It’s an unusual full bleed graphic, but I’ve always liked it for that reason. This one is NOS with some storage marks. It’s on a deep grey stain, and does look most excellent. It sold for $474.

Here’s an interesting auction. It’s for a NOS World Industries Kareem Campbell “Longneck” deck from 1997, along with the original artwork for it, from artist Daniel Dunphy. There was a similar auction last month for a Shiloh Greathouse, and this one sold for a similar amount to that one: $575.

So a lot of the 90s collectors hate it when I rag on the artwork of 90s decks, so I won’t say anything about the pathetic graphic on the bottom of this New Deal Justin Girard deck from 1991. I’m not going to mention that it is poorly conceived and even more poorly rendered, or that the colorway is garish and awful. Nope, I won’t say any of that. It sold for $600.

Now this I like. It’s a Blockhead Rick Howard “Skunk” from 1991. The graphic is simple and the colorway is effective. The deck has never been gripped or mounted, but it is discolored down one side. You don’t see this deck ever, but I think the problem down that one side really hurt the value. It sold for $300.

Here’s a 101 Natas Kaupas “Satan” model from 1991. This used to be one of the most highly sought out decks out there, but I think that has tapered off over the past couple of years. Most casual collectors are happy with the C&D reissue, and most hardcores probably have one already. This is a model that has been ridden, and by the looks of the tail, ridden on a ramp. The graphic is all there, but it does have some significant tail wear and other scratches. The grip has been removed. Overall it’s not in bad shape for the collector who doesn’t mind a used deck, and it sold for $400.

Here’s a Real Jim Thiebaud “Wrench” from 1991. I don’t normally look for political commentary on the bottom of a skateboard deck, but I guess I can’t fault the message or the attempt. This deck followed his famous hanging Klansman deck from a year earlier, and continues his fascination with all things Klan. This one is NOS and has never been gripped. It sold for $450.

And here’s the big money deck of the month. It’s a New Deal Mike Vallely “Mammoth” deck from 1991. This comes from Mike’s personal collection, so it’s never set up, mint condition etc. It’s on a really deep natural woodstain, and the greens, reds and yellows really stand out. It’s a really nice looking deck on an interesting and very rideable shape, but it seems expensive to me, selling as it did for $2,025.

Assorted Crap

How cool is this? Here’s a set of skateboard slalom cones from 1965 in the original box! The box is in great condition, and so are the plastic cones. They even have “skateboard slalom” printed on the base of the cone in case you were confused. These are quality, and you never see stuff like this. These are totally epic for the 60s and 70s collector. They sold for $58.

So in the 1980s we weren’t happy just with a regular t-shirt. We had to chop the sleeves out of it and make headbands out if them. Some folks cut the neck out too, while others cut it short to show off the stomach, don’t ask me why! I guess they wanted to look like a Hooter’s waitress? Here is the perfect example, straight out of 1986. It’s a Santa Cruz Speed Wheels shark t-shirt that has been butchered. I’m guessing that the original owner could probably wear it as a manzier today! It sold for $34.

So here’s a mid 80’s t-shirt that hasn’t been horribly disfigured! It’s a Town & Country Primal Urges, and features the famous grinding caveman. I love this graphic and I love Town & Country. This should be right my alley, right? Like most 80s clothing it’s a size small. It’s in good condition though, and it sold for $31.

So here’s one of the Swatch-style watches that skate companies pumped out in the mid 80s. This one is a Vision, but the seller makes the common mistake with this graphic. He says that it’s Gator doing the frontside boneless in the graphic. It is not. It’s actually Sean Goff in England when he was sponsored by Vision riding a Gator deck. It’s brand new in original packaging. I like these icons of the past! It sold for $52.

So sometimes in this section I show Chinese decks that rip-off real graphics. Most are funny as hell, but this one might take the cake. It’s a copy of a Vision Gator deck, at least on the bottom. On top it claims to be an Alva! See for yourself and bask in the nonsense of a dual-brand rip-off! It sold for $31. Fucking classic.

And finally this month we have this minty pair of Z-Roller trucks. We laughed at them back in the day. They were super expensive, and they seemed to take away the actual purpose of grinding: if the truck itself rolls when locked in, it’s just like having another big wheel isn’t it? Of course I never tried them, so maybe they are fun as hell. They are now a thing of legend, and this set sold for $181.

Bargains

So first up is this Vision Gator II complete. It’s in remarkably good condition really, and the silver and blue colorway is very nice. You can’t tell from the photo, but that’s a gold color block behind the Gator name too. It’s complete with Indys and OJs, and the Indys look almost brand new. This is the kind of bargain that you have to search for and take a flyer at, but in this case it was well worth it. It sold for only $40, and the buyer has already stripped it, removed the stickers and sold the deck for over triple what he paid for it.

And here’s another bargain complete. This one isn’t in near as good a shape as the Gator above, but the deck is rarer, so that makes up for it. It’s a Vision Gonz I from 1986, and it has wheel wells, meaning it’s an early run. The tail is pretty abused and there’s a ton of scratches etc., but overall it’s not terrible. It’s complete with Gullwings and Ratbones, and the black dip and neon colors mean that it will display well. I’m sure that it’s more vivid in person. It sold for $67.

So here’s another complete. This one is the Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “graffiti” from 1986, and it’s in very solid used condition. It’s complete with Gullwings and OJ IIs! It has scratching and wear, but the graphic is all there, and it would make an awesome complete wall hanger. The lime green trucks really complement the green in the deck. It sold for $144.

Now talk about a deck that has been abused but has found a second life! This Powell Peralta Lance Mountain “Future Primitive” has never been mounted but was turned into a clock at one point, so it has the hole in the middle. Whoever had it on the wall got sick of it, focused it, and threw it in the dumpster where our enterprising seller found it. So it’s broken across in front of the back trucks, but the bottom graphic still displays very nicely. The red and pink colorway is striking, and the graphic is a hit as always. The little punk who threw it away probably had no idea he was throwing away $100, because that’s what it sold for.

This Powell Peralta Mike McGill ‘Stinger” from 1990 is in very good used condition. The plastics really did their job because the graphic is almost perfect. It’s either in a natural colorway or a grey wash, but whatever colorway it is it’s a bargain at $50.

And let’s stick with Mike McGill for a moment longer, because here’s a snakeskin bottlenose skull and snake from 1987. It has the full regimen of plastics with jawbone, rails, mini rails and tailbone. The back truck is a Thunder and the front truck is an Indy, and both have blue copers. The wheels are Powell Threes. This thing probably weighs close to a metric ton. The deck itself is in pretty good shape. The colors are still very bright, and most of the cracks are stress cracks. With some cleaning up this will be a great bargain, selling as it did for $90.

Here’s a Vision Primo Desiderio “street” complete from 1988. The deck is very solid, with more wear on the nose than anywhere else. The graphic is clean with some stress cracks and dirt etc. The trucks are first run G&S Chromolly hollow axles, and the wheels are Hosoi Rockets. It’s the perfect example of a lesser-known pro complete going for well under the going rate, because it sold for only $70. The rucks alone are probably worth that.

I just dug up some old pictures of myself from 1983 riding an early Santa Cruz Street Skate, so when this one came up I had to show it. This one is fancier than mine: mine was yellow and black, and just had dashed lines the length of the deck and the words Street Skate built into the lines. This one has the full bleed tire graphic and has Street Skate in an eye popping red. It was a great all-purpose deck, and is fondly remembered, because this one, although pretty beat up still sold for $78.

And finally this month we have this Town and Country “Street Team” complete from 1984. It’s a typical Town and Country surf inspired graphic, and comes complete with Trackers and Sims IIs. The deck is in excellent condition, and the black dip and yellow and orange graphic looks fantastic. T&C decks are becoming very collectible but don’t come up very often, so this one selling for only $125 surprised me. Very nice.