I'm not an expert by any stretch but that is a cool bike. Put the original saddle back on, for heaven's sake get rid of those awful grips, put "L'Eroica ready" in the description, and this sells on ebay in a heartbeat. Since you're ruling that option out, I think your next best and easiest move is to contact a vintage bike seller. Surely there must be one in NYC? Someplace like Premium Cycling in Europe. (No affiliation or endorsement, haven't dealt with them, I just go to their website to drool sometimes.)
Always assuming it still doesn't sell here for some reason, I think it will.