It's my understanding that the "50s stamps" were the last of the hand-hammered Zildjians. My sources and I might be incorrect though, so I'll bow down to any wisdom that anyone else has for sure.

I don't think they sound "better", per say...just different. Personally, I wouldn't play my trans stamp cymbals with sticks because they're just too thin and they seem to have too "delicate" of a sound for me. I use them as hand cymbals when I play a percussion set up, also a couple 30s Zildjians, an HHX Evolution splash, an old K splash...these cymbals never find their way onto my drum set, and even in my percussion set up I only play them with a single finger to get them to open up.

50s stamps are nice, though, and they are among my favorite drum set cymbals.

These transitional stamps have become highly sought after because these are these along with K. Zildjian old stamps were the cymbals that were used during the era of the golden age of jazz. Anyone who's listened to those old records knows how good the cymbals sounded back then. In fact it was that very sound that led me to start my vintage cymbal quest a few decades ago. It was very obvious to me at the time that these cymbal had the sound I was looking for, and that was also the sound that I was unable to find in the Zildjians I was hearing at the various drum stores that I frequented back then.

These were in fact the last of the completely hand hammered cymbals, along with the next trademark era that followed. In general as in all hand hammered cymbals they have their tonal pallet has a richness that just can't be duplicated by machine. Each cymbal has its own unique character. That's not to say that just because its being advertised as such that it guarantees that each one is going to be what sounds like a great cymbal. All trans stamps are not created equal, just the same as with the K's. Some are gems, some are mediocre, and some are duds. But this is the case with any hand hammered cymbals. Although some people decry the gem to dud ratio for old K's, when in fact that ratio for the trans stamps is roughly the same, and for the same reason. It's do to the vagaries hand hammering. But the best of both genres are sublime.

Some eras of post trans stamp Zildjians also have hand hammering, but less of it and always in combination with machine hammering. But I'll cover more on that topic later.

I've got two trans stamps. One is around 12", from the early 40's I believe, and has the most exquisite lathing and hammering. Its fairly thin and sound just marvelous. My son and I don't really have a use for this cymbal, but retain as a keepsake. It only cost $20 as part of a purchase of another older A.

My other trans is one from later in the game, probably from the late 40's or early 50's based upon an assessment by Drumaholic. Its a 20", stamped as a Bop Ride. It was packed away unused for many years by a drummer who passed away a couple of years ago. While a bit brighter than other trans cymbals I've heard, and with a bit less wash, its still a great jazz cymbal with a woody stick and a bright, but not piercing, bell.

For me, the sound of a trans is the next best thing to an old K.