Predicting the future is not possible, but IMO I don't think we will ever see an economy like we had for the last 15 years for a while , if at all. But as was said in other threads the overseas market is HUGE for the right kit. So with that in mind keep on collecting. And maybe what you have now will be THE kit in the future.

Cheers,BigE

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination. I will say, I'm one of the gits who stated on this forum almost two years ago that the market was going to drop significantly and that paying high dollar for a non-rare kit would ultimately yield a very small return or even a loss. There is no real way to know for sure what the market will do. I did what everyone else does. I watched it for a few years and identified the tell-tale signs of a weakening field. The hopes and dreams of drums hitting the level of guitars is just that - a dream. But, wise investment and wiser selling will always yield a net return. I'm not in this for the money, though. So, I have a distancing to all this. I buy kits to play them and have fun. I honestly have no interest in long-term investment for high yield where drums are concerned. I Sincerely feel bad for you if you are watching your investments lose money month by month. That's nothing to make light of and I do understand.

Should you bail and sell a significant portion of your investment off? Man, I do not know. I can say with a fair amount of certainty, if you do decide to sell some kits, I would be in line for a sweet jazzer for a fair price. Again, you may be able to net more in two years ... or not. I do not envy your position.

Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best and God's grace on your finances. You are a good one, here.

If I wanted to invest my money in something, I'd talk to my financial advisor. I do have a small collection of drums, but I don't view them as an investment. My collection simply consists of drums that I enjoy playing or drums whose history I appreciate. I don't really think about what their dollar value is.

That doesn't mean I haven't thought about it a little bit, though. Drums are like a lot of other collectibles, and their value remains high so long as there's a pool of buyers with desire who have disposable income. Right now, the pool of buyers with money to spare is smaller than usual and less demand means lower prices. If/when our economic situation improves, so will the values of drums and collectibles.

I've also thought a little about the nostalgia factor... People will pay a premium for items that remind them of their good ol' days. Right now, baby boomers fuel the collector market for 1960s items, like the "Ringo inflation" for Black Oyster Pearl Ludwigs. When these buyers are no longer young & healthy enough to play, will that mean less demand for these items and hence lower prices? The Beatles are so revered that there will certainly be demand for their stuff for a long long time, but will items linked to lesser acts start losing value as those artists' fans pass away? If so, it would seem there's a peak value to recoup value on your investments and you may want to try timing your sales accordingly. Gear up to sell your '70s and '80s items over the next couple o' decades.

MCJNIC:

First, let me clarify the fact that I am not in a bad position, financially speaking. I'm simply (probably a bad choice of word here!) trying to determine when would be the best time to sell my "excess" so that my kids would get the most out of what I've got. No easy task, I understand.

Also, thank you for your kind words regarding my membership on this forum. I do appreciate them!

OldSchool - As in the stock market, buy on a dip and sell on a bump. So, Buy when it's a "buyers market" and sell when it's a "sellers market".

I do agree that certain drums will always have a value but some drums are sought based on a fad. Sell the fad stuff while that generation is still alive and looking back. Hang on to the rest for your family. Just my two cents!

:2Cents:

I have a fairly large collection of vintage snare drums...I would like to think that their value would go up as the years move on but like others here, I am not in it for the money either. I can honestly say that if my drums were deemed worthless right now I would still tell you all in total honesty that I had an absolute blast collecting them. The main reason for that statement is that all of my snare drums were bought with smart, unencumbered money...OPM (other people's money)...I haven't spent any out-of-pocket money on a snare in over 12 yrs. So as much as I hope that these drums retain/gain value over the years I'm ok either way.

Mike Curotto

I never started out with the intention of collecting as an investment. I just love drums and I had some unique opportunities to find a few rare things.

I believe the market will one day go off the map in terms of some specific things...other things, not so much....just like some vintage guitars have accomplished. But either way, it's the treasure-hunting aspect that I enjoy....although my personal collecting has slowed down a bit in the past few years.

If I sold any of my drums at this point, I would ask for so much money, I likely wouldn't find a buyer, anyway.Mister T

Drum prices seem to go down consistantly on ebay lately. I don't think there is going to be a mass appreciation on anything for a couple of years still. If your just into it for the money, you may as well start selling now and eliminate any worries you may be having.

My money market and savings accounts currently earn 1.25% interest.

Surely over the next 10 to 15 years my drums will out pace that number in return, and do better than the increases in interest that may occur by then as well.

:Santa:

Footnote.....

Christmas time on eBay offers some of the best sets for the lowest prices of the year, so I don't look at just Nov. to Jan. 1st as an indicator of "current" value.