[CR]Apparent New Trends in Vintage Bike Collecting

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing:Falck)

Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:07:27 +0000 (GMT)
From: <gholl@optonline.net>
To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Apparent New Trends in Vintage Bike Collecting

As almost all bicycle collectors have started to notice new trends in collecting are appearing-this should come as no surprise since change-that is the concepts- about what is collectible are changing. All concepts about collect ability are just ideas-ideas created by other collectors. Older collectors always tend to find the virtues of older bicycles and are quick to detect what they feel are the faults of later or current production. But, in reality no inherent virtue accrues to a bike simply by being old-many old bikes survived by chance co-operating with time. Newer collectors are not bound these older concepts and collect what appeals to them. Sometimes the scarcity of older bicycles leaves the newer collector little choice-thus new areas of collecting are created. The concept of "originality" is also challenged by the new collector. Why should something like anodization, a feature adventitial to a part, necessarily determine its value? Anodization can be removed and added again, as needed. Furthermore, some top collectors currently polish aluminum parts for show purposes. I suspect that even original paint and decals, currently much valued by collectors, will eventually not influence value to the same degree, and well done restorations will be more appreciated (they are already very expensive), as they already are in other collecting sectors ( e.g., automobiles). All this having been said, it doesn't mean that older bikes will loose all value, they will merely find their place in an expanded market. George

George Hollenberg MD
CT, USA