My modest collection:

'71 Schwinn Paramount (USA - Chicago) - ebay win - local pickup...college kid who didn't ride it anymore.
'73 Raleigh Super Course (England - Worksop (?) - CL pickup...seller didn't want to fix it (needed a chain)
'73 Schwinn Super Sport (USA - Chicago) - ebay win - shipped...no background other than a League of American Wheelmen sticker
'82 Schwinn Paramount Elite (USA - Waterford) - CL pickup - seller had it for about eight years - didn't ride it anymore - she wasn't home when I picked it up...husband didn't know anything about it...emailed her the next day for any background she had...never heard back
'90 World Sport (Japan) - orginal owner...bought it from local Schwinn dealer when I began college...ended up barely riding it and it sat untouched in my mom's garage until 2008 - helped me rediscover my love for bicycles
'11 Trek 1.5 (Japan) - of course not vintage - but got a screaming good deal from a CL seller...he bought it a month and a half ago, rode it once and decided he didn't like it...it's brand new and I got it for more than $500 less than he bought it for (and he threw in his never worn helmet