WOW!! That's a really cool piece of history there. Pretty wild being able to see pictures of it, after hearing you describe it. Man that thing is bitchin. .
When I knew Dutch in '73-'74 and later, his eyesight was failing. He used a pair of Jeweler's magnafying glasses that hung 4 inches out in front of his eyes when he was engraving, but his engraving and striping was really getting raggety due to his failing eyesight. He was the first to admit it but you could tell by looking at his work. Still, his engraving was better than all of ours
Does that BSA ever get ridden??? In regards to the mag, from what I've been told from a guy who could've had that mag a long while ago, is that it was part of a larger purchase made from the same source as that blue flamed triumph that the man painted(that was in Aaron's show). so it is very likely that the mag in question was part of a complete bike that was parted out(I mean if you had dutch work on your machine, would you only want one piece from him?), and if not by him, anyone priced engraving, and a pre-unit mag? Thanks for posting the auction. I heard so much about it years ago, now I get to see it, did't buy it, but it is neat to see finally. I just wanted to shed some light on the subject
My Dutch Yarn...... A good buddy of mine, 'bout Dutch's age, says he has pictures of a ol' tyme butcher shop Dutch was rumored to have striped the hell out of...... the porcelin counters,scales,lockers.....in the 50s. The story goes, they locked Dutch and a case of wine inside, over night and come daylight the place had been Dutched. I've offered ta come over and help my buddy look through his storage, " Painter Style" ta find those pics. So far he says " I'm still lookin". The guys a real deal stand up type, no shit talker, so....... when I get my grubby lunch hooks on 'um, bet yer ass I'll post 'um!
If indeed he has pics... they are of historical significance... and I'm sure Pat Ganahl would love to see them. If you end up finding them... get ahold of me at sstrube@comcast.net Thanks man! Sam.
Spend a little time researching art fraud/ forgey and you will find it to be a vibrant growth industry. It is always looking for new opportunities to take advantage of folk who have money but not the means to ascertain the authenticity of the next big thing. A stash of Jackson Pollock paintings just turned up in a storeroom of one of Jackson's oold friends. If authetic, $10 million might be a conservative estimnation of the value. The experts are divided regarding what they are and this division is testing the very foundation art appraisal. Reputations are at stake. Careers hang in the balance. A recent book on art forgery claims that the majority of the works at a Major Art museum are forgeries. Anything that has collector value and market volatility is suseptible. Tiffany lamps, Bassball cards, Dead Sea Scrolls, clay tablets, pharmacuticals, crack. Pick an artist. A study by the FBI concluded that the majority of celebrity/sports auto graphs are fake. Andy Warhol stuff is showing up. Are they real or test priintings scavanged from the trash and never considered as finished and signed pieces. With any item that has "cult of personality" attached to it there will be in the constellation of accolites, followers, students, hangers on, the battles over who is the true keeper of the flame, who were the true friends,, who are the gatekeepers, who has the real information, who is really on the inside, etc. etc. etc. blah blah, so tedious, (yawn) Unless there is some real method to identify or document things will be subject to endless argument. Take that Von dutch to a pawn shop and see what they give you. The "genuine" hotrod world is a great draw for con-artist and rubes. You pays your money, you takes your chances. PS: RThis is just opinion here ( I like Von Dutch too) but 100 years from now Von Dutch won't mean much. What will his legacy be at that time? Tell me who the finest Sevillian silver engraver was in 1532. I'm sure he drank a lot too.
The Jalopy Journal
