Thanks to Fred for bringing back souvenirs of Marcarini's collection of old-time jerseys..I've just spent ten minutes of nostalgia looking through Gianni's stock. listed under "Mythique" on his web-site. The prices are amazingly low, I think.
As Fred mentioned, Marcarini's shop is quite a treasure trove, and it is the only one that I have ever visited with a "boutique-selles" I'm not sure whether this facility is still on offer, but back in days of my first visit, Gianni had an area within the shop in which he had mounted an impressive range of saddles on which the prospective buyer could sit and "try-before-you-buy". very novel.
After foregoing the opportunity to eat dinner with Merckx, Moser and Thevenet, I rode back to visit Gianni to carry on the "beeeesness" negotiations to ensure his supply of "le col Dunlop". On my return to the UK I would arrange for the purchase of a small initial order of 1000 tins...these to be sent direct from factory to Gianni.
Back in the UK negotiations went apace, the only problem being that Dunlop had stopped marketing the glue, but still manufactured it and sold on to Humber Trading, whose HQ was not too far from my own shop. As I recall the brand name was Humber or Humbrol...but nothing really to excite the passions of dedicated users of"les boyaux".
I passed on the bad news to M Marcarini...but he was undeterred. So long as "le col" was the same creamy stuff that he had sold as Dunlop, he would be happy to take his initial order.."au plus vite" of 1000 cans..because he had an idea..own-brand "col"..and so "le col Marcarini" was born.
The idea was that Humber would ship the 1000 cans without a label..definitely without the "Humber" brand..just a plain can..and Gianni would have his own labels printed and stuck on the cans on arrival in France. He seemed convinced that the pro peloton would take to the new Col Marcarini better than le Col Humber. I didn't need much convincing..
Humber Trading for its part wasn't complaining at all..its job was to shift product off the shelves. And so the 1000 plain cans of col Dunlop/Humber/Marcarini was shipped out..destination Hennebont, France..and the wheels of countless pros and neo-pros of the European peloton..
Unfortunately the consignment hit a snag when it reached the Department of Her Majesty's Custom and Excise. It wasn't a problem of VAT or TVA..that would have been very easy to resolve. It appeared that shipments, anywhere in the world, of products manufactured from inflammable petroleum substances MUST carry a label informing the world of their dangerous nature. It wasn't sufficient to just label the box in which the cans were stacked..each can had to have its own warning label.
And so it came to pass that le Col Marcarini never saw the light of day, its label with Marcarini's "M" astride a diagonal "arc-en-ciel" never graced the shelves of any magasin a velos, nor did "le col" ever get to stick even a single tub to a single rim.,..
Gianni explained that to pay for warning labels to to printed, stuck on in the UK..then peeled off in France..to be replaced by His own labels, was not commercially viable. I countered by suggesting the the Col Marcarini labels, bearing the WARNING, could be printed and stuck on in the UK..but the gentlemen of HM Customs and Excise had different ideas...labels on petroleum-based products destined for export must ben printed in English..cream col..but administartive red tape.
It was a good idea while it lasted. I had hoped to help the British export drive.. I had hopes even of earning my agent's fee..but red tape and small print combined to scupper the project..and le col Dunlop/Humber/marcarini was not long before it ceased production completely.
Norris Lockley...coming unstuck again..Settle UK