Appraisals;

  Due to several factors, I no longer give appraisals.
 
 One reason is I am getting too many requests. I just cannot keep up any longer. Another reason is the difficulty in giving appraisals on bikes sight-unseen or with just a picture.

  I realize that knowing the value of their old bicycle is important to many people.  Whether one is attempting to purchase or sell an old bike it's good to know what it is worth. This value can be tricky at best. Make, model, year, condition and accessories all come into play and can be the difference between a $500 gem or something that belongs in the dumpster. 

 I can give some basic advise here. Condition is very important but it needs to be combined with a bike style and year that is collectable. Too often someone finds a bike from the 70's or 80's in perfect condition but there is no collectable value. It's worth what someone is willing to pay for a good riding bike.

 In the past few years there have been several TV shows putting values on antiques including bicycles. Please remember, these prices are often "Top end auction prices". Also, values are often inflated to make it sound more exciting for TV.  To get the top end price for your bike you need to travel the country selling at the antique bicycle swap meets or put your bike in a top bicycle auction like Copake (there is a link to the Copake auction house on my links page).

 Another thing to note in the bicycle collecting hobby; Girls/Ladies bikes are almost always worth less than Mens bikes. This is due in part because there is less women collecting old bikes so there is less demand for them. Also, girls in general kept their bikes in much better condition than boys. This makes girls bikes in good condition more common and brings the price down.

 I will continue to help all who ask with identifing their Columbia bicycle. I have never charged for this and I plan on keeping it that way. With my collection of Columbia catalogs I can find the identity of most bikes made by Columbia. I have also provided free downloadable catalogs for the later Columbia years, 1981-1999 on the "Research Material" page. Please feel free to use them all to search for your later model Columbia Bicycle. The "Old Roads" website has a forum that can be a good source for value estimates and selling old bikes. Please use the link to that fine site on my links page. When asking for help please send pictures and the serial number including the letter just in front of the number. This is realy the only way to find the identity of your bike. Too often I get "it's a blue bike and has a bell" or "someone told me it's realy old and it says Columbia" as the only descriptions. Without more information and pictures I just can't help.