Speaking as someone who little more than tinkers around the edges of vintage drum restoration and ownership, I live for moments when a truly astonishing drum of this rarity and condition turns up undiscovered and out of the blue to amaze and astonish us all. My sincere condolences on the loss of your father.

I am in awe. I dream of finding one of those (even the Eames)!!!

The Ludwig Gold Triumphal is absolutely stunning. It might be a $20k drum... and will probably be bought by Bun E Carlos or Mike Curatto (if you decide to sell it).

How much were you looking for the Hinger?

Thank you all for your kind responses. This has been quite an adventure and an extension of the relationship I had with my father: like a little bit of his soul is in each and every piece. So, going through his collection (and learning so much about its history) has been a real blessing. I loved the advice to keep at least one of my Dad's drums and we will definitely be doing that and probably more than one. As a musician myself, I have an appreciation for the history behind many of these pieces. As a son, every piece tells a little story about my Dad, so in a very musical sense, I get to have him around with me a bit longer, a blessing that can not be quantified monetarily. I've had the privilege of speaking with some real legends about this collection and in particular, the Ludwig Gold Triumphal. For now, I've decided to hold on to the Triumphal and I was able to speak a bit about it (and my Dad) with Jim Messina, for an upcoming episode of his Vintage Drum Talk show. I will let you all know when that releases and hope you all can watch it. You've all been so kind so, please, let's keep in touch.

Truly amazing story in so many ways.

Could you please post pictures of these amazing drums directly to this website?

It would be great to have these in the archives.

Thank you!

Kevin

Sorry for your loss. This is an amazing story for sure and I just wanted say thank you for bringing your questions to VDF, you picked the perfect place to get advice and help you make decisions. Those drums are just amazing, thank you!

Astonishing! I can't add more to the advice and compliments that have been given. I will say I am glad you've decided to hang on to at least part of your Dad's collection. As I'm sure we all do, your Dad obviously put a lot of heart into his craft and his collection. I'm sure having some of his collection will help you hold tighter to some fond memories.

Thanks for sharing these with us.

My sincerest condolences on your loss,

Lynn