Hi, I recently got an old ciocc frame, age and model unknown. It does have this stamped (forget the proper term) on the fork crown:

does that design narrow the model/year down, or is it common to ciocc? Thanks!

One picture? Give us more to go on.

okay...but I believe the frame has been repainted w/ ciocc decals, I figured the stamped metal would be more helpful. I'll post some more pics in a bit -

more...

That engraving is called "pantographing", named for the pantograph machine used in the process...and that shown on your forkcrown is VERY typical of most Cioccs from late '70s thru mid '80s. Given the short point lugs I'd say yours is likely an early '80s, and it looks like a repaint that could be better. Nice bike, though, maybe a "Designer 80", but cold also be an Aelle frame...still, a nice ride, so enjoy.

Hrm, interesting, do you have any idea about the quality of this short point lugged frame? I have the same frame as the ones pictured but I don't know anything about it. Thanks.

I'm really stretching any expertise I might have, but judging by the small pics, I think yours is a bit later and pricier. It has a full-chrome fork and chrome drive-side chainstay, chrome faces on the rear D/Os...but can't tell what D/Os those are (they seem kind of long). The lugs look like they might be pierced and filled with contrasting paint (true?). All these are hallmarks of a higher grade Ciocc cause they usually didn't waste the chrome on Aelle frames, and the graphics look "'80s" but kind of subdued, so maybe either before or after '84...all just guesswork on my part. What I have seen is the "earlier" frames had a very distinctive lug with a long thin tapered "tail" and later frames had short-point lugs like those of the OPs, and then came even shorter "bikini lugs" in the early '90s.

I haven't stripped the paint yet but I think the front fork of mine may be at least partially chrome - I hope. I traded the black unknown origin frame that didn't fit me (lug i.d. thread) for the ciocc which does fit me. I'm going to repaint it and put all the campy stuff I pulled off the black frame onto it, I'll post pics when I'm done -

great, we look forward to seeing it all done...but you will need an Italian BB for this frame if you want to put the Campy cranks on, as your black job had a BSC BB, IIRC, and this Ciocc *probably* has a JIS spindle BB. Also, you had nutted brakes on the blackie, right? and this is a recessed Allen brake-bolt-baby. It's all pretty standard retrofit stuff to sort out, we C&Vers deal with it all the livelongday

hmmm, hopefully the brakes can be convinced to mount in the recessed hole? My lbs is pretty good about stocking old parts and making things work...I'm probably going to use a non-campy but italian threaded BB for the cranks. Also, now it looks like the FD braze-on will conflict, what next?

Washers and/or thick spacers are your friends when it comes to the brakes, that fix is really simple... you'll just have nutted brakes is all, and hopefully not any reach issues between "normal" and "short" reach calipers.
You'll have to spring for a braze-on FD, but those are easy enough to find cheap, maybe somebody on this forum will have a bargain for you.

bargain...or perhaps a trade?