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This appears to be a '55/'56 drum with a "dog tag" badge and coarse thread knob.  Is this the same blue/white duco drum that is pictured in post #1?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256187212619

Yeah, that's the same drum. This drum has a couple of issues that make it a less than great example. 

The screws on the strainer and butt are modern replacements. They have the combo Phillips/Slotted heads. Could have just had rusty screws that someone replaced, or could have been a drum that was missing parts so that makes the strainer details less than reliable since they would be replacement parts if that were the case. 

The hoop has Radio King Embossed on it which would make this an earlier example as the engraving ended sometime early in '55, at least on the stick saver hoops.  Not a problem, just an observation.

The dogtag badge started in '53 so the drum could be this early, again, not a problem, just an observation.

On the plus side, the drum is a Student Radio King. It has the correct slider for strings on the strainer. All of the parts are nickel plated, so that makes it possible that all of the parts are original to the drum, other than the screws.

Here is a slighly later Student Radio King, '56-'57. Original mounting screws, everything looks original including snare wires, yet it has fine knurling.  Go figure. It is entirely possible that they used both styles for some period of time so there might not be any clear cutover date.

Sure would be nice if there was a "qoute" feature.  Oh well.  Overall I agree, especially with your opening and closing comments.  I have some reservations about the seller of the blue/silver duco drum.  A couple minor discussion points (not problems): 

A "dog tag" badge and "new" (aka Sound King) lugs should date a drum to '55/'56.  Streamline or Beavertail lugs would be expected '54 or earlier.  There is not always a clear cut-over date but '55 is likey the first full year for the "new" Sound King lugs.

Radio King stamped "rim shot" (aka stick saver) hoops:  Thought these were produced for two years, '55/'56.  The Radio King name was still in use in the '56 catalog.  With one or two exceptions it ceased being used in the '57-'61 catalogs.      

Thanks

If you watch the Gene Krupa drum find video, it is stated that Gene acquired that kit some time before a trip that he took to Australia in August of '54 and Brooks states that the '55 release as being incorrect. They printed a new catalog for '55 so that is where it was officially debuted in their catalogs, but the soundking lugs and the "rim shot" hoops with Radio King engraving came out in August '54 or perhaps a little earlier.

I don't really agree that the engraved "rim shot" hoops were made through '56. They are exceedingly rare in my experience. I can think of one or two sets I have seen in the wild, not counting the set that is on Gene's '54 kit. 

The date on the front of the '55 catalog is Jan 12, 1955 so that means that that catalog would have been put together in the later part of '54. Printing was much harder and time consuming back then. Today, you can put something together very quickly in comparison, even with brand new pictures. Back then, a lot of the artwork wasn't even photos, they were artists renditions and were reused as long as they could.

The Gene Krupa Radio King on the left side of page 7 of the '55 catalog, is the same artwork as was used in the '51 on the top of page 4. They heavily modified it by changing the lugs and making some changes to the hoops, but all other details are the same. Even the reflections on the strainer are exactly the same. The wrap even has the same pattern. It still has the small muffler knob, the screw is exatly in the same position and the same cloud badge is on the drum in the '55 artwork. Even the snare on the right looks to have been reused because it has a "rim shot top hoop, but an old double flange bottom hoop with riveted on snare gates. It might be a new piece of artwork based on a new photo and they didn't have any snare side "rim shot" hoops available when the took the picture that was the basis of that artwork. In both cases, the white marine pearl seen on the drums isn't a picture, it was done by the artist that made the artwork. This was the case going back to the beginning and over time as printing technology evolved, they started using actual photos with progressivly less airbrushing.

My point is that, using catalog artwork for a reference on when details started and stopped is dodgy at best. Given that they reused artwork as long as possible, throws everything into suspicion. It was up to someone to decide what details were important enough to warrant modifying existing artwork or creating new artwork. Clearly for the '55 catalog, the snare on the left on page 7 warranted modifying the old artwork to change the lugs and hoops, but the muffler and badge weren't considered worth the time and money to change, because nobody would notice.  At best, catalog art can be more trustworthy for when things started, because of this fact, but as to when details ended, again, that is up to the people making and approving the catalogs if they felt it was worth making those changes or not. But since catalogs weren't produced every year, you have gaps of when things would change.

I don't have access to a '57 catalog, but I bet a lot of the artwork used is the same as the '55 catalog, they probably just changed the badge, and maybe removed the Radio King Engraving from the hoops, but maybe not. In the '60 catalog we start seeing brand new artwork that are actually photos, but there is still a lot of old artwork from the 40s still being used for the lower end kits and in various places.

The cover picture of Gene on the '55 catalog kit is reused on the '57 catalog and it is him playing the '54 kit. There were ads in Down Beat magazine into '58 that still have that picture even though you can still clearly see the old cymbal mounts and floor tom leg mounts. The new versions are being advertised as new feature below that picture, but the old one are still there on Gene's kit.

Sorry for the long, probably boring post.

When Krupa got something and when the public got it are not always the same.  Teglers work is very Krupa-centric.  Of course we should allow that some late '54 production of drums with "new" '55 hardware was probable, however '55 is the first "full" year for the "new" hardware.  Is there a way to distinguish a late '54 from a '55?  Is there a way to distinguish a '55 from an early '56? 

I completely agree with you on the catalog artwork.  I made no reference to catalog artwork (for the exact reasons you've mentioned).  I apologize if that was not clear.  I was referring to catalog text and the phase out of the Radio King name from '56 to '57.  FWIW Tegler claims a year of production of "rim shot" hoops with Radio King stampings.  I'd consider thru '56 a possibility.   

It is certainly possible the Krupa got stuff before the public, but then again, he might not have. Slingerland was advertising the new lugs and hoops as early as the beginning September '54. So maybe he got the first set of new hoops and lugs, but undoubtedly, they did start in August or September.

The ad calls them 1955 drums!  Similar to new car years maybe?

Yeah, I have noticed that. Probably how the marketing department wanted to announce them since the new catalog was coming out. Car year models used to start in January but started introducting the new year in June or August over time. Maybe that was the thinking, like a car, like you say. Could be that they gave Gene the first set and didn't sell anymore until Jan 1, 1955, but I kind of doubt it.