The real issue here, and one that has been dealt with here before, is not the definition of original, but, what significance the vintage bike collecting group wants to give to restorations.
Original means pristine, unretouched and unrestored. The value of originality, to its devotees, is that one is seeing the unaltered work of a maker-in the case of a bicycle this most often refers to the frame, however, the same concept may be extended to the saddle, group, etc.
Weigle's suggestion that exhibitors at the Cirque properly represent the condition of their bikes is an excellent one and, in my opinion, should be adopted forthwith. I am sure that the majority of collectors will have not have a problem with this. The frauds and forgers are already known to the group.
That having been said, the real issue perhaps is how to grade restorations and value them. In my opinion a well restored bike has great value, since great skill is needed to accomplish the restoration, and the bike is being saved, in a state as close to the original as possible.
George
George Hollenberg MD
CT, USA