Welcome back to the Board Bazaar, and Happy New Year if ain't too late for me to say so. To the people who wrote and asked where the Bazaar was last month, thanks for the gesture. If we ever find ourselves in a bidding war I'll humbly withdraw.

There was a noticeable slump in sales over January, eBay had up to a third less boards than usual as crew took time out from work, not to mention the work of hoarding boards. For those who remained on the job the lack of bidders provided bargains. See the last entry for proof. And with that let's get into it.

There's some irony in surfing's greatest iconoclast, Miki Dora, becoming an icon himself. Items sporting his name fetch top dollar simply on the strength of association, like this board for instance with an asking price of $2,500. The seller knows his audience: "Will look fantastic in your collection, living room, or surgery." Looks to be in original condition except for the hole drilled in the fin ("Damn kook cords!"). Despite two laps around eBay the seller found no rich doctors willing to hang the board. Miki can rest easy in his grave.

From icons to iconography. Throughout his 40-year career Geoff McCoy dabbled in all manner of designs, but there was always one constant - the McCoy logo. Has anyone run with the same logo for as long? Whether it be on a single, twin, tri, or inter-planetary vehicle, McCoy always planted his big arse, cursive font logo on the nose. Of course this late-70s single is no exception. Needs some serious tail work, might be a hard colour match with the airbrush, but the logo sits untouched and timeless. 9 bids took it to $202.50.

You can draw a lot of similarities between record collectors and board colectors: both are meticulous, anal, and obsessive. And they love genealogy. Just as you can trace the lineage of great bands, so can you trace the lineage of great shapers. Take this Age single fin. Of 70s vintage it was shaped in a factory in Lakemba. On the floor of the factory was a young fella named Bill Cilia. The owner of Age moved the factory to Kincumber and renamed it Nirvana, and a few years later young Bill bought it. Been there since. Like the Yardbirds are to Led Zep, so is this board to Nirvana. 5 bids took it to $49.50.

...and while we're on a music tip check this Greg Clough-shaped Aloha quad with 'Quadrophonic' emblazoned down the guts. Seems to be ripping off The Who's 'Quadrophenia' (and if it isn't this segueway was pointless). Always a kick to compare 80s quads to todays; they may only have one more fin than a thruster but the positioning seems endless. In this case the rear fins are wide apart. Beyond its great condition, there's lots of reason to like this board. The bidding, however, was mild - after 14 bids the winner got it for just $182.50.

From the days of big dings and abrasions comes this lethal Sam Egan single fin. Doesn't matter where it hits you this sucker is gonna hurt. By the look of it past owners have kept it well out of harm's way cos it's in very good nick. And doesn't it look so streamlined? And doesn't the logo just match the era? On that score, Sam Egan has had no less than 15 logos in his time. Take that Mr McCoy! This board was sold for $315 but almost immediately relisted. If you're interested check it here.


By the late-70s Shane Stedman's shaping heyday was just about over. He was still on the radio giving surf reports and still the man about town, but his Brookvale proteges - Fitzgerald, Anderson, Latta et al - had taken the shaping baton and run with it. But although he wasn't capturing the zeitgeist he could still pump out fair impressions of it, such as this twin swallow clearly taken from the MR mold. It's in great condition, so many old swallows have the ends worn and rounded, but not this one. Spray looks good too. 19 bids took it to $211.

Exhibit A) for beaten up swallow tails, right here. This Piping Hot twin appears to be early-80s vintage and in real estate parlance would be called a handyman's dream. It obviously can't be ridden with torn glass and exposed foam but the foundations are there for a good restoration job. Keep the deck intact - how is that fade spray by the way - and colour the bottom so it's less creme brulee and more flat white. 13 bids saw it sold at $76. Here's hoping the buyer knows his way around a resin tin.
 

Caringbah is not Brookvale, Part 1. By that I mean that despite all the great board shapers who serviced Cronulla surfers there were no Newton-under-the-apple-tree moments in the Shire's backblocks. However, this board shows they weren't far off the pace. A 70s single fin with channel flutes following the rail line in the manner of Jim Pollard and built upon by Col Smith and Al Byrne. It's an incredible looking board, and also in great condition. The seller has just relisted, click here to view.


Caringbah is not Brookvale, Part 2. When California's Gordon & Smith set up an Aussie operation they did so at Captain Cook Drive, Caringbah. Lot of great boards came out of there, even if no great breakthroughs followed. But perhaps there could have been? This single + side fins betrays the thought process of the shaper Terry Bishop. But did he shape this three-finner before whatshisname Anderson? Hard to say, though it looks more 70s than 80s. Perhaps Caringbah could've been Brookvale had a few cosmic ducks lined up?

One cosmic duck who made Cronulla his home was Peter Townend. Before becoming surfing's inaugural world champ, and also Jack from Big Wednesday, PT fled south in the winter of '72 and stayed until '74. He made Sandshoes his local and shaped for G&S. Here's one of his creations, a "Tubeshooter" - how 70s hey? - with single fin and rounded pin. Great spray and all 'round good condition. One bidder scooped it for a generous $699.



And here's the bargain story of the month. Otherwise known as "The bastard bought it for what?!" While you were drunk in Byron, sweating in a caravan at Prevelly, or generally kicking back on your holiday a lucky git scored this board: a Shane single fin shaped by Simon Anderson. Needs a little work around the tail but the damage is easily offset by the price paid - just $29! Once again the rule is proven: as soon as you drop your guard some other bastard gets a bargain. Stay vigilant people!