Colletables will always be collectables:
After the fire I lost everything collectable including a Cherry Colnago that I was building up, I was in contact with Charles about this bike, anyway it's gone with a stable of other fine bicycles. I got a few now and it'll probably stay that way. Oh I'll pick up one here and there when it's got a nice low price tag on it! Instead I've decided as like I told Chuck Brooks after the fire...I'm not going to collect bicycles anymore but instead I'm going to go after the $$$ providing bicycle parts to the masses, collectors or not...........Anyway, the returns are somewhat on the wacky side. As charles mentioned, a bike that once sold for $ 475.- will be worth well over $ 2100.-. Well this sounds good, but as like I mentioned to a few others I'll be keeping the dollars in the buy and sell mode..............$ 475.- is not very far from the figure of $ 500.- of which this is an amount we paid for a load of goods 600 pieces, toss in the logistics of getting it here and I'm looking at a cool 7 bills! Controlled value at the time of delivery with my original list price $ 17,500.-................We've done this many moons ago and we still have 50% of this item. Exsisting stocks are now holding @ a return of $ 20,000.-. Right now we're in a control state with this item, sell off a few sets here and there and the with the passing of time the price will climb. Who knows what the end will bring for this item. Now Ive seen this item sell with another dealer for $ 125.- OK! Baron, hold onto your horses.... .......If another good load is found then the prices will drop. One way or another and If I do say so, not a bad investment. I've got several who has been telling me to invest back into bicycles and such as a retirement plan. Well seeing a return of 4 times 10, 15 to 25 years from now, ''NOT HAPPENING'' I want to enjoy what I have now when I'm still on the younger side.....I don't want to arrive to that day someday when I'll have to cash in my chips. Of course all of this is possible because were doing it from here and not there.........Soon to be Santa Barbara.......And this is why we are buying up what we can for the long haul............Get it now when most here are still sleeping...zzzz..ZZZZzzzsss.........ZZzzzsss.
Just reccently we cought wind of an item 400 plus pieces of a certain item, value at around $ 75.- a pop! Now this is on the low side we've seen this item selling in the range of $ 175.-. Well I'm still waiting on the sample, If it is what is said to be then the investment of 4 bills will with be well spent.
We have so call Professionals telling us to invest into other avenues or some other place but the numbers don't jive.............They look at what is possible when looking at some of our future figures and their eyes are rolling with their jaws down to their knees............They'll kick back in the chair and say, what do you need me for? keep up with what your doing and youll be alright, just as long as the bottom dosen't drop out from under you.....Well were planning way ahead of time, we're also starting to invest into the new aged stuff..............Right now TAIWAN has a head start on the C-RECORD period stuff...........This is their gig! So we're looking and buying what we can of this stuff. And right now the pickings are slim!.......Very slim!................................By far will be a challaging period to get a grip on! So if you guys and gals got any of this stuff hanging around, hold onto it!.....As we all may know, these were the lean years for Campagnolo.........I know of a few good stashes but it's not enough.
The trick for us now is to buy, buy and buy!............For the long haul and sit on it, we call it early ''DAMAGE CONTROL!''.............We're gobbling up demanding shares of available goods where we can find it.....New players coming into the marketplace here are finding out that we were there first.......We can't control everything, but we're doing our best to get our hands onto what we can.
I mentioned in many of our earlier ''ROAD TRIP OFFERINGS!'' buy a lot for cheap blow some out for a good price to recover our investment then hang on for the ride. Well we're doing just that.
All in all do what you want..............And don't let some reading material make your judgement for you. I heard it straight from a so called economist......You must stop buying now. I can't because this stuff is not made anymore so I need to get what I can and get it now..............EARLY DAMAGE CONTROL!
BC Baron C.................And the gang!!..............Where the blood gets pumping when the Campagnolo goodies are located but soon after were back to our senses because of the low returns. We then can turn around and walk away to only look for that better deal!
Renaissance cycles, Eindhoven Holland
Basically we're all nuts in our own ways.
> Harvey's point though was that he would collect to please
> himself and not worry about value. I must confess I give
> some thought to value..I prefer not to buy something and
> have it be worth what I pay only to me. So far, as I
> contemplate my modest stable, I have the feeling even 50
> years from now, every bike would find a home for its value,
> without much trouble.
>
> If I owned a bunch of french production bikes from the 70s
> it might be a different story... but even one of those,
> totally original and clean, will have some basic value.
> Value and collectability will fluctuate for more for one of
> those, though, than for a prime Masi Special, imho.
>
> In the last 40 years, so far as I can tell, frames and full
> bikes from the best makers have held their original value
> very nicely, with rare exceptions..and this for bikes and
> parts no longer new..so, in that sense, they exceed original
> value on a routine basis.
>
> As an example I've used before: in 1971, a fully-kitted-out
> Colnago Super (the one with the cool, short-lived,
> playing-card graphics package) from Berkeley Velo-Sport
> would set you back about $475 (depending on certain
> accessories and tires). That money today is worth over
> $2150 in inflation-adjusted dollars, and I expect a very
> clean '71 Super in all-original condition, if put on ebay
> with good pics, would go for that much, or likely more, in a
> prime size.
>
> This is true for all the sought-after marques, and I rather
> doubt that will change. Rarity sells. Always has, always
> will, even if the market is very small.
>
> But, I could be wrong.
>
> Charles Andrews
> SoCal
>
> *******
> As far as converting THIS society to solar,
> I think it's literally impossible. Even if political
> and economic barriers are ignored, there are
> not enough natural resources left to rebuild
> the existing infrastructure--to move everyone
> out of existing hot, dry cities (esp. Los Angeles,
> San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc.)
> and house them elsewhere in high-density,
> low-energy structures.
>
> America was built on the belief that fossil
> fuel would last forever. It was
> in our genes. We had no choice.
>
> --Jay Hanson