I too was saddened by news of the Herse and Meteor. The seller, Dave at Pedal Pusher, called me for information about the bikes, saying he was selling them for a customer who bought them for $20 at a Thrift store. I realized immediately that my friend, Joe Dietrich was gone. Joe was, one of Dr. Graves IBTS members and toured extensively on that bike. I viewed several of Joe's slide presentations about his tours. Joe was, among other things, a glider pilot and excellent photographer. He would stop at airports along the way and take aerial photos of the area he was touring through. Joe, Susan and I have been up in a glider together. About 5 years ago he crashed the Herse, and suffered severe head injuries. I visited with him since and he was most saddened by his inability to ride his bicycles, which in addition to the Herse and Meteor, also included a Bike Friday.
I wish Joe's sister had given his bikes to a friend, who might have cherished them, or given her a fair price. Even more, I wish I had made the time to visit with Joe more frequently, one of those things we never seem to make time for. There's a lesson we all need to take to heart.
JFC ~ CyclArtist
Vista, CA