[CR]Dumpster/Yard Sale/Thrift Store Finds?

(Example: Framebuilders:Mario Confente)

From: "devotion finesse" <devotion_finesse@hotmail.com>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 20:47:39 -0500
Subject: [CR]Dumpster/Yard Sale/Thrift Store Finds?

Hello list: The recent "Confente Uncovered" thread got my imagination running wild, since the original owner bought the bike from Mario in 1978, rode it very little and had no idea that the bike sitting in his garage for the past 30 years was a "holy grail" for some collectors. The way he put it, "It's like finding out that your favorite fiddle is really a Stradavarius Violin." And yet it sat untouched until very recently. What if it was me who found it? My father, a classic car fanatic, always got a kick out of collector's myths: The 50's classic found in an old lady's garage with 10,000 original miles. The rarest Ford pick-up, covered in a dusty old barn. The immaculate muscle car, put into storage when it's new owner went off to war and never drove it again. When I used to own and work on 1960's Lambretta and Vespa scooters, there were tales there too. A 1967 SX200 found at a yard sale in Long Island for $100. Surfer buddies also: The early 60's Jacobs longboard, pulled from the rafters and sold at a So-Cal yard sale for $30. Any collector's circle will of course have those tales. I'm sure there are some good stories to be told first hand from members of the list. Just for fun, I thought I'd ask for some "Best Find" stories. What's the most exciting (on topic) thing you have ever pulled from a trash can or dumpster? Anybody decide to poke your head into a local thrift store, only to find the bike of your dreams with a $20 price tag? Let's hear 'em!

Matthew Bowne Brooklyn, New York

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