Some lucky collector snagged this beauty for $430 today on eBay (item no. 290345302656, eBay seller ecl1pse ( 141) who, I was told, was selling the drum for an elderly gentleman, Ed Thomas of St. Augustine, FL, who collected drums throughout his lifetime. Ed, now 85 years young, is a USMC WWII veteran who retired to Florida from the Philadelphia area where he had a storied musical career, including a start at age 9 in a local drum & bugle corps.
The drum was described as Rosewood and Birdseye Maple, plus:
This is a Civil War era Field Drum. It needs some TLC and will be a great historical addition to your collection. Considering its age, it is in surprisingly good condition. The label inside says " Premium Drums manufactured by John G Pike, Norwich, NY". It has a 16" diameter, is 11 1/2" deep, has a 1 1/" hoop and the shell is 1/8" thick with 3 reinforcing rings. There are several previous owner's dates hand-written inside the drum. The oldest is April 4th, 1868. Actual date of origin is unknown. I am listing this and other vintage pieces for a long-time friend and client who has been a master drummer since 1933, yes 1933.
I had a nice long chat with Ed last week and learned that the other drums in his colletion are set/kit drums and that this was his only civil war era drum.
I have a 16"X8.5" Snaredrum given to me shortly after I moved to Lincoln, Ne, I was born in Norwich, NY in '45. I have also played in Drum & Bugle Corps. If I knew how to send pictures, I'd do that, but I'm not up to speed on this. This drum states that it's made of Rosewood, Birdseye Maple and Ash. It still has the original rope, but newly made tensioners/leather. Also the snares and head are on, no batter head was with it. There is no date on this drum. fmin40@yahoo.com
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