Bob Hanson wrote:
To me this would be like finding a brand new, factory original 1969 426
Chrysler Hemi engine or a 1969 Jaguar V12 for an XKE, still in it's decades old factory crate, and then deciding to just remove it and toss the parts into the back of my mini-van... simply NUTS! -- Perhaps I'm just too obsessive, but to me, this also concerns me that the seller, a professional bike mechanic for the past 12 years, who has probably been just tossing together highly disposable aluminum and carbon fiber bikes, would not be someone I'd feel comfortable trusting to CAREFULLY re-pack an irreplaceable NEW vintage bike for shipping.
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Bob, you are not obsessive. That seller is very, very uninformed. The fact that he discarded the original box, AND unwrapped the paper, will probably cost him a grand. Or more. Imagine the bike, untouched, in the box. He'd have gotten a lot more for it, from someone. The romance of opening the box, and unwrapping the paper, would have been worth a LOT to someone. The seller decided to do it himself, and I'm sure it'll cost him.
I know I looked at that auction, and went "DOH!" The seller did a Bad Thing.
He'll still get a nice price...but had I been him, I would have just opened the box enough to show what was in it, guaranteed the contents, and sold it that way.
Bikes like this fascinate me. Like the all-wrapped, in-the-box Masi John Barron was selling awhile back. With a bike like that, what do you do? Do you unwrap and ride it, paying, probably, about 3K for the privilege of so doing? Or do you keep it in the box, wrapped and unridden, because, it's kinda cool that way, and your investment just keeps on growing?
Either choice makes sense to me, and what a nice choice to have.. these things bring up all kinds of interesting philosophical questions about value, the nature of subjective pleasure, and why we choose to do what we do..what makes us feel good..
Charles Andrews
Los Angeles