Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - 1980s? Melton Frame (pic heavy)

I was hoping to get a little more info on this frame as well as some value estimates. It has been a little difficult to find info on Mike Melton, but what I have found has been fairly impressive. I am still not positive, but I believe that only the main tubes on this frame are made out of 531.

Anyone have any additional ebay tips besides lots of nice pictures? I was thinking of a "buy it now or best offer" type of auction how does that work?

There are some decent scratches, should I touch them up, or sell as is?

Anyway here are the pictures:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3294083780_685ce0ec44_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3654/3294083922_39bf1db87f_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3293259163_ffd978b1ba_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3294084130_17754a4ddc_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/3293259401_d8f276c6f5_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3319/3294084382_1bce62d213_o.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/3293260099_7b52cf7ded_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3294085060_836521af62_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/3294084506_f92feb5551_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3468/3294084646_332237b2fc_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3540/3293259905_5802e28903_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3554/3294084848_71181339c8_o.jpg

Cool frame! Definitely in more of a touring style, with the eyelets and older style pump peg. If it were mine, I think I'd leave the touch-ups for the next owner. If you list it, dig uip what you can on Mike Melton and include it in your auction description. He's one of those guys who deserves to be better known. He built tandems, and also worked at Huffy's special products facility, where he built the Huffy team time trial bikes for the '84 LA Olympics. It really is in the style of US frames "of a certain age," with those long-point lugs that thin to a whisper. Wish I could afford to make you an offer.

BTW, here's a really cool Melton frame that's been sitting in an ebay store for a while:

http://tinyurl.com/dx3nun

That one has some extra mojo, but yours has the cool paper-thin lugs.

Yeah, I saw that one earlier, very cool indeed. I love the internal cable routing in the down tube.

I read some of the info about him on Dave Moulton's blog, I was surprised that Classic Rendezvous didn't have information on him.

There are a bunch of posts about Melton on the Classic Rendezvous listserv archives, however:

http://search.bikelist.org/?SearchString=melton&Scope=classicrendezvous

Yeah, I saw that one earlier, very cool indeed. I love the internal cable routing in the down tube.

I read some of the info about him on Dave Moulton's blog, I was surprised that Classic Rendezvous didn't have information on him.

He may just have built too few frames under his own name. But he probably should be there - there are a few guys who need to be added.

Thanks for the link junkyardbike. Where is Realframes to tell me that Melton is laughing at me?

At the least, I would "borrow" some of the verbage from the other Melton ebay listing, as he gives some good background on Melton. I think he is dreaming on his price, but who knows?

Yeah, I hear you on the price. I am going to start mine on the high side (not as high as his) to since they are supposedly rare. We will see, but I have a feeling my auction will probably not get a bid, I just figure I should give it a shot. Any money I do make will be quickly absorbed by my Raleigh, so I hope to make enough to finish that project.