Dirk: I'll agree with your assessment that $3300 is very much overpriced. As a dedicated collector of only Hetchin's cycles, I've probably been guilty of paying over what the perception of market price is, but in recent times, their value has been rising steadily. The most I've paid for a Hetchins this past year, was a 1935 Brilliant on Ebay, which went for $2900, but that particular bike is very significant as it is the fifth oldest surviving Hetchins on the Hetchins Registry and the oldest Hetchins in the States. Of allthe Hetchins in my group, nine are either the first or second oldest surviving cycle of that model, of which six a pre-war, which makes them very rare, and all are complete bikes, bought for around the high teens to $2000.
Hetchins are gorgious machines, but not as rare as Herse or Singer, and in my view should not command the price range this seller is asking. Go another direction, take your time and look around, the right cycle will come up at a fair price.
Peter Naiman Boston, MA
>
> From: "Feeken, Dirk" <dirk.feeken@sap.com>
> Date: 2003/12/03 Wed PM 12:52:58 EST
> To: "'Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org'" <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Subject: [CR]Hetchins prices
>
> Thanks to Dale's reminder about the sales list at his site I just found the large Hetchins Magnum Opus offered in England. That's more or less exactly what I'm looking for for quite some time, but the asked price of $3300 is really ...puh...
> Condition is good but not mint, there are no exceptional rare parts on it (in fact I see nothing that can't be found in my basement) and I thought uncommon sizes are usually a reason for lower prices.
> If I remember correctly, I saw original Hetchins of this age far cheaper at the Hetchins org side, but when you check now you see only "make offer" ads. Has anything happend with Hetchins values lately? Or did I confuse Pounds with Marks when I followed the ads 2-3 years ago? Or is an Magnum Opus from 1968 the pinaccle in Hetchins world?
> Oh, I the seller is a well known and respected collector, and he probably knows about the value of the bikes he offers, but I .. Ok, I just want it!
> I know I'm too large for this hobby, but now such an exactly right beauty appears and it is sooo expensive. This is just unfair <stomp>.
>
> Dirk
>
> BTW: Anybody wants to trade a very large classy british bike or frame for a 56cm ~1974 Raleigh Team Pro 753 tubes, 1974 NR parts and grey SSC rims?
>
> --
> Dirk Feeken
> Heidelberg
> Germany