The bicycle was legitimately for sale and was not a fishing expedition or what not. I know some won't understand; but in this case the Masi project is over, mission accomplished, and it's time to move on.
To paraphrase a recent post about Paramounts "and that's the facts, jack"
Nick Zatezalo Atlanta,Ga
-----Original Message-----
>From: Warren Hall <warrenhall@houston.rr.com>
>Sent: Apr 13, 2006 5:39 AM
>To: 'Martin Walsh' <mowalsh@verizon.net>, 'CR List' <ClassicRendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Subject: RE: [CR]Masi on ebay
>
>This post made me think of a different angle, and I'm not suggesting that
>this is what Mr Sachs did.
>
>If one needed a good valuation of an item for insurance purposes, what
>better way than to obtain that valuation than ebay? What would stop someone
>from putting their cherished pre-1984 bicycle (still on topic) up for sale
>on ebay with an undisclosed reserve of say $55,000? Let the bidders come
>and bid, never hit the reserve and set the valuation?
>
>Maybe an interesting way to convince an insurance underwriter the value of
>something he thinks is worth maybe $500?
>
>Just a thought....
>
>Warren Hall
>Houston, TX with a Pinarello and Woodrup that I can easily value.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org
>[mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Martin Walsh
>Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 11:07 PM
>To: CR List
>Subject: [CR]Masi on ebay
>
>Dear CR listees,
>I've been following e-Richie's (Richard Sachs) auction of his 1971 Masi
>on ebay.
>It has been a really amazing auction in my opinion........
>It just ended and DID NOT MAKE RESERVE at $6,191.99.
>It seems to me that this could be a new market high, at least for 2006
>for an early 1970's vintage Masi Prestige.....or for that matter any of
>the European lightweight vintage road racing bicycles.
>It is from an era that many of us collect, and from a time when many
>(the median age of the CR list) started riding or racing on lightweight
>bicycles.
>I would put the "Rene Herse" and "Singer" bicycle auctions in a
>different class by themselves of randonneur or constructeur bicycles.
>
>The ebay auction number for the 1971 Masi was ITEM # :
>6619151970
>This would have to be one of the top dollar bids for a 1970's vintage
>Italian racer, that we've seen in a while.
>
>The only other comparable bicycle that I could find was a "Mario
>Confente" ebay auction back in 2002, ebay ITEM # : 1153541926
>that DID NOT MAKE RESERVE AT $8300.00 (according to the CR website
>"Market Highs for 2002" section).
>
>Are we seeing escalating vintage bicycle prices or is this just a BLIP
>in the marketplace, we call ebay?
>Yours truly,
>Marty Walsh in Vienna,Va. with my first e-bay auction "going on"......