Find Antique Bicycles on eBay.com
Antique bicycle dealers are very helpful to collectors and antique bicycle enthusiasts and are quite easy to find with the availability of the Internet. If you’re just entering the world of vintage or antique bicycles, a vintage bicycle dealer is a great resource with a wealth of information.
What Do Antique Bicycle Dealers Do
Appraisals
Tip: Antique bike dealers can help you decide if an online deal represents good value.
It’s a little unorthodox, but some antique bike collectors do take photos of a potential purchase to an antique bike dealer for an appraisal.
You’ll need close-up photos of the gear system, the frame, the brakes, and the bottom bracket as these are the parts most likely to deteriorate with age.
Although the antique bike dealer’s appraisal will never be as accurate as when he can inspect the actual bike, at least it will give you a better idea as to whether a purchase represents good value.
Antique and vintage bicycle dealers help connect buyers and sellers of antique bicycles. They also help do several other things, including appraisals.
These people are experts regarding vintage and antique bicycles. They understand market value, bicycle condition, and how and where to sell and buy vintage or antique bicycles.
Something, antique, and vintage bicycle dealers understand is perceived value as compared to actual or “realistic” value.
In many cases, the value of the bike is based on information that is not credible, like here-say, sentiment for an item, or the price it was sold for in the past. Regardless of the market, or what a bicycle has previously sold for, it is only worth what the current market can accommodate.
Acquire Knowledge
It is the job of an antique bicycle dealer to learn as much as possible about antique bicycles. This is how they develop a positive reputation and build a clientele. Antique and vintage bicycle dealers should acquire knowledge through books, Internet research, talking to other experts, dealers, and collectors, and practice doing the job.
Most dealers will take a commission for sold/purchased transactions, so they should be very knowledgeable about antique bicycles.
Reference Library
Vintage bicycle dealers should have a bicycle reference library. These libraries should include reference guides, appraisal lists, locations of large antique or vintage bicycle collections, common buyers and sellers, etc. They should also include a list of references before you consider using them or paying them for any antique bicycle transaction they help you conduct.
Merchandise / Collection
Antique and vintage bicycle dealers should have their bicycle collections, as well as collections of vintage bicycle parts, vintage bicycle art, etc.
Where Can I Find Antique Bicycle Dealers
For a list of bicycle dealers in your area, the best thing to do is a good search with your local information. For some general information on enthusiasts and collectors, along with places to pick antique or vintage bicycles, check out the following links:
Classic Bicycle Show
The Ann Arbor Annual
Classic Bicycle Show and Swap Meet is the oldest, biggest, and one of the best antique and classic bike shows in the United States.
It is held every spring in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it features over 7000 vintage, classic, collectible, and antique bicycles each year.
This show draws enthusiasts and collectors from around the globe. Bicycles are entered into categories, and awards are given in such categories as Best Restored Bicycle, Best Ladies Bicycle, Best Early Classic, etc.
The big award, “Classic Bike of the Year,” we usually awarded to some of the finest, most sought after, and rarest bicycles. These bicycles usually come from private collections, and they’re rarely seen outside of auction houses or museums. This is a great place to meet antique bicycle dealers, collectors, and enthusiasts.
Daves Vintage Bicycles
Daves Vintage Bicycles is another website designed to supply a handful of information about antique, vintage, and old bicycles for collectors.
Summary
These sites provide information that can help you become an informed antique bicycle seller and buyer, or just great information for any enthusiast!
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Bill Cosby
