CapsFanBob

Hello there,

My name is Bob. I just joined this forum because I need some help and I'm hoping someone on here might have some knowledge to share.

I have a vintage Ludwig Drum set that I inherited from my father when he passed away in 2015. Dad received the set as a gift from his parents somewhere around the late 1950's or very early 1960's. I know that dad was the drummer in a band by the age of 16 and he was born in May of 1944, so he would have been 16 in 1960. I suspect that he received the set prior to turning 16 years old, but I am not positive.

I also know that the set is from that time period because the individual pieces do not have serial numbers. Serial numbers were not mandated by the government until 1963. During my research into these, I found a website that talks about how Ludwig started putting serial numbering their drums during/after 1963 and where to find them on each piece. Given that my set does not have these numbers tells me that I am correct about the approximate age.

I believe the original set contained the bass, the snare, and one bass mounted tom. I believe the floor tom in the photos was a later addition because it DOES have a serial number.

My father was a stickler for keeping his stuff in tip-top shape and these drums are no different. They are in amazing condition for their age. That is not to say that they are not used, they are. But the finish is in great condition in my opinion. Other than him simply taking care of them, I can say with a high degree of confidence that he barely used these drums. Once he graduated High School and College, he moved from Philadelphia to Maryland. There he continued school and earned a PhD in his field. Due to the intense studies, and because he lived in a small apartment, he did not bring the drums with him to Maryland. At most, these drums had only been used for a handful of gigs during his High School years. Eventually, he and my mother settled down in a house and the drums were brought to Maryland. I was born in 1972, the year after he completed his studies. During my time on this earth, he only brought out the drums and set them up in the house 3 times. Each time they would be setup for about a week and maybe be played a few hours at most. All that to just say, they've barely been used.

I am posting all of this for one main reason. I want to sell the drums. I also inherited a love for music from my father, but sadly not the skills. I am not a musician and now in my 50's, I won't ever be. My kids are not interested in them either... I've tried that route.

But here's the problem. I have no clue what the value of this drum set is. I've tried talking to a couple local music shops, but my problem is that I don't know if their offers will be appropriate. I guess I just don't want to be ripped off. I really just want to have some sort of idea what range I should expect an offer to fall in.

I am including some photos of the drums. If someone needs to see a better view or something specific, please let me know and I'll get it and post it. I am only posting the drums themselves. Dad also had a number of Zildjian cymbals (his favorite brand) which I have not taken photos of yet. These include a set of hi-hats, a few crashes and rides as well. Additionally, I have the cymbal stands, the bass pedal, his original stool, and all the original drum carry bags. The goal is to sell everything as one big lot, not to split it up.

I realize what I'm asking is hard to provide without seeing these items in person. But if anyone has any idea of the value of these drums, please let me know. I just need an idea.

Also, before anyone asks... I'm not trying to sell these here. And I am pretty adamant about not shipping them anywhere. I just don't want or need the extra burden of packing them and worry about damage in shipping. I'm really looking to sell to a local music shop. However, if you are in or around Maryland and interested, I'm willing to talk. But that kind of undermines my reason for posting. If you're making an offer, I'm right back where I started... not knowing if the offer is reasonable.

Thank you for reading all of this. And thank you, in advance, for any advice anyone can provide.
Bob

Attached Thumbnails

         

CapsFanBob

Here are a few more photos...

Attached Thumbnails