Dr.Deltron

I was outbid by one Hilary Stone. A familiar name 'round this forum

Had I not just won two other auctions recently, I would have gone higher.

My question...why didn't this frame go for more????

I KNOW Hilary will get 2 or 3 times that. I guess the saying is true; The best place to find stuff to sell on eBay, is ON eBay!

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=023

yellowjeep

With out clicking on the link I know you were talking about the green 56 square bike and I was about to ask the same thing.

In fact now looking at it shipping was only 75 usd. That is really good seeing that its in Fance. I think that the forign country and usually 120 or more for shipping scares people off. I wish I would have bid on that....

unworthy1

That's an outstanding price...maybe because it's a later ('80s) frame, maybe cause it's missing all decals...but probably 'cause the shipping (and insurance) bumps it up pretty high and Hillary is over in France all the time, so he can pick it, up locally...and transport it with more care than the shippers would.

yellowjeep

There is a seller in Bristol UK, whos name escapes me right now. He always has some really nice looking frames usually vintage English and decent reserve prices that he always discloses in the auction. But the shipping rates usually almost double the price of the bike, which drive me off for one.

iab

I believe you are referring to the same Hilary as mentioned in the OP. At least Hilary Stone is based in Bristol.

yellowjeep

You know what I am... And it make alot more sense now seeing as he doesn't have all that far to go to get the bike.

repechage

Here is my take, respray, neg. modified top tube cable routing, NEG. From the BB shell and cable guide strap.. 80's, often there is a date code in very small numerals, 784 for July 1984 as an example. Wrong Fork! big negative, I had not looked seriously at that auction after I saw the top tube guides... but I have a correct fork.

I do have an 80's Prestige in this size, perhaps I should talk to Dr. D....by the way its cable guides are rings on the top of the top tube and noodles under the BB, chrome chainstay and chrome flat top crown on the fork. Always possible a special order on the ebay frame but the repaint and other stuff indicate danger.

USAZorro

Rather interesing that shipping from France to the US is less than shipping to Europe.

Road Fan

The head lugs match those on my 1980 California Masi, but that fork does not look like Masi, either in the crown or in the shape of the blade rake. Normally Masis are much prettier.

The lug cutouts and the stay flute engraving might be Alberto Masi?

Anyway, to my partly-practiced eye it does not match the characteristics of the Carlsbad and Rancho-made bikes.

Road Fan

repechage

Because its Italian, now the BREV MASI on the seat stay plugs are typical for what Alberto went to but at different times the text switched positions. He still uses them on the Nuovo Prestige. As stated before, the fork is most likely a retrofit.

stronglight

I thought everyone in California already owns at least one? Or, so it would seem judging from the CR List members. I think someone should just give one of their spares to poor deprived Dr. Deltron.

Dr.Deltron

Thanks Stronglight, my wife is always happiest with those kind of "deals"!

But I'd still give Hillary the $169 + shipping.....just to be a "REAL Californian"!

"Yeah, picked me up one a dem EYEtaleean bikes for a hunert n sixtee nyine bucks. Iz called a Moss-eye er sumpem."



Thanks for the replies. I was kind of dubious about that fork and didn't have time to check here first.
So Hillary Stone won it. I'll be curious to see how much he gets for it.

sykerocker 

Shoulda dived on it - that would have been a perfect frame for those Huffy decals I've got somewhere in the drawer.

Kommisar89

Didn't see the bike and don't know Hilary except as a name I see occasionally on the CR list but I guess I don't get the concept here - if he bought it for himself then good for him. And if you hit all the garage sales, flee markets, estate sales, and discount stores and pick up bikes cheap and flip those bikes on the 'Bay then I see that you're doing us all a service 'cause we don't all have time to do that sort of thing and you're making a little cash in the process. We all profit by that. But what's the point of buying a bike (frame, part, whatever) on eBay and then trying to flip it for more? Then it just seems like we're all vultures circling the carcass trying to squeeze the last dollar out of it. What's that got to do with C&V bike collecting? I must be missing something. I thought this was a gentleman's (or lady's) hobby...

Am I being too harsh?

sykerocker 

Hilary Stone is one of those semi-legends in the hobby. He's been a collector/dealer for years, nay, make that centuries; has a knack of coming up with incredibly rare and offbeat equipment, and is a font of knowledge par excellence. Rumor has it that he knows lots of stuff that Sheldon Brown has never heard of .

He's both a collector and a dealer. His prices are usually quite reasonable and he seems happy to go with the flow of the market, rather than attempting to pump up new and unreasonably higher prices. Above all, he seems to have that knack of coming up with the kind of stuff that I'd love to own, but don't have the slightest clue (nor the patience to find the sources) on how to find.

All in all, a good guy. Spent a year on CR, and never heard a nasty comment about him. That, in itself, is pretty incredible.

repechage

Actually you must have read the wrong year, but he does seem to locate numerous interesting items, now I have never met him, but I have had it related to me that at Cirque he did get a bit flustered when called on a "fact" or two, no matter, no one is perfect.

This vintage bike hobby has quite a few characters, fortunately there is less money at stake compared to classic cars or vintage car racing....where danger and money collide. For real big boy war, reference Larry Ellison and Ernesto Barterelli... all for a bottomless mug, fun to watch though.