The true information can be hard to find. My Masi is deemed (by conferring with Masi experts) to actually be a California Masi, and to be of a certain date and location. What we can't figure out is why its decalling and geometry are a bit odd, and who (out of three possibles) built it. Its S/N does not match a well-known list of S/Ns kept by one of the builders. Such a list is usually the gold standard, or at least the goldest standard.
On Sun, Feb 7, 2010 at 11:29 PM, <joeb-z@comcast.net> wrote:
> Well the first would be that you own it and you have the original order
> sheet, build communication and receipt. The next best is that you bought
> from the original owner, you have all that stuff and the receipt to you and
> a statement from the owner as to the period of their ownership. And so on.
>
> I have found reconstructing this to be difficult. Neither Peter Weigle or
> Richard Sachs will own up to my Witcomb. Or venture a guess as to the the
> possible third party. And why in the world should they remember, some fine
> points of construction from thirty years ago.
>
> Joe Bender-Zanoni
> Whitneyville, CT
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "r cielec" <teaat4p@yahoo.com>
> To: "Classic Rendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2010 10:24:20 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: [CR] Data Elements of an Ideal Provenance ?
>
> Ahoy !
>
> The purpose of my inquiry is to compile a definitive "best of all possible
> worlds" list of items should be in a bicycles provenance.
>
> I honestly don't know - I can speculate, of course; but, I don't know what
> serious collectors consider an ideal provenance.
>
> Make, model, builder, materials, angles, year, re-sprays, owners, etc ? I
> truly don't know.
>
> As long as some previous owners and builders are still among the quick, I
> may as well going about things in the proper manner.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Regards,
>
> Richard Cielec
> Chicago, Illinois; U.S.A.
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> _______________________________________________
>
--
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA