There's a NOS Ciocc frame on eBay currently at $1,596 (28 bids) with another day left (see link below). It's made of Columbus Aelle tubing. That seems outrageous. What accounts for this premium?

https://cgi.ebay.com/CIOCC-Columbus-f...item2303be7444

3 things:
it's NOS,
it's white,
he uses words like "legendary, high professional, and masterpiece" to describe an Aelle frame (which may have been built by Billato)...we're talking marketing genius at work.

w**o and u**n are both really hot for mid level Italian production frames?

I couldn't stand the jerk that imported them in the early 80's, now the hype is over the top...what's the name mean?

White balance and tint, thats all I am saying.

Has something to do with poker. Hence their design on the fork.

Which the pictures demonstrate so accurately

Ciocc was one of my my Italian dream bike back in the 80's. I remember feeling like I was in a trance when I encountered the Ciocc framesets hanging in the LBS near the University I went to. I tapped on the bare Ciocc, Guerciotti, Gios Torino and Masi frames just to listen to the lovely ringing tones I hear from them. I always prefered the graphics on the dark colored (green?, sorry I'm a bit color blind) Cioccs over al the other Italian bike colors back then.
But If I did get a chance or had enough money to get myself back then and now a "proper" Ciocc, it would certainly not made with the middling "Aelle" tubing. Columbus "SLX" will be my only choice!, of course!
Still love classic Cioccs......despite their "quick release" paint jobs.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV
85(?) Vitus Carbone Plus 7

Or they're friends of the seller?

From Classic Rendezvous:

"Frame maestro/founder of Ciocc was Giovanni Pelizzoli. Ciocc was his nickname (local dialect for "poker faced" thus the Ciocc badge of four aces in a cross formation)."

If that Peugeot Mixte went for $900, a Ciocc frame should being at least twice as much

It's not plain Aelle. It's legendary high professional Aelle.

This because it required a poker face to sell these "custom" frames to un-suspecting buyers, esp when you told them how they were made by a master...bater....