Mark; Not sure if this has been a thread of thought on the CR before, but have had this conversation with others before. When Ebay started becoming a major player in the Vintage Cycling world, I heard from atleast a few others that swap meets were going to be a thing of the past. If anything, I seem to notice an increase of activity going on these days, with events that have been scheduled in recent years still going very strong, and new events starting around the U.S.
I've been to the Copake Auction in Hillsdale, NY and their vintage swap grows larger every year, having beem mostly Balloon and Antique in nature, but with more of a Lightweight presence every year, although the actual auction has had very little if any Lightweight stuff. Certainly the Vintage Swap at Cirque has had plenty of interesting items every year, and has been very successful. So although Ebay has had an impact, swaps are still around and seem to be going very strong. The vintage swap in Ann Arbor every year, I've been told bring in hundreds of Vendors and well over five thousand cycling fanatics every year.
As for pricing, most sellers are market wise these days, both selling and purchasing on Ebay, so they are pretty aware of value of there inventory. So getting bargains at swaps may be more difficult than it useto be.
As for things dissappearing from the table, this can happen at any swap, especially larger events. The more folks milling around your table, the harder it is to montitor things leaving unpaid for. I kept a close eye out and had nothing lifted unpaid for. I did leave my table a few times after it quited down, and asked the folks in neighboring booths to keep an eye on my stuff. Every one I talked to sold pretty well, and nobody spoke of any theft problems that day.
Not sure I can rate the event, but if all of us CR and vintage folks lend our support to this event, it will only get better.
P.S. Sorry to Richard Cielic who did attend. My memory fades as I get closer to sixty years of age.
Best regards,
Peter Naiman
Shorewood, WI
> Hi All:
> Yes, I was at the swap and would give it a
> "C-Rating." Actually, I
> spent a grand total of $10 on a set of gen-1 Chorus
> brakes... good
> deal... but bought nothing else at all. Stuff of
> vintage worth was
> either too expensive or just not there. I ran into
> some other
> collectors who said that they just didn't bother to
> bring their stuff
> because E-Bay makes the market better. There is
> also the fear of things
> simply "walking-away" from the table. Yes, that has
> happened to me too.
> Anyway, I did manage to get rid of a couple of
> hundred $s worth of
> junk..not vintage...so I ate well that evening.
> Madison is full of
> super restaurants. Also, I went Sunday to the
> capitol square and
> watched the XC ski races -- they'd trucked in tons
> of snow and covered
> the streets. Awesome.
> Ciao, Mark
> .```Stevens Point, WI
>
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===== Peter Naiman Alias Hetchinspete4420 North Ardmore AvenueShorewood, WI 53211-1418
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