Chuck (who rode his orange Galmozzi--that I covet--today) wrote:
No Matt, it's beyond disease catagory... these guys are into the freebasing. Just say no!
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, CA
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Truth is, a grand for that light is really not such a big deal.
I know--for a fact--of boomers who own Hot Wheels collections valued in the *hundreds of thousands of dollars.* I am not making this up. And they're not big collections. They're cars that were prototypes, never released for production or sale...
Truth is, the japanese collectors (and these are japanese collectors here, without doubt) care deeply about their bikes and parts, and they're willing to go to the mat for cool stuff.
I'm guessing this auction is partly a "who has the bigger..." deal, and partly a reflection of the relative dearth of this particular light on the world market. If you have a Toei or other traditional style randonneur bike, or an original french randonneur bike, and you want it to be exactly right, this light is de rigeur. So, you pay what you have to, to get it.
Try going to a store and finding one... you can't. Ebay, or the private market, is the only way.. And note that everything that goes to Japan STAYS there. These guys never SELL anything on ebay...not worldwide, anyway. It all goes to Japan and remains in the collector market there forever.
There's a very good chance someone will buy that light for grand, and re-sell it for 2 grand. Don't laugh. It happens.
I have reason to wish a pox on these collectors on a regular basis, but I respect the hell out of them for their devotion.
Charles Andrews
Los Angeles