- 5,260
- 3,473
We'll know exactly on Friday when that data is available through Terapeak.It sold on a best offer so only the seller and buyer will know exactly for how much. There are ways to find the ballpark number but nothing exact.
I think that there's a world of difference between an original Picasso and a pair of non-hammerstem carbon frames. We're not talking about the extreme difference between oil on canvas and a print, we're talking more like two pairs on the assembly line went 2 different directions- one went to the Ichiro arm etcher and one went to the carbon/black box. But I do understand the basic comparison them both being collector things subject to the unpredictability of emotion.That's like asking why pay millions for original Picasso artwork when you could have a limited print for a couple hundred?
I personally have a problem wrapping my head around paying 1 or 2 thousand for a colorway that can be essentially duplicated for a fraction of the cost. Like a "Corvette" Juliet- you get a box with a label, carbon frames and 24K lenses. Nothing unique. You can make a pair for $300.. A great colorway to be sure but pay a $500 premium for the etching on the arm? Not for me.
Pay a $1500 premium for the etching on the arm of a carbon/blue Ichiro? Yeah you get the unique box but I don't see $2000 + value there and I don't think that there is much more upside remaining if "investing" in a pair.
I get a high price for a JBR- very few out there and unique brown frames that you can't clone from off-the-shelf parts. I get a high price for a copper penny, truly unique finish.
I get a high price for a GSR2- what, 13 known examples and cannot be cloned from off-the-shelf parts? But GS's fame outside the NHRA community doesn't come close to the worldwide legend of Ichiro so I see the broader demand for Ichiro stuff. I would still trade a GSR2 for a polished carbon Ichiro with hammerstems but not a carbon/blue without hammerstems. I just wouldn't.
I'd pay $700 for a carbon/blue, that's about it and that is of course my quite singular valuation.
Those that have them and appreciate them, I'm happy that they found something in this hobby that excites them.