No not really. Holding a tire in my hands wouldn't give me any extra confidence about how much I would like riding it.

The eBay auction for the like-new pair of 42-622 Duremes went up to $53+12s/h; a very good deal for whoever bought them, but way above the price I had set for not-exactly-what-I-want. I have decided I will splurge on a pair of 29x2 (50-622) Supremes with my tax return. I loved the Vee Rubber V12 I had in that size, the only problem was durability: the rear tire was half worn out in a month and a half, less than 500 miles. So based on everyone else's raving, I expect to love Marathon Supremes for the next five years or so.