A little hard to say. Im putting a lot of hours on the resto. still I think like Ludwigdude: This sets are getting harder to find as we speak so I think they should be around the $800-$1200 range depending on condition,sizes and if they include snare or not

Still looking for a Panther snare!

Vin

I have been researching the panther snare and I cant even find a pic of one. I looked in the 71 and 73 ludwig catalogs and didnt see a BP snare in there either. I have some vinyl that is identical to the BP wrap. I'm looking for a snare in that era to cover with black Corinthian grain vinyl, or I may get a newer CS Accent snare and wrap it. They have the bowtie lugs. It definatly wont be original, but It will complete my kit for my collection, or i also have a 2 newer chrome ludwig snares. I may just Put one of them with the kit. Im pretty sure this particular kit was purchased with a supraphonic snare, and I believe it would be original to the black panter drums, according to the Ludwig catalogs. hell if I know lol

I've only ever seen one Ludwig snare finished in Black Panther and it was a 6 1/2x15 concert snare on ebay....and yes I got out bid Sumo Dude

How much did it go for?

The catalogs say the Black Panther sets came with a 5x14" Supraphonic, but my original set came with a 5x14" Super-Sensitive. I have no clue if any sets were issued direct from the factory with wooden snares in that wrap. Like poppy said, how much did that 6.5x15" concert snare sell for, Ludwig-dude????

??? Seriously, we are curious.

Since Black Panther sets are one of those wraps people either love or hate, sometimes super awesome deals can come forth on them. I'm proud to have scored mine very cheap, and I've heard similar tales from other people. But, your $800-$1,000 range is probably pretty decent depending on condition like you mentioned. They would seem to have to be near mint condition to catch that kind of money for a normal 5 piece set. Read on for my recent research into the Black Panthers....... Now that being said, the only vintage drums I've ever owned have been Black Panthers, and the last 2-3 years I've been tracking all the used sets I've seen sold on Ebay just for my own knowledge. Some great deals, some more expensive. Here's some examples from Ebay:

Now the most common Black Panther sets found have always been the standard 5 piece - 12",13",16", and 22" bass (usually the Supraphonic snare that originally came with the set isn't included in the auctions).

I saw a 12-13-16-22" and hard shell cases for all the drums sell for $800.

Then again, I saw a 12-13-22" (no floor tom) sell for $200.50 (but 16" floor toms are on there multiple times each year so someone put together a 5 piecer with one, no doubt).

I saw some oddball sets sell cheap, too. A Carioca set (22" bd, 16" ft, with 13 +14" timbales). $305.

A set of 10-13-14" concert toms and a 22" bd. Also $305.

The most expensive Black Panther set I've seen sell in the last 3 years was a 12-13-15 (virgin)-16-24" with 5x14" Supraphonic snare. All in great condition. Someone hit the buy it now for $1,200. Now, this ups the stakes a bit for that $1,200 because a.) It came with the snare when most auctions don't.... b.) it had a 24" bass instead of the 22" most commonly found, .....and c.) it having the 12x15" virgin rack tom (came with a snare stand). Now is that 12x15" really worth that much extra cause it's more of a rare size? I'm thinking NOT because just in the last year I've seen a 12x15" concert tom sell for $76 and a 12x15" double headed tom sell for $125.

Trust me, I wanted....and still want....a 12x15" but I missed one auction completely and the other auction I had zero spare money to my name so couldn't bid.

So see, $1,200 is the highest Ebay Black Panther set I've seen sell in years. I've seen a few other sets where people had the reserve set high and they didn't sell. I saw a 12-13-14-16-18-22" get listed 5 times and it never sold. They had the reserve at $1,149 and the highest anyone bid was $765. Another one was a 12-13-16-18-22" with 5x14" Acrolite snare and vintage Zildjian A. cymbals - 20" ride, 18" crash and 14" hi-hats. They listed it twice and it never sold for their reserve of $1,500. Most recently, a almost mint condition 13-14-16-22" got listed twice and never sold at their reserve of $1,095.

Individual drums can sell high or stupid cheap in that finish because most people seem to not like BP for whatever reason. For example..... a 14x24" bass drum shell and two wood hoops (and two heads) sold for $25. A shell pack of 8x12", 14x14", 14x20" and the two wood bass hoops didn't sell at first and when relisted sold for $50.

Another strange thing I've seen is 16" floor toms selling for more than bass drums. I've seen around 10 of the 16" floor toms sell on there in the last 2-3 years and the most expensive one sold for $275. I've also seen 5 of the 22" bass drums sell on there in the last 2-3 years and the most expensive one sold for $232.49

Now I know I've probably missed some sales here and there since I'm not browsing Ebay all the time, but just giving you my own insight into my only vintage drums I've ever owned. I'm not even a collector. I'm actually a big fan of the '80s hard rock and my own Black Panther set is quite large because I personally prefer the monster '80s drum sets because that's the music I grew up on when first playing drums. (No, I don't gig with it, gotta protect my babies from damage!) I'm an '80s rocker who just happened to get a Black Panther set as my first drum set back when I was 15 years old and it really does irk me when people buy the Black Panther drums specifically to recover them in a different color wrap when fans of the BP wrap like myself would probably like to own them!

Rockdrum, my estimates on value on these was going by average condition, and current market value. The Carioca kit that "sold" as you stated was one of mine and it didn't sell for that. That was the highest it went for, but was a no sale. I ended up selling it off piecemeal (yes I hate doing that) and the floor tom went for $275 and the bass drum went for the $225 as you stated. The timbale set with a stand that I scrounged up went for $325.........so if you add it up, I got $825 for the kit, but it should have gone for more as it was an "oddball" as you so kindly put it. Others would have called it rare as it was the same kit offered in the 1971 catalong and no one has seen another one recently.

The Hollywood configuration is the most common found in this finish, with the super clasic the next most common. I have seen a 5-piece config with a 20" bass drum once, a little more rare but not that uncommon. The most rare configs would be "Bonham" type config......12x15 in black panther is rare, but not unheard of. 16x18 floor toms in black panther are even more rare, as ar the 14x26 bass drums. It killed me to hear that another member on here had one and REWRAPPED it in green sparkle to finish a Bonham replica kit! DOH

The most rare configuration ever found in this finish is the Jazzette configuration with the 12x18 bass, 8x12 tom and 14x14 floor tom. I had one and sold it off years ago before I knew what I had. And it was probably the earliest year of it being available too! It was a hand me down from my dad, he ORDERED it new in 1968 and took delivery of it in Jan 1969. Keystone badges and all.

Concert toms in various sizes finished in black panther do come up once in a while. Rare yes, desireable.....that depends on the person looking for them. Right now, concert toms in general are "undesireable", but these things are fads and go in cycles.....just like head choices......if evans hydraulic heads are so undesireable, then why do they still sell them? And Ludwig still sells concert toms too....so, if they are undesireable, then why offer them? But I digress.....you can get some good deals on black panther finished drums if they are concert toms if you ask me.

Snare drums finished in black panther are the most rare, because as you said, most sets came with a supraphonic. If you wanted a matching finish snare, you had to special order it and wait. The only snare I ever saw in that finish was on ebay about a year ago, and it was a 6 1/2x15, yes thats right 15"!, concert snare, P87 throwoff and all. I got outbid, and severely outbid. If I remember correctly it went for something around $685. Now, the rest of you nay-sayers on black panther out there tell me this then....if its not a "popular" rare color, why then did a concert snare (in an undesireable size at that) go for so much? I don't buy into the theory that black panther is an undesireable rare finish. I do think its a love it o hate it finish, but then again, what finish isn't?

The market has been flooded with Mod colored and Psychadelic red finished drums lately......for a rare finish (because it was ugly and didn't sell well originally) doesn't anyone find this a bit odd? Especially since the finishes have been reissued in recent years......Hmmmm

I'll stick with my pasion for a rare and NON-REISSUED finish that I personally like. BTW, the Hollywood config kit that I currently own, was one of my dad's too. He traded it in back in 1993 on a set that I still have. Back then they were just old drums and not really considered vintage yet. Well, I tracked them down on ebay in 2006 and bought them back. I paid $1500 for the set, which was about market for them at the time and they were and are in excellent condition still. Funny as he paid $250 for them used in 1987 after trading in a heavily reworked radio king bass drum (read that as heavily modified), a so-so condition WFL tom and a generic Pearl floor tom. Yes he got the better deal, but I got them back and still think the price was good. This was pre-recession era after all.

I am confident that when the recession is over and the market comes back on vintage drums that the $1500 I paid to get them back will still be a reasonable price. The deals are great now because the market in on the low end. Give it time and the prices will be back in line where they were, I am sure of that.

I am one of the love it group.

I love my Black panthers!! I cant wait to finish them!

You guys rock!

Ludwig-Dude, yeah you are right on your points. I've only been going off what auctions I remember over the last few years. I'm sure some have gone for high dollar, just "recently" the last 2-3 years I have been looking and I've been seeing the more reasonably priced kits pop up here and there.

The one kit that got rewrapped in green sparkle killed me as well, because I was in contact with the original seller and was supposed to go get them, but then he sold them to someone else for $200 less than what his original asking price was. It took me another year to find a similar (but not exact) kit. Like I mentioned, just buying BP kits to rewrap (and this of course wasn't the only guy to do this) in a different color bugs me because it's hard enough to find BP kits in the first place! DOH

That guy got a killer deal though, because the seller told me it was 13-14-15-16" concert toms, 18" double headed floor tom, 26" bass drum (missing front hoop/claws/t-rods), 6.5x14" Supraphonic, snare/tom stands, speedking pedal and cases for the snare and all the concert toms......for $600. If I had gotten it I would have kept all the drums and converted the concert toms to double headed versions. The snare had a lot of pitting, but still....good score.

I myself dont really consider Ebay the "official" guide for Vintage drums pricing. You can score there a COB Supra for $450 and then wait around 2 years and they wont go lower than $750...2 years ago Haymans went for $300 on Ebay ,nowadays you wont find a set for less than $800...What it was hot now its cold. and then the oposite...

Besides many times you're not dealing with a Drum expert but with an old gent who doesn't know what an extra hole is and the quality of the pixs of the item its like a hit or miss...

Again: Ebay its not my reference or my guide. is just a tool but not the ultimate one

I was looking for a blue vistalite snare. They were going for 400+ on ebay. I found one at guitar center's used equipment online for 200 so I bought it. Now there are a few on ebay going for 200. I only gave 200 for the other 4 pieces, but they didnt need anything except the snare. So I got my snare and have 400 in the blue vistilites that have no cracks and very little scratches. It is the most fabulous buy I have ever made considering I dont have to do anything to them. Black panthers however arent for sell anywhere. When I buy drum I research them on ebay, and on here. I have collected a bunch of drums. Almost all of them are worth more than I gave, but Im not in it for making money. I just want the satisfaction that I'm not just blowing money, but making investments. We restore vintage cars at my shop. Some of them are worth a small fortune restored. Drums are similar, except, it dont cost near as much and dont take near as long to restore them. I think I need a drum 12step program! lol