Thanks for the info Steven, very interesting.
I have a couple questions, sort of related, sort of not related. Is there a resource that lists the numbers worn? I've had trouble finding even names of competitors in some events, let alone the number they had.
With stuff like the race number listed, short of looking through old magazines, is there a way of knowing what year it's from? That was a red flag for me on the auction, as it didn't have any proof that it was even a 1954 number. So I'm wondering if the numbers were the same for a few years, or if they were different each year?
Steve Birmingham Lowell, MA USA
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:01:15 -0400 From: "The Maaslands" <TheMaaslands@comcast.net> Subject: [CR]If only I had the correct bike to put this #13 on... Message: 8
Tam outed the following auction:
For those of you that are new to the Ebay game, the seller Cheapcampy, David, has been selling vintage cycling components and bikes for quite some time. While he has sold some very interesting items that have sold for very interesting prices, he also has a long history of utterly false and misleading auctions and descriptions. This auction is another such example. In 1954, no Italian took part in the Tour, so for the number to have been Bartali's in that edition is patently false. In 1953, the year of the last participation of Bartali in the Tour, he wore N° 3. In 1954, number 13 was worn by the Dutchman Jan Nolten.
I wouldn't go anywhere near any of David's auctions unless you are very knowledgeable about the item up for sale. If you are knowledgeable, you can often get a deal but otherwise you risk being burned big time.
Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ
USA