E-Richies Masi did bring a lot of interest as well as high bidding to the auction floor. Speculation on his reasons for putting this bike up for auction could easily be answered by asking Richie. While this might not be the right time to ask maybe in casual conversation at the Cirque might be. The Confente that went to $8,300 and didnt make reserve, there was speculation that the reserve was set high so the seller could pick who would get the bike as to keep it in this country. There was an early 70s De Rosa last year that went for $7,000 and that bike had been ridden.
I have often thought about putting my blue Rauler up on Ebay just to set a value on it without thinking of letting it go, unless it was an offer I couldnt refuse. If the bike was any other name I would have some sense of value for it whether that would be for insurance or for selling/auction purposes. In the market place we have seen nearly every name bicycle come up for sale or auction which has given a rough value for those marques. While there have been Raulers come up on Ebay and other venues none have been the fancy lugged frames like this one. So far this is the only one that has been shown or seen anywhere since the New York bike shows of the early eighties. None were imported into the US. So with this having been said dont be surprised if the Rauler comes up on Ebay at some point in time in the near future for setting a value for insurance purposes only. ;-)
Mark Poore off the bike until I get my balance back in Slatyfork, WV
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