So…In about 2013, I had this in my hands for appraisal via an auction house.
It was an asset liquidation sale - there was a custom shop Marvin strat, and a Hofner 500/1 of some vintage too. A couple of old Wurlitzer jukeboxes and “Americana” stuff like that.
The rest was Rolex’s etc and gaudy expensive furniture.
It was a 61, with gold hardware.
Unsure at the time if it had been one of the refin fiesta reds done by the UK importer…I didn’t know much about gold hardware being an option either.
I offered to buy it for £2k (what I had saved up).
The guy (rightly…) said “I know it’s worth more.”
I later found out that it only fetched £1500 and someone got very lucky…something rings a bell about it being a Fender GBI employee who got it.
Never played anything near it since.
I had a 77p at the time and this had so much more to it.
Talk about the one that got away.