The discussion has been very helpful, but I think there are a couple of other issues that should be raised, in defense of manufacturers' unable or unwilling to supply decals.
first, in my modest experience, the older water-slipped decals don't have a good shelf life. they simply crack and decay in some storage conditions. I've tried keeping some decals for a decade or two...
second, from the manufacturers' perspective, even if the things last forever, these small orders can be a real nightmare, for several reasons: --> How do you represent the value of these "trivial" things on your books? This is an issue for all sorts of things, like chainsaw and appliance parts, and my understanding is that "rational" manufacturers are driven to dump old inventory, because the cost of maintaining it is higher than the sales or goodwill value.
--> How do you fulfill the order? Do you have staff dedicated to determining which decals went with which model, and whether the customer really has that model? what responsibility do you want to accept. There is a joke that there are now far more Pontiac GTOs than were ever manufactured, as so many people have "upgraded" LeMans models.
So, as much as I would like to be able to call Schwinn or Waterford for decals, it ain't likely to happen. So, I'm just happy that there are some people who want to do the right thing and thus reproduce the decals, as a service or to make a living. Seems like a pretty good solution to me...
harvey (anyone have some Moulton decals) sachs