I have been kinda looking for a Zeileman in my size (53cm) since seeing a few of them in the NL in 2011. They are pretty highly regarded but (being Dutch) are certainly not built for show, so this one with a 'gold plated' frame is some kind of outlier. The 'plating' looks to my inexpert eyes like it might really be a goldish chromovelato paint, but maybe someone with more expertise can speak to that. This one is too small for me, and I think the color's way over the top, so I'm not interested but perhaps it will ring someone's bell...someone with a short inseam.

Cool frame. I've never seen one of those before.

That is pretty cool. Can't say for sure that it's not gold plated, but that one one spot where it's worn off on the driveside chainstay shows shiny chrome underneath, which is consistent for a chromovelato paint job. If it's chromovelato, I'd expect to see a lot more places where the gold color is flaking and chipping off, though.

Mehhhh......Gold plated anything in the world of bicycles usuallyt borders on tacky......
I don't think I could ever consider riding a gold plated bike in public....
JMO

Color rendition over the internet is always precarious, I wonder if that is really gold plate, appears just too "brassy".

That's an unusual Zieleman indeed

I think that frame was on offer as a complete bike a couple of month ago on marktplaats (Dutch version of CL)

It even came with a complete groupset of gold plated campagnolo ICS super record or C-record

Could also have been another gold plated example because i remember it was supposed to be a 53 cm bike ( my size)

It is a great frame on it's own right by the way from a masterbuilder but i agree that this gold plating is really a little bit tacky

Tacky? I can't recall any bicycle related extravagance being called tacky before. Lurid lycra jerseys, hideous Colnago paint jobs, chromed Hetchins lugs... ostentatious, yes, but never tacky.

Here is another Zieleman, about as fancy as his builds usually got, with chromed lugs. Not sure paint on this one is original. Almost all Ko Zieleman frames seem to have been called 'Type Special,' wonder if there are any out there labeled 'Type Ordinary.'

This photo was linked here on BF C&V some years back by (I think) the owner, but I've lost track of who that was, maybe he'll chime in.

I guess gold was not so far from Ko Zieleman's repertoire as I thought: this one appeared right on this forum in a 'show us your gold bikes' thread.

And here is another nice blingy gold example Al The gold colour was indeed used by various Amsterdam brands altough not plated.

From this thread: Zieleman Type Special - blingtastic ! :-) | Retrobike

Gold colored paint on a bike is much easier to take. It's the really blinggy looking gold plating that's an "aquired taste".
I think most manufacturers knew this as most of the gold plated bikes existed mostly just as show bikes. There were a few that were actually sold to the public as limited special editions, but I think even the manufacturers knew they will mostly end up as wall hangers.