This past Spring Rich Katz hired me to do an appraisal of his drum set and collection that he donated to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. It is currently on display there. I do appraisals of drums/cymbals/percussion instruments for tax and insurance purposes, as well as for determining resale value. I charge between $100 and $500 for appraisals depending on the number of instruments and the amount of documentation and notarizing desired. For insurance and tax appraisals I base values not on current market value or collector value, but on replacement value which tends to run higher. For resale appraisals, I base the value on current market prices. I thank Rich for bearing with me in getting his appraisal finished and for letting me show his instruments in this article. Nice pictures, Rich! - George Lawrence
“Hi, George,
My name is Rich Katz and I recently donated my vintage 7-piece Ludwig drum set (in original black oyster pear wrap) to the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix and would like to get the kit appraised for tax purposes.
I am the original owner of the kit. In 1965, my Dad (an alto sax jazz musician) reluctantly bought me a three piece "New Yorker” model (chrome snare) in black oyster pearl with the narrow, 12x20 bass drum unique to the Ludwig model at that time and a rack mounted 8x12 tom. The same year I added a second rack tom (9x13) and a 14x14 floor tom, then a 16x16 floor tom. (I’m left-handed but play right-handed so the extra toms make playing toms easier.) The configuration of the kit I donated included two sets of Zildjian cymbals (8 vintage Avedis and 6 Low Volume (contemporary) cymbals). The original six drums are (February) 1965 models and I added a Ludwig Rocker piccolo snare from 1980 (re-wrapping it in matching BOP). All major hardware (e.g., snare stand, Speed King bass drum pedal) are chrome and original to the kit. The second (right side) hi-hat in some of the pictures is the original Ludwig Spur-Lok and the left side hi-hat is a two-legged PDP (to accommodate my DW double pedals which weren’t part of the donation. The Speed King was re-installed.). The piccolo snare sits on a Tama heavy duty snare stand. I’ve attached a few photos of the kit to help you determine if you can provide an appraisal for the drum set (with hardware and cymbals) and your charge for the service. (If you are willing, I’ll provide additional descriptions, serial numbers and photos of the kit.)
The drums (shells, wraps, rims, lugs) are in very good condition (no cracks or peeling, very minimal pitting of chrome) and sound great. Three of the vintage cymbals, all Avedis, are damaged (repaired cracks) and one set of hi-hats (with a bubble in the bell of the top cymbal, the “pimple” noted in the photo) are Zildjian “seconds”. I lived close to the Zildjian factory in Boston. In those days, they would discount defected cymbals if the damage was minor rather than melt them down and recast them (as they do now), but they wouldn’t stamp the cymbal with the Zildjian logo. (All my other Zildjians are stamped.)
I’ve contacted local music stores but they do not regular provide appraisals and were reluctant to attempt to appraise this kit because of the bass drum modification (remove original single-tom rack for Ludwig double tom mount. No other modifications were made to the drums.)
Thanks for considering my request. I hope to hear back from you soon.
I’m also attaching a few additional pictures of my 1965 black oyster pearl Ludwig kit for your consideration for inclusion in the Not So Modern Drummer Magazine, as your readers may be interested in seeing the kit, specifically the 12x22 bass drum in black oyster pearl. The drums are currently on display (currently as a 5-piece kit) at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona, along with a display of how Zildjian cymbals are made. (Coincidentally, my brother Leonard’s 1974 synthesizer he built from a kit is featured in the adjacent display.) Plans are to move my drum set to a larger display stage so the entire kit can be shown. Opposite in the room is Hal Blaine’s 6-piece double-bass drum Ludwig kit he played while touring with Jan and Dean, as well as other kits from rock, blues and jazz drummers. I feel honored that my drums are in the same room as Hal’s! The MIM has a wonderful collection on display of drum kits from the early 20th Century through the present and includes kits from many eras and celebrity drummers, including a silver pearl Slingerland kit used by Buddy Rich.
Let me know if you’re ever in the area. I’d love to take you on a tour of the MIM!
All the best,
Rich Katz”