I think what John Dunn (the original John) is trying to say is that if you have a pair of NOS hubs (no box) and a box, you do not all of a sudden have a pair of NIB hubs (which are typically worth more than NOS hubs).
If they aren't in the original box, they aren't NIB, and should not be sold as such ... and very likely, the purchaser of the box is going to attempt to do so with the box he got in the discussed auction.
If the purchaser of the box is going to use the box to attempt to bump the value of his hubs by saying they're NIB, he is being unethical and dishonest.
----Original Message Follows---- From: "John" <velostuf@qwest.net> Reply-To: velostuf@qwest.net To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]re: Old Campy Hubset Box Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 13:15:57 -0800
John-
I don't think it's dirty, dishonest, or absurd for the value of a collectable item to be increased with the addition of a box or other packaging. I suspect you're not a collector of old bikes or parts, because if you were, you may understand why someone would trade money for a paper box. One person's junk, is anothers treasure- don't you see? EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT VALUES-
I believe that the intent of the buyer of the old box, is to match up a set of hubs with the correct box. Nothing more, nothing less.
If it costs the guy over $100 to do that, so what? What's the big deal?
My gut feeling is that in 10 years, we will look back on the prices that things are trading for now, and think that this is cheap!
John Barron Minneapolis
John Dunn wrote- Incredible? Yes, but wouldn't absurd be a more apt description, especially if, as someone implied, that this box would be used to bump the "value" of a set of hubs?
John Dunn in Napa Valley