How much is my 70's Orange Krate worth?

[Krateboy]

I don't spend FOOLISH amounts of money on such a common bike as I have built up a couple of 68's and know the real value of a "dollar at worth a dime" unless you have little to no common sense would tell you to spend more wisely for such trivial things as 4000 for any over priced bike such as this... Spend it if you got it.. Not me!!.

 

[Krateboy]

I don't spend FOOLISH amounts of money on such a common bike as I have built up a couple of 68's and know the real value of a "dollar at worth a dime" unless you have little to no common sense would tell you to spend more wisely for such trivial things as 4000 for any over priced bike such as this... Spend it if you got it.. Not me!!.

Thanks for your opinion.

 

[Real1]

Agree with posts so far - you appear to have a 73 Sunset orange Krate. I have two of these bikes, originals, they are sought after and yours looks original from what I see. One year only color paint, seat, and the last year for Krates including the disc brake.

$16K is simply ridiculous. Krates are currently selling between $1K-$4K in the open market. You can get lucky and find one for less and some will pay a little more for the right, pristine, rare bike.

Some drunk guy who's spending a million on a Hemi Cuda will likely pay double at an auction so he can brag about paying the most ever, but that is not reality.

We look forward to seeing your serial number and hearing more about how you've come to own this bike. Happy to further assist validating and valuing it.

It's actually deeper than that. It's the inequity of the American way. How one person can spend $325,000 on a used pair of Michael Jorden sneakers while many children go hungry at night. Not an advocate for Socialism, but I think there has to be some sort of conscience involved for spending huge sums on yourself, while others are suffering.

Right now, we just say they're drunk/stupid millionaires or the like....but that doesn't really address anything. You have the 'right' to acquire as much wealth as you possibly can, but there's no moral or ethical obligation to put anything back. If you want to live in a mansion on top of a hill and flush sh** down on your neighbors you can.

I'm no expert on these bikes, but this looks like an incredibly beautiful original example that will, unfortunately, probably wind up in the hands of a deep-pocket collector who has five others like it. If it were me and I owned the bike, I'd be looking for a more local collector of marginal means who would REALLY love & appreciate this bike. Maybe he's been looking most of his life for one etc. Or you can just try to 'get as much as you can'....your choice.

Kevin

 

[Krateboy]

It's actually deeper than that. It's the inequity of the American way. How one person can spend $325,000 on a used pair of Michael Jorden sneakers while many children go hungry at night. Not an advocate for Socialism, but I think there has to be some sort of conscience involved for spending huge sums on yourself, while others are suffering.

Right now, we just say they're drunk/stupid millionaires or the like....but that doesn't really address anything. You have the 'right' to acquire as much wealth as you possibly can, but there's no moral or ethical obligation to put anything back. If you want to live in a mansion on top of a hill and flush sh** down on your neighbors you can.

I'm no expert on these bikes, but this looks like an incredibly beautiful original example that will, unfortunately, probably wind up in the hands of a deep-pocket collector. If it were me and I owned the bike, I'd be looking for a more local collector of marginal means who would REALLY love & appreciate this bike. Maybe he's been looking most of his life for one etc. Or you can just try to 'get as much as you can'....your choice.

Kevin

Thanks again

 

[Freqman1]

It's actually deeper than that. It's the inequity of the American way. How one person can spend $325,000 on a used pair of Michael Jorden sneakers while many children go hungry at night. Not an advocate for Socialism, but I think there has to be some sort of conscience involved for spending huge sums on yourself, while others are suffering.

Right now, we just say they're drunk/stupid millionaires or the like....but that doesn't really address anything. You have the 'right' to acquire as much wealth as you possibly can, but there's no moral or ethical obligation to put anything back. If you want to live in a mansion on top of a hill and flush sh** down on your neighbors you can.

I'm no expert on these bikes, but this looks like an incredibly beautiful original example that will, unfortunately, probably wind up in the hands of a deep-pocket collector who has five others like it. If it were me and I owned the bike, I'd be looking for a more local collector of marginal means who would REALLY love & appreciate this bike. Maybe he's been looking most of his life for one etc. Or you can just try to 'get as much as you can'....your choice.

Kevin

I think if you have $4k, $40k, or $4M to spend on something more power to ya. There will always be haves and have nots but ya don't need to be hate'n. I'm watching the Mecum Kissimmee auction right now--you would be miserable watching...

 

[GTs58]

I think if you have $4k, $40k, or $4M to spend on something more power to ya. There will always be haves and have nots but ya don't need to be hate'n. I'm watching the Mecum Kissimmee auction right now--you would be miserable watching...

Why would you assume he would be miserable?

 

[Freqman1]

Why would you assume he would be miserable?

Because people are spending millions on cars while people go hungry

 

[Real1]

You got that straight. They just drive up prices which has removed a lot of people from participating in the hobby. Thats the saddest thing about all this.

This is rampant in all hobbies that make it to eBay, Facebook, and the like. Boomers want what they had when they were young and damn the torpedoes in getting it. Over the last 30yrs, I've innocently wandered into many hobbies that were incredibly interesting, only to see them removed from a good, reasonable market to deep-pocket collecting. Stuff that was for free or nearly so in the beginning. You can call it good 'foresight' if you want, for capitalizing on the higher prices if you originally got it on the cheap, but I call it gouging.

These days when I buy, I do so strictly on the item's provenance. If it doesn't have an interesting backstory, then it has nothing for me regardless of the price....it's just 'stuff'. Without giving anything away, I bought for next to nothing a dealer's stock of a particular item.....45 yrs' worth. I probably have as many of these original items as anyone in the PNW. Does it make me feel good, or 'full'(?)....no. I restore these things and often give them away to people who will appreciate them. But I'm now over my head unless I do nothing else but restore them until I die. Looking at all that stuff sitting in a shed....fun factor is near zero.

Kevin

 

[wes holliday]

I dont know much about Orange Krates,however I just completed a bicycle search on ebay and found these two. Not sure they are comparable with what you are looking for ?

On ebay there is a new in the box,Orange County Customs 20" for $525.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234097154741?campid=5335809022

Also a Coppertone 20" Schwinn Stingray ,new in box, 125 Anniversary edition for $399.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175415125977?campid=5335809022

​

 

[Real1]

I think if you have $4k, $40k, or $4M to spend on something more power to ya. There will always be haves and have nots but ya don't need to be hate'n. I'm watching the Mecum Kissimmee auction right now--you would be miserable watching...

There's a marked difference though between a struggling collector that's been looking for an item for yrs, versus someone who can write a check and add an item to the five or more that he already has. Does he have a right to(?), sure. Is it moral or ethical to remove that item from the marketplace and help inflate an already unaffordable/artificial price scheme(?)...you decide.

There doesn't have to be an intense chasm between the 'haves' and 'have-nots'....that's only in your mind. It doesn't do a thing for social accountability and the human situation.

Kevin