Yeah, yeah, I know: I link to Skate And Annoy's eBay Watch column just about every month. i continue to be fascinated by it, even though I don't actively collect much in the way of old skateboard decks. This month there were some biggies, with a handful of decks going over $1,000, and if we're using House of Neil's monthly reports as an indicator, I think it's fair to say the recession is over. Case in point: Somebody paid $5,100 for a hot pink mid-80s Alva-era Hosoi deck.

As House of Neil notes:

The thing is effing glorious, and is everything that a Hosoi deck should be: loud, stylish and with an interesting shape. Let's face it, this thing is amazing, and it went for an amazing price.

Elsewhere, he's a bit more incredulous:

What do some of our big spenders do for a living I wonder? And are they even skaters? Or do we have art collectors out there who are starting to expand into old skateboards? Or do we have famous/rich folk who used to skate and who know want to recapture a piece of their youth and they don t care what it costs to reclaim it? And just who the fuck has $5,000 discretionary income burning a hole in their pocket these days anyway? Just some interesting thoughts to ponder.

If I were rich and dropping money on decks this month, I would have spaced out and gone for the rocket-shaped 60s era Titan ($112) and the Natas Kaupas "Oops!" deck with the Lichtenstein-style Space Shuttle Challenger explosion graphic ($850).