Ebay Watch: October 2012

So welcome to the October 2012 edition of eBayWatch. So after all of your feedback last month (thanks for that by the way!) I’ve decided to do a compromise. I’m keeping it monthly, and I’m also keeping a full selection of decks. However, I’m only doing detailed write-ups on some of them. The others will feature in the new “Quick Hits” section with year, company, model and price. This should allow me to get this out much faster and in a more timely manner. Let me know what you think. That being said, October was a pretty standard month. Nothing exceptional went off really, but I’ve done my best to give a wide variety.

My music selection this month is the album “About Time” from a mod band from San Jose called The Odd Numbers. And by mod I mean the English 60s version of mod. The Who. The Jam. Fishtail parkas, smart dressing and Lambrettas. Not that busted ass 70s American thing in the TV series and movie called ‘the Mod Squad”. WTF was that? Seriously! Anyway, we’re talking mid 60s power pop here. The Odd Numbers are a serious mod band in the style of the mod revival, blending hard and fast power pop, dare I say it — punk rock, with soulful melodies influenced equally by Motown and the British invasion. I’ve had this album for years but have never listened to it. Man was I missing out! The Odd Numbers have been around forever, and sounds like they spent their formative years listening to All Mod Cons era Jam and decided to form a band. They are a power trio much like The Jam. And the comparisons don’t stop there. This album has 9 tracks, and you can plat spot the Jam song in a lot of them but that isn’t a bad thing. Seriously this is a freaking GREAT album. It has real quality songs with great hooks. So, in mod revival of 1979 terms I’d put this album somewhere between The Chords and The Purple Hearts. But way above crap like The Merton Parkas though! All joking aside, this is a quality album with great songwriting. If you recognize the name it might because one of the songs from this album was on the Santa Cruz skate video A Reason for Living. Video for the song “Kings and Queens” at the end of the post:

60s, 70s, early 80s.

First up this in the 70s section this month is this Dogtown Bob Biniak “Bullet” deck from 1978. This is the “glass bottom” (fiberglass) model, which explains the hot pink shiny finish. The deck has been set up but is in very good condition as you can see. The back truck holes were double drilled for some reason, and the wheel wells are very unusual on this one. Most Dogtowns have the traditional wheelwells as seen on the front of the deck here, but the rear ones here are very unusual. This sold for $1,570.

Skateboarding is enormous today, but it’s hard to explain exactly how enormous it was in the 70s. Skateboarding permeated everything for a couple of years in the mid 70s. There would be skateboards to promote movies, skateboards to promote sports stars, and even skateboards to advertise product. Such is the case here with this delightful Champion Spark Plug model. It’s a fiberglass deck complete with Gullwing Phoenix trucks and ruby red Mag wheels that are urethane with aluminum cores. It’s NOS, and would be an amazing conversation piece. It sold for $355 on 31 bids.

Here we have a Variflex Eddie Elguera “El Gato” deck from 1980. I had a used one in the ‘watch last month, but this one is NOS. Actually it’s probably as close to mint as you are ever going to find! The griptape is clean and as black as the day it was produced. The bottom has no blemishes that I can see. The sticker on the tail was put on at the factory. It’s an amazing find and it sold for $1,600.

And here we have a Sims Mike Folmer “Epoxy Concave” from 1981. It is NOS, and the seller claims that it is one of one in existence because it has the original factory griptape that is die cut to reveal a chrome inlay sticker that makes an E for epoxy. Yeah, not exactly a huge selling point really. But it is an interesting deck being one of the first full bleed graphic decks along with the Bowman “superman” etc. It sold for $825.

Now here’s something totally cool and 100% grail worthy! It’s a mint Kryptonics “K-Foam” deck from 1980, complete with Tracker Sixtracks and Kryptonics CX-66 wheels. Yes, it is time machine mint! It comes from somebody that worked at the Kryptonics factory and it has never so much as smelled the pavement. For those interested in such things it is the early version of the deck that has wheelwells, and it has a circle K in green on the griptape. It’s a rare beauty, and it sold for $3,002.

And here’s something for Halloween. It’s the Union Surfer “The Monster” skateboard from the early 1960s. It might be the cleanest version of this board that I have ever seen: the bottom is unblemished and the steel wheels look brand new! The green monster graphics are bright and almost perfect too. This sold for $640 on 27 bids.

Mid 1980s

So first up in the 80s section this month we have this G&S Neil Blender “Picasso” from 1988. It’s in NOS condition, never gripped or mounted or drilled, and it has no major scratches or dings. The colorway is muted with green and blues, but that suits the graphic I think. It sold for $523 on 16 bids.

Here we have a Blockhead Ron Cameron “Tragicomic” deck from 1989. Actually it’s not a pro model per se, as it says “Designed by Ron Cameron” on the bottom. So does this make it a team deck signed by the artist or something? I’m calling it a Ron Cameron damnit! It’s in NOS shape but does have some white paint scuffs on top from where it was stored with another deck. But it’s ungripped, and the green to black horizontal fade makes this a really rare deck. Nice looking too! The graphic is typical Ron Cameron, and it has the classic “Nothing is Cool” top logo. This is a great looking deck from a smaller company, and it sold for $677.

And here we have an 80s classic! It’s the Vision Mark Gonzales “Original face” from 1985. It’s in NOS condition, never gripped or mounted, but it does have some storage marks etc. as you can see. The colorway is really nice: a bright blue dip with pinks, reds and yellows. It’s a very 80s color scheme, and this would have pride of place on the wall of any collector. It sold for $1,060 on 32 bids.

And here we have a Vision Tom Groholski “Jersey Devil” from 1985. It has been factory gripped and has rails, nose and tailbone, but apart from all that this thing looks like it has never been mounted or ridden. The deck is free of any and all blemishes, and the blue griptape up top is pristine. The colorway is super bright: the black dip allows the reds and purple and pink to really scream! The green rails take away from it somewhat, so I’d remove those and replace with white or leave off completely. But overall we have a great looking first model Groholski, which is a grail for somebody I’m sure! It sold for $800 and lasted about a day.

Now here is a real beauty! It’s a G&S Nicky Guerrero “Cyclops” from 1987. It is mint, and is the very deck that was featured in Disposable. It even comes with the page from that book! The hot pink to honey vertical fade is amazing, and it also has a hot pink stain up top. The graphic itself is rather ho-hum, but it is so well rendered and the colors are so vivid that I don’t think it really matters. This is a truly beautiful deck and it sold for $553 on 21 bids.

Here we have the classic Sims Christian Hosoi “Rising Sun” pig from 1982. It was Christian’s first pro model, and after he left Sims for Alva, Sims kept the same graphic as the “Kamikaze” model. It’s in very good used condition, and comes complete with Indy stage II trucks and Gullwing conical wheels. Who even knew that Gullwing made wheels? The deck is very clean underneath, and the griptape shows very little wear. Even the trucks are clean! This sold for $1,138 on 23 bids.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Jason Jessee “Sungod” from 1988. This is probably the nicest Sungod I’ve ever seen, so if you were looking for one I hope you jumped on it! It is mint in shrink, and in the killer red dip with yellow and blue and white graphic. The shrink still has the warranty card and a single rail in there! Why only one rail I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of that before. This one is truly exceptional. It sold for $1,557 on 18 bids.

So here’s a Plan 9 Misfits “Evil never dies” deck from 1987. It’s NOS, never gripped or mounted. This is the “Skull cut” version; it also came in a coffin shape too. It has some minor storage scuffs, and when I say minor I mean really minor. Should I call it mint? It probably never came in shrink anyway! As blown out as the Misfits are these days these early decks are still very collectible, and this one sold for $1,185 on 26 bids. It must be hard for the true early Misfits collector because of all the shit that they put their name on these days. Misfits’ lunchbox? Baby onesie? Misfits’ condoms?

This must be the month for awesome fades, because here’s another one! It’s an SMA (NHS) Natas Kaupas “drunk cat” from 1990. It’s mint in shrink, and has a really nice diagonal crossfade from black to pink. The black doesn’t work that well because some of the black details on the cat’s ear are lost in the black background, but the overall effect is a good one. The yellow stars pop really nicely too. It sold for $600, which seems pretty cheap to me actually.

Here we have not one but two Powell Peralta Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” decks! The top one is the original freestyle model, free of all background runes. This one came out early 1985 and looks like it came out of a time capsule because it is so clean! The deck is free of any dings of any sort, and apart from the tailbones, it looks mint. It comes complete with Tracker freestyle trucks (just wheat are those copers for? There’s not a lot of grinding going on I’d say!) and very early Powell Bones wheels. They might even be roller-skate wheels; I’m not 100% sure. Yes Powell, not Powell Peralta. It has a totally bizarre griptape job up top, but apart from that, freestyle geeks should love this one! It sold for $788 on 24 bids.

And here we have a Powell Peralta Per Welinder “Nordic Skull” street model from 1987. It’s mint but not in shrink, and in a glorious blue dip with gold and white graphic. This looks rich and vibrant, a really special deck. It sold for a special price too, selling for $1,600 on a Buy It Now after less than 2 hours up.

Here’s a Circle A Duane Peters “Tombstone” from 1986. It’s in NOS condition, never gripped or mounted. This is a rare one, you seldom ever see this Duane in any condition! It also came in a green colorway. Didn’t you see it? I’m not surprised. It sold for $400 on a Buy In Now after only 20 minutes! Who knows how much it would have gone for if it had run to the end?

Here’s a Sims Jeff Phillips “Tie-dye demon” from 1987. It’s NOS, never mounted or gripped, but it does have some storage scuffs. It’s one of the nicer colorways for tis deck. It has a purple stain, and the tie-dye effect is in blue, yellow and white. The blue over the yellow makes green in places. It sold for $1,232 on 16 bids.

Here we have a Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Target III” from 1985. It’s the third in the series of 5 target graphic decks. It’s the best one too. This deck was owned and ridden by Robb at a demo in SC put on by Island Water Sports, hence the stickers. Rob signed it and then sold it afterwards at the store where the seller purchased it. It was never ridden since, so Rob is the only person to have skated this deck. That’s some interesting history, right? The white dip is plain, but it really allows the red and gold graphic to pop! It sold for $908 on 31 bids.

Now here we have a Santa Cruz “Ramp/Street Multi Dot” team deck from 1985. I like the repeating, different sized SC dots in the graphic: simple but effective for what was probably a price-point deck. It is in very good lightly used condition, and comes complete with Tracker trucks and OJ III wheels. I’m guessing that it was probably a $99 complete from a skateshop, designed to be a groms first “real” skateboard after making the transition from a toy store Variflex. It’s in really good condition and the colors are still nice and bright. You normally see this one with red dots, but this one is the more rare green variety. It sold for a $450 on a Buy It Now after only 9 hours!

And here we have a Schmitt Stix “Ripsaw” team deck from 1987. It was setup at one point but never gripped or ridden, so I’d say that it is actually close to NOS. The bottom has an olive green stain, but the top is more of a teal. I’m not sure if this is through fading or if it was meant that way. The top of the tail has notches at either side. I’m not sure what these were there for, but they are definitely put there on purpose, so there was a reason. It sold for $550.

90s-present day

First up in the 90s section this month we have this Element Bam Margera “Plunger” deck from 2003. The graphic features one of the “hilarious” pranks pulled by Bam in one of his lame TV shows. Who knows which one it was. They were all fucking stupid. But I digress. It sold for $500.

Here’s a New Deal Steve Douglas “Drunks” from 1992. It is NOS, never gripped or setup, but does have some storage wear and some chips. The colorway is actually very vivid unlike the dull photo that is listed with the auction. It’s actually a great looking deck with an interesting speckle finish. It sold for $400.

Here we have a signed Social Distortion band deck from 1992. It was part of the press kit for the release of their 1992 ‘Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell” album, and the entire press kit is included. It has signed pictures of the band, info on the album etc. The deck is signed too, and that is a pretty big deal because Dennis Danell passed away in 2000. It’s the ultimate skateboard collectible for Social D fans, and it sold for $1,125 on 32 bids. Yes, I know the Skull Skates Social D deck goes for big bucks too, but the signatures and press kit put this one over the top for me.

And here we have a Formula One “Spumco Sody Pop” complete from 1996. The artwork is by John Kricfalusi, the creator of Ren & Stimpy. He designed a line of skateboards for Formula One, featuring three characters: George Liquor American, Jimmy the Idiot Boy, and Sody Pop. This one has the very limited Jimmy wheels. It’s in NOS condition. This sold for $420.

Here we have a Powell Mike Vallely from 1993. Mike moved from company to company in the mid 90s and 2000s, landing back with Powell for a short time in 1993. It is NOS, never been mounted or gripped. It is a 7-ply deck, not a slick. The deck still sold for $489.

Here’s a Santa Cruz Mike Youssefpour “Devil and angel” from 1990. This one is mint in shrink, and is in a very unusual horizontal yellow to black woodstain. This was his only pro model as far as I can tell. It sold for $396 on 21 bids.

Assorted Crap

Let’s start off with a couple of skate banners from the 80s! First up is this Santa Cruz Speed Wheels banner from the mid 80s. It is 3 foot square and in good shape overall. The graphic is still very bright and the black background looks god because it doesn’t show the dirt from the last 30 years! It sold for $500.

Then we have this Santa Cruz Slime Balls banner from a similar time period. This one show some signs of fading and is dirty, but is still a nice looking collectible and would look good in any garage or ramp deck. It sold for $455.

Here we have a Powell Peralta Steve Caballero “Bearing Dragon” reissue from 2012. This is Steve’s personal rider and he rode it at the Tim Brauch Memorial contest In September 2012. It’s a custom shape made just for Steve, and it comes with Indy 159s and PP Cab dragon wheels. If you’re interested in such things, Cab also rides Bones Swiss and Mob griptape. The rails are PP rib bones. It sold for $1,975 on 52 bids. And did I mention that Cab himself was the seller?

And here we have a real rarity. It’s a Powell Peralta Ray Underhill prototype deck from 1989, and the shape would morph into his “Cross” model from late 89. It was acquired from a fellow Tracker rider at the time that skated with Ray a lot. These ‘Experimental” models are very popular with hardcore Powell collectors, but they rarely come up for sale. This one sold for $500.

Quick Hitters

1979 Powell Peralta Beamer deck. $910 on 20 bids.

1979 Kryptonics K-Beam 11.25 complete with Indys and Kryptonics wheels. $1,350.

1984 Vision Agent Orange complete with Ventures and Bones IIIs. $400.

1984 Vision Mark Rogowski “Gator Swirl” complete with Indys and Rat Bones. $450 on 18 bids.

1987 Powell Peralta Tommy Guerrero “Flaming Dagger”. $657 on 36 bids.

1989 Powell Peralta Mike McGill “Skull” with Thunders and Bullet 66s. $600.

1989 SMA Natas Kaupas “Kitten”. $600.

1990 BBC Jeff Phillips “Devil”. $580 on 4 bids.

1984 Powell Peralta “Ripper”. $712.

1985 Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp “Target III”. $566 on 8 bids.

1989 Santa Cruz “Oops III-Logos” (early version) team deck. $900.

See ya next month.

-Neil

This month’s music selection:The Odd Numbers – “Kings and Queens”