There is no doubt that this is a genuine Mass Start Special; the model is in the Carlton 1951 and 1952 catalogues:
http://i141.photobucket.com/
The LH frame is the straightforward Massed Start and the right-hand frame the Massed Start Special.
And the quoted frame number Cxxxx is approx correct for 1951-2.
It has I am sure been repainted but the seller himself says that if he believed the paint to be original he would not be selling it - that is a pretty clear message. And it has had some braze-ons added...
Hilary Stone, Bristol, British Isles
Jon Spangler wrote:
> Dear Don,
>
> I appreciate your expert critique of the decals and finish on this
> "fake" Carlton bike, but am still left wondering whether the frame is a
> genuine
> 1950s Massed Start that has been modernized and repainted (albeit with
> improper decals) or whether it is, as you say, a later model of Carlton
> that has been misidentified or mislabeled by the seller.
>
> We have frequent discussions here about the lug and fork crown
> variations (seemingly discernible by month) on Masis, Cinellis, and
> other Italian classics, for instance, and I know enough about what to
> look for just from skimming them. How does one distinguish a genuine
> 1950s Carlton Massed Start
> (or any other similar frame) from its later brethren based on the unique
> frame design details? How does one ascertain that the frame underneath
> this gorgeous paint job is or is not a Carlton "of a certain age"?
>
> Looking forward to further enlightenment,
>
> Jon Spangler
> Trying to learn something about Carltons and authenticity in Alameda, CA
> USA
>
>
>
>
> On Oct 4, 2009, at 7:32 AM, <classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org>
> <classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org> wrote:
>
>>
>> Message: 2
>> Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 20:19:37 -0700
>> From: donald gillies <gillies@ece.ubc.ca>
>> Subject: Re: [CR] ebay outing: amazing carlton - fake, fake, fake
>> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>> Cc: chasds@mindspring.com, gwlone@yahoo.ca
>> Message-ID: <20091004031937.396184F419@lvs1-r4.ece.ubc.ca>
>> Content-Type: text/plain
>>
>>
>> I have a 1950 flyer and I've seen massed starts and super pythons on
>> ebay, and of course I saved the photos in my archive of Carlton Art.
>> This is a beautiful bike, just beautiful. But it's certainly not a
>> 1950's Massed Start bike. It could possibly be an early 1960's bike
>> of some sort.
>>
>> I'll tell you just why this bike is a fake.
>>
>> 1. First, bikes in the 50's era had a different seat tube decal.
>> Even though reproductions of that vintage seat tube decal are
>> available from Nick at Lloyds, I'll can tell you exactly why the
>> painter didn't use the reproductions, assuming he knew what he was
>> doing. The painter used a 2nd head tube decal because the seat
>> tube decal SHOULD contain THE MODEL NAME within the seat tube
>> decal to be authentic.
>>
>> My 1950 Carlton Flyer says "FLYER" within the decal.
>> Another 50's bike says "SUPER PYTHON" within the decal.
>>
>> Pix available on request.
>>
>> 2. My 1950 Carlton flyer is reynolds 531 throughout, but more
>> importantly, its freak'in light, a 1900 grams frame for a 23"
>> sized frame. The 531 decal used on my bike is the "thumbnail"
>> sized decal that just says '531'. It doesn't have all the
>> B.S. contained on the decal in the auction.
>>
>> 3. More importantly, where's the frick'in 'Carlton' script decal that
>> belongs on the top tube or downtube, much like what Raleigh
>> adopted in the 70's? What Raleigh adopted in the 70's, Carlton
>> was doing in the 50's.
>>
>> Excuse my french. I have MADE copies of this decal PRECISELY
>> BECAUSE its so difficult to find. SSSINK.com doesn't make it.
>> The bike should not have block letters on the downtube, it should
>> be script letters, just like on my 1950 Carlton Flyer, and like
>> the early 1960's Carlton Franco-Suisse that I am turning a Raleigh
>> International into ...
>>
>> - Don Gillies
>> San Diego, CA, USA
>>
>>
>
> Jon Spangler
> Writer/editor
> Linda Hudson Writing
>
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