1978: WHAT WERE THEY WORTH?

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George Disteel late in his life, using 'duct tape' as an eyepatch to help him see despite cataracts

An old friend forwarded a pair of newspaper clippings from a 1978 auction, held by Butterfield+Butterfield auctioneers of San Francisco (now absorbed into Bonhams), of the various contents from the estate of noted Bay Area eccentric 'Crazy' George Disteel.  I've written previously about Disteel, but hadn't seen the prices fetched by his motorcycles at the auction -it makes fascinating reading, and sheds light on how the priorities of the motorcycle collector market have shifted in the 35 years.

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The San Francisco Chronicle article of Jan 26, 1978, with a story of George Disteel's estate auction...

If I were to ask a savvy classic motorcycle fan today, which was the more valuable, a Vincent Black Shadow, a Norton International, or a Moto Guzzi Falcone?  The answer would likely be in that order, that 'of course' a Shadow is among the most coveted of vintage motorcycles, and anyone who's been reading the classic press the past 30 years could explain exactly why - the speed records, the exploits of Marty Dickerson and Rollie Free and George Brown, the Phil Irving connection, all of which seems correct and natural today.  But history is a mutually agreed-upon construction (or disagreed upon!), a narrative which suits the needs of the present.  And at present, we apparently need the Vincent Black Shadow as top dog, with consequent demand and bidding wars at auction pushing prices over $120k for decent examples.

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The Butterfield+Butterfield auction list and results for George Disteel's estate

In 1978, though, collectors felt the three machines - Vincent, Norton, and Guzzi - were of equal value - $1550 - at least in that California auction room.  As someone who entered the 'classic bike' scene just a few years later, I concur that in the early '80s, a Moto Guzzi Falcone was a rare exotic in the USA, highly esteemed for the quality of its build and innovative design.  Moto Guzzi, the only factory of the 3 still in business at that date (Norton was limping along in limbo, and Vincent gone since 1955) had a far better reputation for the quality of their castings and machine work than either British brand, and Norton OHC singles bathed in the glory of decades of racing success of their racing brother, the Manx.  I can confirm that both an Inter and a Falcone were every bit as desirable as a Shadow until the current generation.

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The 1965 Cycle World road test of a Vincent Black Lightning - 'an evil-handling beast'