Question #1: Will the restoration of certain drums eventually become something that actually decreases their value?
For example: Say that you have a civil war snare drum -and its been hidden under a pile of hay out in an old barn for X amount of years since the end of the war. It's in original but "weathered" condition. The provenance is that it was hidden there during a battle and so it's covered in history.
Question #2: Do you "erase" that history by restoring it to a more clean and pristine condition?
Okay...IF you agreed that a drum like that should remain "as-found", then would you also agree/predict that the same thing might apply to other drums in future collections?
Example #2: Say you travel to Liverpool on a vacation someday and while on a nice bicycle ride through town, you spot a drum set through a shoppe Storm Trooper window and it's a beat-up Premier kit with all the trimmings. You stop in...a little bell attached to the door rings as you enter and you inquire about the drums. The nice old lady tells you that they once belonged to a nice young man with a shaggy haircut who she recalls was known as Ringo-somebody...and that they have been collecting dust in the attic ever since. She shows you some old photographs of the lads at play...You buy the drums on the spot -she throws in the pictures, too....They are the real-deal -but in bad shape with various gobs of tape, etc. You are elated to have them, nonetheless.
Question #3: Do you dust off all that dirt and grime that Ringo obviously created with his own hands?
Anecdote...I love to watch the Antiques Roadshow when it comes on. I love to see the old craftsmanship of stuff from "back in the day". Oftentimes, a piece of antique furniture will show up on that show and the owner has taken a great deal of time to clean it up for the show. When the appraiser sees that it has been cleaned, he states that the value has been diminished by the cleaning...sometimes by an incredible amount.:mad:
Question #4: Under what conditions (if any) do you feel that drums should/should not be restored?