eBay Watch: September 2010

September was one of those months that although some good stuff went off, it wasn’t as impressive as July or August, so consequently I found it more of a chore to compose. I would do a bit, leave it, planning to come back in an hour, but not touch it again for a week. Some months really flow and some are difficult. Let’s leave it at that. Next month might be even more up in the air because I am going to England for a couple of weeks mid-month, and I don’t plan on taking a laptop, so there’s a chance there won’t be an October BayWatch, and I’ll do a double in December. I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll do a short one. As always, special thanks go out to Kilwag for putting this up on the web, and to Matthijs for his constant emails with links, ensuring nothing slips between the cracks. Somebody emailed me last month suggesting that I add a “Decks for Sale” section that people can contribute to. Maybe I will. I have a couple of decks for sale right now if anybody is interested. A teal stain G&S Steve Claar whales and silver dip Santa Cruz Soren Aaby. Both are NOS, out of shrink. I’m asking $125 shipped for either. Let me know if interested.

I’ve been listening to The Creepshow almost exclusively this last month. The Canadian Psychobilly rockers just released their 3rd album “They All Fall Down” a few weeks ago, and it is totally brilliant. The songwriting has matured; the songs are longer and more layered, but are still fun as hell and have more hooks than a Halloween party full of pirates. The usual subjects are present, but done in a different way. “Sleep Tight” for example is a slow early 50s sounding track, much like Earth Angel or something, but when you listen to the lyrics you discover it’s about a girl that’s talking from beyond the grave because her boyfriend has killed her! A lot of psychobilly albums become dull after a while because all of the songs are the same pace and have the same structure etc. That’s not the case here at all. It’s an album of 12 songs (11 really because the intro doesn’t count) that are all widely different, and the haunted keyboard sound of the Reverend McGinty really adds a depth and Hammer Horror vibe that most rockabilly 3-pieces simply don’t have. They are on tour right now, and they totally kickass live too, so check them out. They are playing Portland on November 3rd so you should all go.

60s, 70s, early 80s.

First up this month is this Alva Skates “leopard” complete package from 1979. I say complete package because it comes with two issues of Skateboarder magazine from February 1977 and July 1978. Both have issues with Tony Alva, so that’s a nice touch. The deck is in fairly good condition, and is more dinged up on the topside than on the bottom, so it displays very well really. I’m torn on the stickers, because even though they are vintage Dogtown, they do detract from the graphic. It has Tracker trucks and unknown wheels, and the most interesting thing about it might be the Alva “hubcaps” on the wheels to keep out the debris. It sold for $612.

Now here’s a Dogtown Bob Biniak “the bullet” deck from 1978. It’s in very good condition as you can see: the tailskid did a great job on the tail, leaving only three small holes and no noticeable damage at all. The nose wasn’t so lucky, having one major ding that looks like it ran into a wall. The graphics are super bright, but it has been touched up a little and had a coat of clear coat over it. Still, it’s a wonderful looking piece of skate history, and it sold with a Buy It Now of $500.

And here’s a Sims Mike Folmer deck from 1981. It is from the cusp of 1980s graphics; the colors are bright, but Sims still hadn’t graduated to a real graphic quite yet, they were still content to merely print the pros name as the graphic. The small graphic is the “snake tornado” that would later become the main theme of the graphic. The deck is super clean and sold for $610.

You want super clean? Well how about this Hobie Super Surfer from 1966 that even comes with the original box! I wouldn’t say the condition is flawless because the clay wheels have some obvious dirt on them, but it looks like it was mainly used inside, on a carpet perhaps. The deck is basically pristine, and the bottom is clean as hell too. The wheels still have their graphic paint nice and bright. The box is great too, and overall it’s a fantastic package, just fantastic. It sold for $400.

Here’s a Kryptonics K-Beam 9.0 inch deck from 1979, complete with Gullwings and Excellerator wheels. The complete is in very good condition with some light wear on the tail and a little dirt on the griptape. The top actually looks unridden: it has the clear griptape that shows the big orange K logo, and I think the dirt is from wear, not from riding. It’s a rare deck, and comes all the way from England, as evidenced by the Surrey Skateboards sticker on the tail. I’m guessing the original owner paid a kings ransom for this complete back in the day, only for skating to completely die the following year. Oh well, he got his money back because this sold for $950, and probably would have gone for more if he hadn’t put a Buy It Now on it.

And here’s another Kryptonics complete. This one is a Krypstick and again comes from 1979. It is complete with Independent trucks (Stage III?) and red Kryptonics wheels. It’s in good used condition with no major flaws, and the white colorway really accentuates the sweet clear wheel wells and routed insets. It’s a really sharp looking complete and it sold for $450.

Here’s a Sims Bert Lamar complete from 1979. Even though it looks white in the picture, it’s actually a very tasty silver dip, and that works really well with the blues in the routed rail grabs, and allows the red name to really pop. The wooden space plate on the tail is clearly period correct, as are the rad Pad risers, but then it has some busted ass black Ventures on there that blow the whole thing up! To confuse it further, it has some era correct first gen Powell Bones wheels on there. Confused? Anyway, the whole package is rather rad, and I love the deck. It sold for $560.

And here’s another rad complete. It’s a Powell Peralta Ray Bones Rodriguez “skull and sword” snubnose from 1979. It comes complete with Trackers and Powell III wheels. The deck is in a fetching orange stain, and the condition is excellent. There is some tail wear, but the main part of the graphic is largely pristine. The stickers are period correct and don’t really distract so I’d keep them. The same goes for the purple rib bones. They seem to frame the graphic actually without being overwhelming. It’s an amazing complete that looks solid enough to take for a spin around the local skatepark. If you were Bill Gates that is, because it sold for $1,880 on 36 bids.

So here’s a beauty, all the way from 1965. It’s a Sears “Wipe Out” skateboard with clay wheels, and a wooden deck layered in fiberglass. It’s completely original and is in excellent condition, apart from the original owners name and address that has been scrawled on the bottom. It apparently belonged to a Nancy Osage at 9583 Tomaring. Nancy, your skateboard is a real humdinger, and it sold for $297.

OK, so let’s finish this section up with another classic from 1979, as boards were getting fatter and routed side cuts were popular. This one is a Kanoa Tri-Beam Bobby Valdez model. It still has the original tail skid fitted, but was clearly ridden a lot. There are a ton of scratches and dings etc., but the deck is still overall clean and bright. It has the clear pizza grip up top, and has a classic Dogtown cross and two first gen Indy stickers under it. You rarely see Kanoa tri-beams in any condition, so to see this one was very exciting. It sold for $726. Quick, why was Bobby Valdez famous? That’s right, he’s widely credited with inventing the invert, but I’m sure others would claim it first. Oh well, it’s a rad deck no matter what.

80’s

This one is one totally underrated deck I think. It’s a Santa Cruz Soren Aaby from 1989. It’s one of those decks from a lesser known pro that sits at a low price for years, and then all of a sudden it will take off as supplies dry up. This one isn’t there quite yet, but will be. The wood is good, it’s on the Cruz Missile II concave, and the graphic is totally solid. Of all of the heraldic insignia graphics, this is probably the best simply because it’s the most authentic. The top graphic is good too. Overall it’s a very solid deck, and the purple woodstain is nice too. It sold for $170, and look for this one to go higher, so snatch up the next one while you still can.

Is the Mark Lake “nightmare” the ugliest deck shape ever? A lot would say yes, but I would say no: that honor belongs to this, the JFA Don Lincoln from 1986. I can remember seeing these advertised in Thrasher from Placebo products, the JFA label I believe, along with their huge Paisley deck. I must say that I never really liked JFA, they were too all over the place for me, but I totally respect their commitment to music and skating throughout the years. But this… Well, let’s just say that this might have been better off used for digging ditches than for skating on. I guess it’s kind of like a hillbilly hammerhead, with none of the style or grace of the original. Still, it must be fondly remembered by some, because this black dip version fetched $512.

Here is a Santa Cruz Eric Dressen “Celtic Roses” from 1989. A lot of folks like the plain duotone colorway of this graphic: gold and purple, but I much prefer this, the full color version on the natural background. It just feels right somehow. The roses are red and stems are green like they should be, and the dragons are blue and green. The whole graphic simply works beautifully, with intricate line work and shading like an Anglo-Saxon artifact. The deck is not mint by any means, having some pressure cracks on the front truck holes, but it’s still in very good shape, never gripped or mounted, and the sale price of $201 really surprised me for a deck of this quality.

This is an Alva Dave Duncan “Claw” from 1987. It is NOS, and in a very nice blue to maroon fade. Personally I prefer the lighter fades because I think the maroon makes the deck look too dark overall, but still, the fades are always cool. I think I’d have done a different color in the Alva logo and the claw rips if I’d been screening it; make them stand out more. It’s the mini version, which means it probably sold for a little less than it would have done otherwise, but still, it’s a handsome deck. It sold for $300.

So we have a couple of Vision Gator II’s from 1988. Both are completes, but I thought they deserved to be shown because of the colorways. The top one is in a nice looking red woodstain with pale blue swirls. The deck is actually in great condition: remove those stickers and the deck looks pretty untouched. Look closely at the picture and I think you will see why this deck is untouched and probably didn’t get ridden too much. Yes that’s correct, the trucks were mounted backwards! Hmm. It sold for $168. The deck below is a little more weathered but still looks good. It appears to be some kind of brown woodstain with a vertical gradation from yellow to pink in the swirls and block. It’s complete with Trackers and Vision wheels. Remove the Powell sticker from the middle of the deck and you’ve got another nice looking Gator for, you guessed it, $168. So I guess we now know what a good condition used Gator II goes for huh?

Ooh pretty! Here is a Santa Cruz Claus Grabke “Holding Back Time” from 1989. It is NOS, not in shrink, and in a very desirable teal woodstain. The background color is bold, and yet neutral enough that the yellow and red of the main part of the graphic can still really pop. Is it the best ever colorway for this deck? Maybe, I can’t remember seeing a better one. It sold for $310.

So we’ve seen a few of the Tracker GSD “Pterodactyl” decks sell recently, and here’s another in a very striking red dip. There are some scuffs etc., and it might not be as nice as the white dip from August, but it’s still a very handsome deck and would look great on any wall. The muted yellows and blues of the graphic work really well, contrasted as they are on the bold red background. It sold for $153.

And speaking of GSD, here’s his first Tracker model, the “eyeball” from 1986. It’s in NOS condition, although not in shrink. It’s in a pale blue dip with pink lettering and eyeball. It’s not the best colorway in the world, but you hardly ever see this deck in NOS condition, so you take whatever colorway you can get I guess. It sold for $363 on 28 bids.

So, couple together Tony Hawk’s best graphic, mint condition and a black dip, and you have a recipe for one expensive deck. How can that possible be spoiled? Have the pro sign it and put a recent date on there. So it is with this one. For some inexplicable reason Tony decided to add 2001 to his signature here, spoiling what would otherwise be a killer deck from 1989. At least the signature is small and not across the main part of the graphic. Other pros take note. The rest of this deck is superb. The silver forest on the black dip looks awesome, and the colors in the main graphic look fantastic. It sold for $1,200.

And here’s another fantastic looking black dipped deck. It’s a Hosoi Skates (Santa Cruz) “Japan Flag” vert model from 1990. It is a very simple graphic, but very effective, showing that you don’t need lots of graphic elements to have an attractive graphic. The flag looks perfect on the black, but more than anything else I love the lines of this deck. It has shape, but nothing too drastic or gimmicky looking. It looks like it would be a killer deck to skate on. It sold for only $294, which I find incredible really. Of course, it was coming from Japan, so the shipping was steep.

Here’s one of those auctions that I’m featuring not so much for the deck, because the Vision Marty Jimenez “Blind As A Bat” from 1986 is neither particularly rare or graphically interesting. It is the colorway of both the deck and plastics that got me to show this one. The background is a flecked dark wood stain, and the main graphic has some bright greens and yellows in it. That is nothing compared to the SCREAMING neon green of the rails, nose bone and tailbone though. Add the green risers and bright green mint Powell Rat Bones and black Trackers and you have one hell of a color-coordinated package. If you have to own this deck, then this is the one to own. It sold for $255.

Here we have a mint in shrink Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Jagermeister” deck from 1990. It’s in the blue wash on natural wood, with the red and gold colorway for the main graphic. It’s a gorgeous deck, and you hardly ever see them come up in mint condition. People must have bought these and skated the heck out of them back in the day, because most you see are at least semi skated. This is a rare beauty. The deck sold for $775 on 16 bids.

Here’s a Tracker Lester Kasai deck that you don’t see that often at all. It’s the ‘Twisted Dragons” from 1988. I actually think this one is total overkill. Listen Lester, we know you have the Japanese heritage: the oak leaf graphic was perfect, and you’ve had dragons too. There is no need to combine them all onto one über-Japanese graphic! Here we have small oak leaves in the background, slithering dragons and a big oak leaf in the center. Why not slap a Japanese flag on there too? The teal and orange colorway is unusual and sweet actually, but the background is too much in my humble opinion. It sold for $232.

Some decks are just too classic and too good. That is the case with this Powell Peralta Rodney Mullen “Chess” freestyle deck from 1984. It’s never been gripped or mounted, is in NOS condition, and is in a brilliant lime green colorway. It’s the perfect Rodney Mullen deck, but you better have a fat bank account because it was never going cheap. It ended up selling for $2,800 on 31 bids, but it’s worth every penny. Stunning.

The Santa Cruz Natas “Evil Cat” from 1989 used to be the one Natas that was plentiful and everybody could afford. Now not so much apparently. You would think that a natural deck would be the most generic and least desirable, but this one had plenty of action. It’s mint in shrink of course, but I still didn’t expect it to sell for $495. This was a $250 deck up until a year ago, and that was in better colorways than this, so jump on stuff while it’s cheap, I’m telling you!

Here‘s one I haven’t shown before. It’s a BBC Jason Parkes “Caveman” from 1990. I’ve said before that I think BBC had the worst graphics of any major skateboard company ever, and once again here’s the perfect example. Other companies were going away from stuff like this, but BBC was stuck firmly in 1985 Nash-land. I guess Jason Parkes must have been quite the caveman, because apparently he likes to drag women around by the hair and kill dinosaurs (?) with his big ass club. It’s a pathetic graphic only worthy of a toy-store brand, and I guess I’m not surprised that we’ve never seen one before, because who would buy this? All I can say is “Ugh”, and that’s caveman for ‘this sucks”. It sold for $157

Contrast that pile of feces with this Vision Lee Ralph “Contortion” graphic from 1989. The pink stain is unusual, but works beautifully with the blues and greens of the main part of the graphic. It’s an outstanding, beautifully rendered graphic that is truly one-of-a-kind. I love the shape of this deck too; it reminds me of the Schmitt Stix decks of the period. Clean lines and a blunt kicknose, very much like the Steve Douglas “Brew” deck from 1989. The deck is NOS and sold for $646.

This one shows the mystery that is eBay. It’s a Sims Steve Rocco ‘Street Style” from 1987. There was a mint one on eBay a few months back that didn’t sell, even though the BIN was very reasonable and the colorway was great. Now flash forward a few months, and this very pedestrian looking used black dip sells for $405 with 27 bids. It’s gripped and has scratches and dings and screw holes. It’s not terrible, but not terribly exciting either. I guess this month people just really wanted a Sims Rocco.

I guess I’m over My Roskopp hatred huh, because here’s another Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp! This is the Roskopp 4, and has the monster breaking out through the target: probably the best of the series. Or was 3 the best? I’m not sure. They are both good. This is on a great looking teal stain with pink and light lime green graphic. It’s a totally killer colorway, and although the deck has been set up and skated, the overall condition is very good. It would great on any wall, and it sold for $360.

Here’s a Santa Crus Salba ‘Tiger” in a very unusual colorway. It actually looks like there is something wrong with the photo or the screen, but there isn’t. Most have the tiger stripes in red and blue, but this one has them is light blue and purple. It’s pretty ugly actually, all things considered, It looks washed out and unfinished. Still, it’s NOS and rare, so it sold for $670.

You want a good colorway? Well feat your eyes on this Sims Buck Smith “Sun and Moon” from 1987. How much more black could it be? None, none more black. A super deep black dip and glow in the dark pinks, greens and yellows makes a very unforgettable deck here. The top graphic is even beautiful, featuring that same melting Sims logo but in a metallic silver and purple which looks just awesome on the black. This fine looking hunk o’ wood sold for $335.

Here’s a Skull Skates Social Distortion band deck from 1987. This is a deck that has skyrocketed in value over the last few years. It’s not particularly surprising really, as Social D have reached mythic proportions over here, and are the favorite band of lots of old school 80s skaters who now have money. Money enough to spend $1000 on this plain looking band deck! There were a few different versions of this deck, and the Tub Tech version might be the best because the graphic was far bigger than this one. This one looks kind of blaah.

Here’s a very early Schmitt Stix deck. It’s the Tarampula 1 team deck from 1985, and it features huge wheel wells. This is the early pig version, and there was a later version of the same graphic on a different cutaway shape. This is in a deep pink dip, and although it has some storage scuffs, it is unmounted and ungripped and rare. The graphic is cheesy, but that is part of the charm. It sold for $475.

And here’s another that you don’t see every day. It’s the Dogtown “Web” team deck from 1986. This one is absolutely amazing. It’s NOS, and the metallic light blue dip is fantastic, and the vibrant neon colors of the main graphic are truly magnificent. Of all the deck I am showing this month I think that this one if the most special. It is a rare deck anyway, and then throw in this colorway, and you have a real winner. I couldn’t imagine buying this deck and wanting to ride it. It’s just too pretty. It sold for only $287, which I don’t get at all. This might be a later or a mini version, because others I’ve seen have the Dogtown logo on the tail and the graphic continues to the back holes of the back truck.

So let’s finish off the 80s this month with this Tracker Dan Wilkes “Dinosaurs” full size from 1987. It’s never been mounted or gripped, but does have scuffs and scratches from storage. The colorway isn’t the best, but the fact that it’s a full size is a plus, because most you see on eBay are the mini size which is more streamlined, and less penis-shaped. It sold for $114.

90s-present day

Here we have a Blockhead “Hard Times” team deck from 1991. The Hard Times series had a single screen and no top graphic on a simple shape, designed to keep down costs so that the decks could sell for cheaper than the regular pro deck. It was a very popular series, and despite the simple graphics, they are still very collectible, probably because most were thrashed. This one is verging on popsicle shape, and is the last in the series. It sold for $245.

Here’s a World Industries Chris Branagh “Chicken Hawk Jr” deck from 1992. It is from the Looney Toons series of graphics that WI put out. It’s rare, but has a lot of surface scratches, and some residue from a sticker on the tail that has discolored the deck. Still, the primary colors are still very bright, and if you were a collector of early 90s WI stuff, this would probably get you very excited. Personally I will admit that I have never heard of Mr. Branagh. Somebody must have though, because it sold for $1,500.

OK, this is one of those decks that used to be everywhere, but supplies have dried up over the last year or so, and it’s starting to go up, up, up. I’m telling you, late 80s/early 90s decks from lesser known pros are the thing to jump on for new collectors, or those without much cash. It’s a Powell Peralta Nicky Guerrero “Time Tripper” from 1992. The graphic is super complex like most Powell stuff, and is beautifully rendered and screened. The gold graphics look really nice on the natural wood, although I will say that they look even better on a black dip that I have seen. It’s a nice looking deck, and sold for $270 on 28 bids.

And talking of early 90s Powell Peralta, well here’s maybe the best representation of that period. It’s the PP Frankie Hill “Bulldog”, and it’s still mint in shrink. The nose is double drilled, and it’s in the most basic colorway possible; natural with red white and blue. Still, it’s a mint bulldog, and I have to imagine that the seller vastly undervalued the Buy It Now, because it sold for $600 almost immediately. Nice score somebody.

So talking on 90s classics, here’s a Blind Jason Lee “David Bowie” from 1992. It’s not mint or even NOS, but it is still unmounted and ungripped. There are some serious scratches on the top of the graphics, and a strange pink smudge on the tail. Still, it’s a Blind Lee “Bowie”, and that in itself is impressive. It’s on a green woodstain on the base, with a blue woodstain up top. It sold for $1,550 with only 2 bidders.

Here’s another 90s Powell Peralta deck. This is a team deck, the “Liberty and Justice for Some” deck from 1991. Apparently the graphic was originally created for Ray Barbee as his first graphic, but he was uncomfortable with the message, so he didn’t use it and it became a team deck. It probably works better that way anyway. The top graphic is particularly hard hitting, being the representation of a runaway slave poster. The dark blue woodstain looks splendid, and the poster graphic really pops from it, almost like it was on a wooden fence or something. Again it was undervalued by the seller (the same one) because it went with the Buy It Now of $500 almost immediately.

And sticking with that theme, we have maybe the most famous graphic of the 90s. It’s the World Industries Jovontae Turner “Napping Negro” from 1993. It’s been lightly used and is faded, but it’s still in very good condition. The graphic is too obvious and too crudely rendered for me, but nobody ever said that WI was sophisticated did they? It sold for $810 on 21 bids.

Here’s a set of 6 decks put out by Chocolate in 2002 called the Sunset series. The artwork is by Evan Hecox, and when all decks are shown together like here you can plot the rising and setting of the sun. The colors are beautifully muted, and although each deck by itself looks monochromatic, all together they are very colorful. It’s an awesome looking set, and sold for a large $1,700. Five of the six decks are mint, while the sixth has a few scratches. Very nice.

And here’s another set. This is the Black Label “Lost Highway” series from a few years ago. Obviously it’s not as artistically pleasing as the Chocolate series, but it does have something. Half of the rock stars pictured are dead (Sid, Elvis P and Rick James), while Iggy, Elvis Costello and Bowie are still in the land of the living. I could see your typical late 20s hipster buying this set to look good on his condo wall. He had a board for a short time in college so he still thinks of himself as a skater, and something like this looks better on the wall than all of those messy fliers for the Dave Mathews Band. Die! Die! Die! The set sold for $350.

Assorted Crap

Here’s a set of 5 old skateboard posters, all for Cadillac wheels, and all originals from the 70s apparently! As advertised in Skateboarder magazine, but at this price they can’t be originals can they? $27? Of course it was a Buy It Now, so they never did find their true value. I’d have thought far higher though. They are all 18” by 24”.

Here’s one that I find interesting, but it looks dull, so I really had a struggle as to whether I should include it or not. In the 80s the new Powell video releases were eagerly anticipated, and they even used to have premieres like a real movie, with pros in attendance. Well here’s a ticket from the European premiere of Ban This from December 89. Ray Barbee and Steve Saiz were there, and they signed the back of the ticket. Like I say, it doesn’t look like much, but it is an artifact from a different time in skate history. It sold for $40.

And here’s your archetypal 1970s kids lunchbox along with matching thermos. Ah yes, the thermos flask. Insulated with a layer of glass, and guaranteed to shatter on impact when the school bully grabbed your school bag and threw it 300 feet in the air. Not that that ever happened to me of course… Actually it’s interesting because the thermos doesn’t really match the lunchbox that well. Yes, the green matches, but the artwork is totally different. The front of the bio itself has a realistic drawing of young kids having fun, and showing off great style as well. The thermos however has a more loose, sketchbook style. The coolest thing is that the lunchbox doesn’t just have the front print, it also has a back print of older Dogtown looking dudes getting rad at a skatepark, and there are different prints all over the top and sides too. It’s a very nice piece, although very rusty inside. It sold for $36.

Now here’s a funny one. It’s an original Vision Psycho Stick shirt in hot pink, and for once it’s an XL so human beings could actually wear it. It’s being sold by somebody that apparently used to ride for Vision, and has nothing but bad things to say about the company and the graphic. He claims that the real reason that the Psycho Stick was pushed so hard was so that Vision could solely profit from a deck instead of having to give the pro rider his $2 cut. Ouch. He uses such words as “retarded”, “ridiculous”, and “pile of junk”, so you can see that he doesn’t look back on those days fondly. His parting words are “may god have mercy on your soul”. I like this guy. It sold for $34.

Here’s an unopened pack of Rad Pads: angled risers made for slalom in the 1970s. Actually, not just for slalom apparently, as the seller has these “Slalom 1” pads as well as a set of Chris Yandall “Hard 2” pads, and there were also series 3 and 4 as well. The difference was in the hardness and also the height of the pads so you could use bigger wheels. Series 4 were flat and not angled. Angled risers are still used today in slalom and longboarding for tighter turns, so these were well ahead of their time. They sold for $20.

If you skated in the 70s or didn’t but have seen copies if Skateboarder magazine, then you probably remember the Sims Gyro wheels advert that had the cut through of the wheel so you could see the unique metal hubbed core inside. Well those cut-through wheels were also given to shops as displays, and here is an example of one, along with the original Kryptonics bearings in place. I’ve never seen one of these before, so I was pretty excited about it. Of course, I’ve tried those metal hubbed wheels, and always had a devil of a time getting the bearings to stay in, but that’s another story. The wheel sold for $50.

Ok, so I know that this Blockhead “Simple Simon” complete isn’t that great, but it isn’t terrible, and the price is ridiculous. It comes complete with Tracker ultralites and Streetstyle Bones. The deck is in solid used condition, and the purple and aqua graphics are bright. It has scuffs from railslides etc., but you still get the idea. The complete sold for $16, which I think all of us could afford.

So here’s a G&S Foiltail complete with Ventures and some kind of unknown conical wheels. Actually the wheels are the most abused piece of this complete, because the deck is I really nice condition. Sure it’s been used so it has scratches and dings, but the graphics are all there and the colors are very bright. Remove the plastics and trucks and you’d have a very nice G&S Foiltail from the early 80s. It sold for $58.

Here’s a Vision Tom Groholski “Frankenstein” complete from 1989. It comes with Gullwing Street Shadow trucks and Vision Hurricane wheels. The deck is in really solid condition, and although the dark brown woodstain isn’t that attractive, the bright orange and yellows and greens of the main graphic really pop like crazy. It sold for $41.

Yes, here we have a Santa Cruz Jeff Kendall “Jagermeister” from 1990. It comes complete with Indys and unknown wheels. There is some scuffing on the deer’s face, but that’s about it really, the graphic is really clean apart from that. I also really like the lighter brown of the deer’s face and the blue banner: normally it has a darker face and a red banner. There is some razor wear on the tail, but the thing will look just fine on the wall, and for $89 (which included free shipping, so call it $70) it was a real bargain.

For the second month in a row we have the Santa Cruz Tom Knox “Dischord” in the bargain section. This one is in an unusual light blue dip, with the nail part of the graphic being darker blue, black and white. The deck has some severe scratching, which is the result of skating without rails, because you can see the scratches where the concave starts in the middle of the deck. It comes complete with Indys and Powell Threes. I’m showing it because it’s a rare deck that sold for only $30, which is a bargain, messed up though it is.

Here we have a Liberty Skates Todd Congeliere “Icee Bear” deck from 1989. The deck has clearly been used, and has its share of scratches, scrapes and dings, but is still bright and colorful, and a lot of fun to look at. It would make a nice placeholder until you get a mint one. It sold for $50.

Here’s a G&S Bill Ruff “Clown Puppet” complete from 1987. It comes complete with blue Trackers and red Bam Bam wheels. The deck is in excellent used condition, with basically no dings or major scratches at all. The nose looks clean, and from what we can see so does the tail. This is the kind of bargain complete you don’t see too often because the deck is in such excellent condition and will look great on the wall for a bargain price. It sold for $91.

Talking of good condition, this Madrid Mike Smith “Monkey collage” from 1987 is NOS, unmounted and never ridden. It’s been gripped but that’s about it. It has a slight smear across the graphic, but that’s it. It’s not the best graphic ever, but you can’t complain when it only costs you $50.

And finally this month we have this Tracker Dan Wilkes “Dinosaurs” from 1987. This is the mini model that is a slightly different shape than the full size; it’s straighter across the hips. It’s never been gripped or mounted, but does have a few major dings, especially in the tail. It’s in a purple stain, which works very well with the green and blue main graphic. Haven’t we seen this one before? Aah yes; it sold in May for $61! Well, this isn’t as big of a bargain as that because it sold for $81, but I still call that a bargain.

See ya next month.

-Neil