[COLOR="DarkRed"]Drumaholic - is kona's a type lV old-stamp ? l have a type lV 22"-er about 2200g - and it just smokes The Band kona - never sell that beauty ![/COLOR]

No that's either a IIIb, or a IIIc. It's somewhat ambiguous because I can't make out the exact form of the star and crescent.

Are you talking about the star & crescent on my cymbal?

I took these photos just now - let me know if it helps.

Jaye - Yes - I'm not selling

I shone a light from the side to try to bring out what's left of the stamp.

Is this better?

Yes, that's a IIIb, which I suspected in might be. IIIc's are seldom seen and these are the rarest type of all.

Thanks!

But, what does that mean - a IIIb as apposed to a type IV etc?

Are the IIIb's made in early - mid 50's? That's what I'm guessing.

A few years older than that.

I'm guessing that you can tell it's a IIIb series by some part of the stamp?

Roughly how old would my cymbal be?

A couple of years older than mid 50's.

I could be very exact here, but I've found out the hard way that certain people like to plagarize my work and post it as their own. So that's why I'm being a bit evasive here.

Okay - fair enough.

I'm thankful that you're here doing this, appreciate it. I just want to know a little about the cymbal that's all. It's a nice-to-know thing because it is a great cymbal. I've always been the type of person that likes to know how stuff got that way, where it comes from, history you know - I like it.

All I know about the cymbal is that it was bought new with the 1958 Gretsch kit in 1961 I think - it's difficult to ask the former owner - he's dead. Now I say new, because he bought the kit then. I'm only guessing - he could have bought the cymbal used in 1961 or after or even had it with a former kit for all I know. All the hardware (stands and pedal - except the snare stand) is Ludwig. The Walberg & Auge (pronounced ow-je) bass rail came with the drums I'm sure.

Thanks,

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/ebaycymbals1/Kerope.jpg[/img][color=purple3][font=Times New Roman][size=+1]Kerope was the one for whom the "K" stands for. He supervised the creation of the earliest and now the most sought after K. Constantinoples orchestral cymbals.[/size][/font][/color]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/ebaycymbals1/92%202.jpg[/img]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/ebaycymbals1/Copy%20of%20Picture%20092.jpg[/img]

[color=purple3][font=Times New Roman][size=+1]Along with Kerope these are the rest of the people responsible for the manufacture of cymbals bearing the K. Zildjian Constantinople trademark:[/size][/font][/color]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/ebaycymbals1/Copy%20of%20Picture%20091.jpg[/img]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/drumaholic/ebaycymbals1/Copy%20of%20Copy%20of%20Picture%20091.jpg[/img]