Kevin wrote:
Now that's one auction that makes no sense at all to me. I was the runner up. Three months ago I bought a full Garibaldina from the same seller. Granted, it's not an Extra, but it's a full bike and its condition is a little better than the one that sold tonight for almost twice what I paid. So I'm left scratching my head. What can one say other than the buyer must really, really have wanted it?
Kevin Moran Bloomington, Indiana USA
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I was a bit perplexed by the final price here, but on examining the frame, I can see it. That frame is different from other Gloria road-frames I've seen. The head-lugs, for one thing, appear to be separate pieces of metal, rather than integral with the head-tube, which is the case on many glorias. the flowers on the fork are beautifully formed. The bottom-bracket design is different from any other Gloria I've seen. The copious hand-work, and the overall crispness of the frame, coupled with the clean original plating, some original paint, and the headset and derailleur, the rarity of this frame in that condition, as well as the nice presentation, all combined, make the final price seem less implausible, to me, anyway.
Once could clean this up, do a little discreet restoration, and end up with a very nice rider...or wall-hanger.
This might actually be a down-market frame (I was intrigued by the seat-lug, which does not include the flower design), although I'm not enough of an expert in these to know for sure. The fact that it has a head-badge may be suggestive, as I thought the top Glorias did not have them, but, again, someone else will know more.
Uh...kevin, if you were the runner-up, you must have really wanted it too...<g>
Charles Andrews
Los Angeles