Thanks for the info guys. Turns out the seller said he was being contacted by a bunch of vintage guys to tell him to sell for more and he is just going to hold onto it.
Yep. That's the way the internet is, now. Everyone can contact someone and intervene on potential deals. Some people feel they are doing a public service and other people are like, "HEY! I'm making a deal with the guy! Get lost!" Kiss Lots of "behind-the-scenes" deals happen via private messaging systems, because no one wants to openly reveal these potential deals for fear of having happen what you just described.
Rather than even trying to be specific when the question of "value" comes up, these days, I try to describe a range that certain drums could fall within -the high-end being a perfect/mint condition example and the low end being a faded/scratched/dirty example.
Guess I gotta continue the hunt elsewhere. I thought that was a little weird. Can you really tell its worth more from one tiny thumbnail? Anyway....
In some case, yes. Certain models of certain drums are able to be deduced from a small picture (something like a 1920's Peacock Pearl Ludwig, for example) But, you're right, in general. The more photographic-clarity one can provide, the better!
