Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Found vintage Crescent in basement pls advise

Hi all!
I'm clearing out a basement of a house that has been sold and found a man's Crescent bike down there. Once cleaned up, I think (with a new tire) it will look brand new!

Can anyone identify it (I think it's 1958 and maybe the male verson of Dam Model 254 of 1958?)

Photo attached.

I listed on CL and someone offered $50 (to display in a vintage store) but I need to know if this is a treasure before I take $50. Any advice or ID greatly appreciated. I'd love to tell the owner he has something valuable in his basement!

Tks!
Lynn
Cos Cob CT

I have no idea, but it sure looks like it is worth more than $50 to me. Heck, that chain guard looks like more than $50.

Certainly looks worth more than that, we need more pictures! Close up , certainly of that chain ring / guard

If you're in any kind on major market, you could get $300+ if you clean it up a bit. $50 is too low even as-is.

If you are in the U.S. it is a rare bicycle. If you're in europe not so much.

$50 would be a bargain for them, but then again even cleaned up I think you would be lucky to get $100-$125. At least from somebody who knows bikes. It might be worth more for somebody who just wants a weird bike, but from a objective point of view these aren't any better than say an old Raleigh so about old Raleigh value is what it'd be worth.

I love that old bike. I have had a couple of older Crescents & they had a hard to find tire size. I contacted Schwalbe & they sent some to me. NO, NO bike shop will have that odd size.
Here is an old thread I made about a Crescent .
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/585773-Swedish-Crescent-3-spd?highlight=crescent+tires

It is pretty much impossible to estimate the value of the bicycle. There is so much involved in determining Vintage Bicycle Value (http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/FREE_SITE_VALUE/VALUE_1_Start.htm). That said, and were I you, I would list the bike for no less than $500.00 and be prepared to accept offers for more. The bike is worth a heck of a lot more than $50.00.

I think $500 would be insane for what is essentially a Swedish Schwinn. It really only has (that kind of) value to somebody who wants something "weird".

As stated earlier, I had two nice Crescents, like you can see in my link, above. Both were 1977 . They were both in very good condition & great bikes. I sold them very quickly for $150, each. Maybe I could have gotten more,, but people didn't know the Crescent brand name. Yours is older & may bring more. I got info on mine from a guy in Sweden . I'll look up his link & maybe he can tell you the year it was made.

Here is the link to modern Crescent bikes. Use their e mail address at the bottom & ask about info for your bike, including a pix. Yes, he speaks English.

http://www.crescent.se/

I think $500 would be insane for what is essentially a Swedish Schwinn.

Yup, me too, however, I do not agree with the reference to the Schwinn. That said, it seems to me that insanity is driving the prices of vintage bicycles and component prices, these days. Plus, Swedish Schwinn or not, the bicycle is old and old has value in the vintage bicycle world.

The above, of course, is just my opinion.

What makes this bike hard to price giving to the large variance is that it is somewhat unique rare but not high end or exceptional condition wise. Which means it is hard to find bikes that are a good comparison on the market. Plus with the age and rarity of the bike in its condition repair and restoration become big x factors in that it would be hard to figure out the end cost till someone actually fixes it up. If it helps similar European and British 3 speeds seem to for $200-$300 in good condition.

I also think $500 is high, but cleaned up I think you could get $200 for it.

Here is the link to modern Crescent bikes. Use their e mail address at the bottom & ask about info for your bike, including a pix. Yes, he speaks English.

http://www.crescent.se/


Thank you Esteban32696 - I just emailed photos to him!

Lynn

Certainly looks worth more than that, we need more pictures! Close up , certainly of that chain ring / guard
upload of file failed yet other day i had no trouble...oh well

Certainly looks worth more than that, we need more pictures! Close up , certainly of that chain ring / guard

Hopefully, smaller file will work..
253011

Thank you to all who are helping me with this. I'm not the owner, but selling contents of a vintage house for the owner. His parents were from Sweden and this bike was ordered for his older brother in about 1958 & shipped from Sweden to Greenwich, CT where it still resides in the basement of the family home. The man who owned the bike, died (from sepsis after successful heart surgery!) and his younger brother (age 64) is dealing with selling their childhood home as he is soul survivor now. He remembers riding his older brother's bike many times, and to this day is amazed that his father ordered it and had it shipped from Sweden for his brother... Nice! (and they weren't wealthy, but obviously proud Swedes!) If anyone has a clue what I should do, I'm all ears. I guess I could offer to buy it cheap and clean the heck out of it; I don't think the owner wants to deal with that...but do I (60 yr old female who only rides an exercise bike!) Tks again!

Well as is I think you could do better than $50. If it were cleaned up $120-$150 would probably be easy. More if you're willing to wait for the right buyer.

Thank you Esteban32696 - I just emailed photos to him!

Lynn


Please post what they have to say about it. No way I would sell it for $50.

As stated earlier, I had two nice Crescents, like you can see in my link, above. Both were 1977 . They were both in very good condition & great bikes. I sold them very quickly for $150, each. Maybe I could have gotten more,, but people didn't know the Crescent brand name. Yours is older & may bring more. I got info on mine from a guy in Sweden . I'll look up his link & maybe he can tell you the year it was made.

Here is the link to modern Crescent bikes. Use their e mail address at the bottom & ask about info for your bike, including a pix. Yes, he speaks English.

http://www.crescent.se/

I just heard back from someone at the link, and was told they can't help me/no info and doubt it has value. Odd...He sent a few links, all in Swedish even though I mentioned I only understand English....oh well

I just heard back from someone at the link, and was told they can't help me/no info and doubt it has value. Odd...He sent a few links, all in Swedish even though I mentioned I only understand English....oh well

Here is his reply:

Hallo!
I don´t think there is any great value in it.
We do not have the possibilty to value it.
Below there are som home pages You can check
http://www.cykelhobby.com/ (http://www.cykelhobby.com/)
http://www.nymansuppsala.se/ (http://www.nymansuppsala.se/)
http://www.cykelhistoriska.se/ (http://www.cykelhistoriska.se/)

I'm going to go over there and take some brillo to hit the chrome that has pitted, and wipe down the frame with hot soapy water. Will post "after" photos. If there is any chance this bike could be valuable, I need to give it that chance.

If you click on the bottom link he sent to you, it can be translated, by Google. On the left column see " Galleri cyklar[ Picture gallery ] A-O . From there . click on " C " & there are several pix of Crescent bikes, including this one , 1941 , that I copied & pasted. It would be hard for them to set a value form over there. If you could get that bike looking like this one !! WOW !

I really don't have much to add except I feel it is worth well over the $50 offered. The true price will be determined by finding the person that wants the bicycle. The buyer will most likely set the price he is willing to spend. I would imagine $150 - $200 is the right price. Good luck!

I really don't have much to add except I feel it is worth well over the $50 offered. The true price will be determined by finding the person that wants the bicycle. The buyer will most likely set the price he is willing to spend. I would imagine $150 - $200 is the right price. Good luck!

Tks all! Brought the bike home & it's much worse than I thought. All the chrome is pitted, and the fenders & frame either have rust or such build up of grime that I can't spend the time to clean it up properly. The color is beautiful under the grime however, so I'm letting someone else take it cheap to fix up. Besides the grime/rust, the tires are rotted out & the bell/light & all parts chrome are projects - maybe even needing re-chrome plating..Nice project for someone who knows how to do it & willing to spend the time & hope for a good return, which sounds like a gamble when you consider time/money spent to get it back..

$50 was the most anyone offered for it (Craigslist - not the best selling venue for a rare bike but all I can do). It would go to the dump otherwise...I hope the buyer takes it when he sees it this afternoon!

-Lynn

I'm going to go over there and take some brillo to hit the chrome that has pitted, and wipe down the frame with hot soapy water. Will post "after" photos. If there is any chance this bike could be valuable, I need to give it that chance.

NONONONONONONO. Use brass wool or balled up aluminum foil instead. Brillo will eventually accelerate the rusting/pitting.

I agree, not a fifty dollar bike. Not a five hundred dollar one either.

If it was local to me, I would definetly be interested in it. Look thru some of the posts here for " before & after " pictures. Once I had a filthy Raleigh bike that I never thought would get clean. Several coats of wax , later, & she looked pretty good.

The buyer came and left without even ringing the doorbell; I put it in the driveway, he saw it and left, later calling to say the condition was "much worse" than he thought (even though I said it was a project bike with rotted tires)
So it went to a local bicycle shop; hopefully they will fix it up when they get bored.
At least it didn't go to the dump! tks all