>These bikes are quite rare and who knows when the next example will
>come up. As much as a Rene Herse or Singer might fetch, a rare
>Caminade or Camille Daudon will easily out bid the AVERAGE Herse.
I believe Caminade made more bikes that Herse, who already was one of the bigger names... the output of each is in the thousands, not hundreds. Granted, pre-war Caminargents are not all that common, but didn't the man whose name we may not speak on this list sell one a while back?
In any case, it's no secret that rarity doesn't always mean higher value, and pre-war bikes used to be cheaper than the "classic" stuff from the 1950s, mostly because the Japanese collectors were not interested in pre-war bikes. I remember a few pre-war Barras that were offered for not much money, and few wanted them. Those were totally custom aluminum bikes... but they don't look as spectacular as a Caminargent.
So it's hard to generalize. However, when you look at prices for early Campy Gran Sport derailleurs, perhaps Eddie paid for the cranks alone, and got a free frame in the bargain.
I had to laugh when I saw that the seller thought he'd have to spice up the offer with a set of post-war Paturaud toestraps... which Eddie probably will use for a different project.
Most importantly, Eddie feels that the bike is worth the price FOR
HIM, and that is all that is needed. Can he sell it for that much?
Perhaps, but it doesn't matter. Your movie tickets have no value
after you've seen the show... and your sports car will lose a quarter
of its value in a year, whether you drive it or not.
>>>>In looking at the style of bidding, my guess is that it is going to the
>>>land
>>>>of the Red Meatball.
I hope no Japanese listmembers were offended by that comment! Where was the "police" when that comment was made? Suddenly we have almost a dozen people taking Nels to task for insulting a listmember.
I think people read too much into these off-handed comments. Whether you like Nels or not, he just thought it was a funny comment about somebody walking down the street, out of earshot. "Look at that guy's face..." Of course, when you suddenly find out that you are talking about a listmember, you have to backpedal quickly...
(If Jaouen is on this list, I hope he'll forgive my toestrap comment above.)
And speaking of the value of Daudons, I once saw a Daudon budget frame that, while nicely made, would be hard-pressed to be compared to an average Herse. It was a heavy thing, made from drainpipe Reynolds "Speedy" tubing. It was for sale by a dealer in Paris, and priced less than even the crummiest Herse. As for the price of a nice Daudon, we don't even know what that is, because so few come up for sale.
And finally, I rather like Mike, so none of this should be taken personally. Even in Dale's living room, there will be off-color comments once in a while...
And despite my comments about their rarity, I like Caminargents enough to put one almost exactly like Eddie's in "The Competition Bicycle," because it is rare and unusual.
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com