Re:
The reality of these ex-racer one-off bikes is that they are a burden: this is a great frame by a top builder with paint by a top MTB artist: but only a few hundred people understand that.
Within that few hundred, How many are going to want to pay >1k to rag it round their local trails, get overtaken, and then mop it down afterwards?
A few more might like to own it for its niche historic connotations and hang it on the wall: but they will also be aware that its value won’t go up in that state (the fan base is dwindling, let’s face it), and more-to-the-point, the bragging value within the small group that understand its worth is limited: it’s already been discovered and resold.
So, what about the original owner: would he pony up 10 hundred to get his old office back? I suspect not: what do you do with it? Going on Retrobike to say, “I bought my bike back” prolly won’t impress the kids.
So who is left? About 80 middle aged men who would love to own, fettle and occasionally ride it, and also need to keep an eye on the incomings and outgoings.
To tempt this bunch, if I were the seller, I’d strip it to the ‘iconic’ frame (and forks as it saves so much hassle), auction those @ 99p start price, and then sell all the components separately.
Then, the new owner will have the fun and kudos of a new build thread, and the vendor will still make a lot more than he paid for it.