A very good friend of mine in Connecticut sent me this e-mail concerning a very old drum kit he came across. He is the store manager for Caruso Music.
Caruso Music purchased these drums yesterday. The original owner (now late 70 yrs of age) played these when he was a kid. There is a pencil notation inside the snare drum that it was once repaired by a Mr. Damas in 1950. Coincidentally, the first snare I ever had was a Slingerland Radio King...also repaired by the same gentleman at some point! The guy that brought these in said "that was my drum teacher growing up!". Small world.
So...my options are...PLAN A...spend a weekend cleaning these up and asking a premium...or PLAN B...let them go "as is" with the knowledge that someone who makes these a labor of love would end up with some very cool drums in the end at a very reasonable price. I'm going with PLAN B.
The snare drum is a rare Oliver Ditson 4.5x15 shell BIRDSEYE Maple with vintage claw-hooks. Everything is original including the calf-skin heads (bottom one is torn). I can't even venture when this was made but I'm guessing late 1800's to very early 1900's. A quick history lesson teaches that Oliver Ditson himself was born in 1811. In 1856 one of his employees, J. C. Haynes, became interested in the business, and the firm name was permanently changed to Oliver Ditson & Co. In 1867 his eldest son in New York City, under the style of C. H. Ditson, established a branch house & Co., and in 1876 another in Philadelphia, J. E. Ditson & Co. The snare drum, if I have to clean it up and do some minor repair work on the snares and botto head, and a good general cleaning...would go on the chopping block for $800 to $1000.00. The "as is" price is $600.00.
The bass drum is a 14" x 28" Leedy Reliance Made in Elkhart Indiana sometime in the 1930's. Like the snare drum, everything is original. The heads are in decent shape, no cracks or major gouges in the drums. The hoops are a bit worn but nothing crazy. A good cleaning and this would be a nice drum (would also make a killer coffee table with a piece of glass laid over one side!). I will sell the bass drum for $495.00...you pay the oversize shipping.
The pedal is an ancient Ludwig that works fine and is intact...save for the missing beater. I'll let that go for $100.00...or I will throw it into the deal if you buy both drums. I'll sell the snare stand for $25 or throw in for whoever buys the snare drum.
An interesting thing to note is how well the coloration of these drums is an exact match to one another, despite them being original finish and from two different makers!
Here are some pics...let me know.
