Finally an off-list to on-list expose that isn't filled with bile and angst!!
Regarding provenance -
Dale and I were emailing off-list and he thought these were interesting points/stories - and I should share...so here ya go!
Hi Dale:
By the way in another email you said:
> In the REALLY sophisticated world of collecting,
> provenance must have a fairly structured status
PERFECT THEORY ... Ohhh but if that were true in practice!! Im not sure if you follow Sotheby's and Christies Auction house news - or do any antique collecting ... But provenance is often a huge scam! I have bid on 18th century Antiques from Auction houses in Denmark - with one history and provenance - only to find them completely changed when they get to a NY dealers showroom (with prices set at 10 times purchase price) .... Christies faked paperwork habitually for over a century - and was finally sued this year successfully for selling 19th century Urns as 18th century, with fake paperwork and provenance (for 880,000 pounds when they were worth 35,000)...,
there is a fantastic forgery story about a man who worked his way into the Tate Gallery archives in London as a 'researcher' and inserted, into old archival books, forged PAPERWORK, which he created with 1940s typewriters and photo equipment, for forged paintings so he could sell them at auction as authentic! (when the auction houses went to research, they found his paperwork in the Tate archives confirming the paintings provenance)
There is another fascinating story about a forger in the Netherlands who sold home made fake Vermeers and Rembrandts to the idiot Nazi general Goering, for millions - and after the war the Dutch government didn¹t know whether to award him a medal or put him in jail!
This is why a list like yours is sooo important for us vintage bike collectors!! It is rare to find any structure or really any info at all about these beloved bikes ANYWHERE in the world. Italians/Europeans don¹t really seem to care ... I guess that¹s why I've been asking you to post some info I have compiled - I hope I can help give some structure and correct provenance to at least some of the bike makers I have knowledge about.
Thanks Dale - and really, thanks for your service to us all!!
Greg Arnold Senior Partner No Fat Communications 12 West 37th Street New York, NY 10018 http://www.nofatcomm.com
212-629-7595
greg@nofatcomm.com