The debate goes on because there is NO answer - its all preference. You might like redheads, the other blondes, but no right or wrong answer. The only catch is that whenever a bike such as this goes to a "gotta ride it" person, the pool of such machines decines by one more, making the remaining ones even more valuable.
There is something very cool, though, about a bike that is not completely unpackaged. I bet more human time went into packaging that International for its journey to the US then goes into building many modern frames (including some of the production lugged steel with cast lug examples). I find packaging a bike such a chore - all that rope and wrapping neatly done, cool in itself!
Then again, maybe I should buy a Raleigh Gran Prix in the box and stare at that packaging, much cheaper.
Mike Kone in Boulder CO