Originally Posted by
16Victor
Short answer: no. Profit is the motive.
I saw a few months ago, with some sadness, that an entire Raleigh Competition GS was sold in pieces. A nice, original bike was put on the organ donor program while still alive. Sad about the bike, but if I were after maximum $$, I'd have done the same thing. Fortunate for the seller, a hassle for the buyer, and heartbreak for the collector. In this case, there are more buyers than sellers, so sellers can do what they want.
Capitalism has good and bad, but I'll take it any day.
John Baron of velostuf a number of years ago offered a bike to the CR list (mailing list days) and essentially the price for the bike was near what it would fetch at auction a la carte. It sat. I would have to look back but I think one bike finally sold and the other went as parts. As I recall the bikes were "correct" in build, no frankenbikes, so to a collector or enthusiast of the brand they would have been what one would have expected to build anyway.