Value of Date Stamp 1969 Acrolite

[CanuckDrumGuy]

Would appreciate any help offered on the value of this acrolite Ive had for some time - has some tarnish and dirt that would clean off (I only dust vintage gear) - I think its original and complete - Date stamp Oct. 7 1969. Throw-off works well. Non-original (Pure Sound) wires. Ludwig script butt plate. Muffler works - no dints in shell but scratches.

Planning to sell on the forum but the prices seem all over the place and there are fewer WFLs than 70s to go by. Any thoughts on originality welcome as well as Im no expert on these snares.

Cheers,

[zenstat]

Based on my price tracking research the expected price would be about $130 with half selling for between $90 and $150. That's taking into account condition, proportion of original parts, and that Keystone badges seem to do a little better than Blue Olive badges. I've recorded about 19 recent sales (2016-2017) and another 37 sales to look at historical trends. The prices I report exclude shipping. My prices are mostly from eBay completed sales prices, and it is possible that expected prices on VDF would be a little lower because you aren't paying fees to eBay. I haven't done any statistical analysis looking at expected price differences between different sales channels.

Seeing this late 60s Acro with the small knob muffler is timely in light of this discussion:

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=62869

on the small knob muffler reprise on late 60s Acros.

Also as a collector of serial numbers (these days on behalf of Rick Gier) I'd be intered to know what the serial number is. The highest recorded K2 (that's the Keystone with the little ®) is 749101 in 2013 when Rick Gier published his major work on them (ref given in the thread I linked to).

[CanuckDrumGuy]

Thanks for the info zenstat - there is no serial number on the keystone badge (only made in USA where Ive seen them on other drums) - is there another spot to look? What does no serial number suggest? I got this drum from a retired drummer from the Caribbean about 5 years ago.

[mlayton]

That's one in which the shell was made for a Blue Olive badge. Instead, it got a Keystone badge which is why the top of the badge is under the hoop. Some of these had no serial numbers and some did. If it did, it would be on the badge. I've had a Supra setup like this and it was from the same time frame as yours. I've got an Acrolite of the same setup from 1970. Neat drum!

Mike

[CanuckDrumGuy]

Thanks Mike- that makes sense - I know during changeovers in those days , almost anything went given they used what they had - cheers

[rillow64]

In Canada you can You can get $200 to $300 for a keystone Acrolite, depending on it's condition. I just sold a 70's Acrolite in near mint condition for $200.

Cam

[KCDrumDad]

So, is there a serial number on the top of the badge which is covered by the top hoop or is it a no serial number badge?

[Mo Tonkie]

I recently sold an early 70s acrolite in similar shape for $200. It was sold within 2 hours of being listed. I would expect your acro would sell for more than mine.

[zenstat]

Originally Posted by rillow64

In Canada you can You can get $200 to $300 for a keystone Acrolite, depending on it's condition. I just sold a 70's Acrolite in near mint condition for $200.

Cam

Let's be specific about what currency we are reporting in. Are you saying CAN200? At today's exchange rate that is about USD135, so it is in line with the prices I have in my database. If you are talking USD200 then that's in the upper quartile of the price distribution.

Originally Posted by Mo Tonkie

I recently sold an early 70s acrolite in similar shape for $200. It was sold within 2 hours of being listed. I would expect your acro would sell for more than mine.

Yes, and on August 29, 2016 a Blue Olive badged Acro sold on eBay for $199.95 and on the same day another one sold for $133.50. They were in excellent excellent condition. The same day a Keystone badged Acro sold for $269. A week earlier another Blue Olive Acro in excellent condition sold for $83. When prices are highly variable we need a larger representative sample of sales to get good stable price estimates. The fact that one sells for $200 doesn't mean that they all sell for $200. And it certainly doesn't mean that the best statistical estimate for selling price is $200. On the other hand, if a quarter of them sell for over $150 then a seller might want to start with a higher price (like $200) when selling at a fixed price rather than competitive auction. That's a question about selling strategy rather than expected value.

I've added these last two sales back into the 56 sales I've already recorded. It is possible that another full data sweep might show that prices are up significantly since 2016, but one or two anecdotal examples aren't really able to influence the robust estimate of central tendency. If somebody were keen they could do a sweep through all the sold auctions (there will be 2 months worth) on eBay so we can get more up to date data. Unfortunately, I haven't got time just now.

Thanks for the two additional data points. Every sales result helps improve the price estimates.

[Brewkowski]

Zenstat!! You do a fine job in your analysis' and I always enjoy reading your posts. Are these kinds of in depth research topics something that you do as a profession?