Hetchins Bike

tiger2

Hi,

Please could somebody offer some advice/tips ref. the following:

I have an old curly Hetchins bike that my dad purchased from new many years ago. He has been the sole owner. It has been hand painted white by him...more for protection rather than to look really good. It is one of their higher end frame. I think it has campag gears etc.

What is the best way to maximise the amount it could sell for?
Should we pay for it to be stripped and professionally restored by some specialist company...eg. Argos?
OR
Would it be best to just sell it as it is?
AND
Should I put it on ebay or is it likely to get more advertised for sale in a bike mag?

Your comments would be appreciated.

lae

It's difficult to say without inspecting the bike. A very good condition Hetchins can sell for £1,500 or more, with even a well-used one going for £500. Have you tried the forums at www.retrobike.co.uk? You'll get a better response if you put up more details, i.e. the model and when it was made, and obviously as many pictures as you can.

Weejie54

I would reckon that, in order to maximise your return, you should leave well alone. The bike would likely be sold to a restorer anyway. The Retrobike site will have a lot of envious posters! In saying that, you'll get a lot of sound advice too. However, a site that would help considerably is http://www.hetchins.org/ which has a sales and wanted facility. You'll also get information about age etc. The last Hetchins that I recall going on eBay didn't fetch as mutch as it should have done. A complete bike in reasonable condition went for under £500. If you were to sell it there, you would need a reasonable reserve, and the fees would be quite high. Better, I reckon, to get a real idea of its value via the Hetchins website - or (bar those trying to buy it off you for a song!) the Retrobike site as mentioned already, and sell it at a fixed price through same.

tiger2

Thanks for your replies. I have had a look at both the suggested sites and will do some more research.