After seeing the bidding on Richard Sach's restored Masi GC, I must confess to a bit of satisfaction. I also have one of these, with the early graphics, original, but extremely beat.
I was going to leave it original, clean up and ride. But it was always in the back of my mind to have it restored to my favorite dark metallic blue someday--a Masi color not often seen, but it was offered as a stock color.
Given my rather considerable investment in the frame, fork, and most of the original parts that came with the bike, I was thinking that having it repainted with correct graphics (something only Joe Bell has, if he still has some..) would be expensive, and thus I'd be upside down on the bike. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's a little humiliating to end up in that situation at any time.
Still, the frame I have is a little different from Richard's. Probably a little older, as it has the flat stay-caps. The frame is stamped M57, so a good size.
So, here's my question: just for the sake of discussion, if I had this frame repainted by Joe Bell, and I had all the right parts on it (some used, not NOS as on Richard's frame), what do you all think it'd be worth?
Btw, this is NOT a price troll, and I'm not violating the rules. I have my own idea of what it's worth; I'm curious to see what everyone else thinks.
I have no special reason to sell it, and I probably won't...but I have to wonder what the *e-richie provenance premium* is. 1K? 2K? 3K? What do you think?
Seems to me the more typical market price for one of these hovers around 3000 bucks, depending on the presentation and overall condition, but perhaps I'm undervaluing them.
Interesting to think that thousands of dollars rest on qualities that have nothing to do with the bike itself, nice as it is, but on the people involved with it.. hardly an unusual thing, but certainly provocative.
Charles Andrews
SoCal