Charles,
My 2ยข worth...and worth almost that.
I agree with those voting for restore/respray/spruce up, whatever. (I've very free with others' gelt.) Pete Paine (the seller) has already indicated that it's not in the original state. In these matters I'm not above changing the color, adding lug lining or contrasting lugs, etc,if it helps to show off the craftsmanship. Almost every brochure/catalogue I've seen from British framemakers of the period offers a list of colors and concludes with "customer preference" or the like. That's pretty much all the artistic license I need. :-)
It may be just me, and I realize sending it to Argos is convenient, but I'd want to see the frame first. Digital photos on the WWW aren't the same as in person, and I may see things in person lost in the photos that alter my approach.
Congrats on a lovely frame, though. If it had been my size, you might have had some competition.
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Phil Sieg
Knoxville, Tennessee