Nice cymbals. I'm not an expert on cymbals, but I do know Paiste made cymbals for Ludwig kits back in the day (made in Switzerland). I actually found hi-hats at a thrift store with the same Ludwig/Paiste depiction. Valuation on the 15" cymbals could be high if they are matched hi-hats. Probably Turkish made. Good stuff.

As far as cleaning them, I would figure out what kind of alloy they're made from and then get actual cymbal polish made for that alloy. And with cymbal polish less is more.

The Ludwig is likely NS12 alloy and any cymbal cleaner should work fine. Groove Juice, Paiste Cymbal cleaner, etc.

The Zenjians are most certainly B20 Bell Bronze and should also clean up with standard cymbal cleaners.

Beware, you will notice a brightening of the sound with cleaning especially with the 40-50 yrs of accumulating patina. There is no real reason to clean them up if you like the sound as is. They may not clean up perfectly anyways.

Thanks guys. As far as cleaning goes, I don't actually want them shiny as much as I just want them clean (patina is fine, dirt not so much...I actually ended up buying Paiste Giant Beat cymbals a while ago not only for the sound but also for the fact that they weren't so damn bright looking) So, that being said, soap and water??? I didn't realize that polishing them might change the sound. Thanks for the heads up, drum dad!

I'd just wipe them down with a damp rag. Polishing will kill that sound you like, then you'll have to wait another 40 years for that sound to come back....maybe.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]If you can get a hold of some Wrights Copper Cream, give that a go. It removes grime and dirt well, and it removes patina in stages (i.e. you would have to do 4 or 5 applications to get all of the accumulated patina off the cymbal.

This comes in handy when you don't wanna necessarily strip away all of the patina which time has contributed (the way GrooveJuice or Sabian Performers spray cleaners will do)...but just make 'em look more presentable...yet still vintage.

I really kinda HATE the film finishes which new cymbals usually come with (particularly Paistes...but all of the big 3, really). IMHO, shiny doesn't necessarily look good, and after a few years of routine playing, those coatings show up stick marks and such and actually make the cymbal look terrible.[/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Zenjians are actually Italian-produced. This was a mystery for quite a while...many assumed the Zildjian plant had produced them. The story has something to do with Ludwig or Slingerland not being able to contract w/ Zildjian to market their cymbals due to Z's previous commitment with another drum co....so they went to Italy to have the stock cymbals produced for their sets.

Stylistically, a Zenjian looks exactly like an Italian cymbal from the '40'-s to '60's. Same hammering, same lathing, similar profiles. They look a lot like old Ajahas or Bellottis from the same era...many are almost undistinguishable from one another. I even have a few which are stamped "Made in Italy". So, starting in the '50's, they were a stencil brand produced to be supplied with one of those two mfr's kits (sorry, can't recall which one). That explains 66% of the name...but for sure...there are some old ones which seem to have been heavy hand cymbals which predate the '50's and clearly were NOT made for trapsets...sooooo...perhaps the workshop was producing under the Zenjian logo before it ever contracted with an American drum co. (?)

Your pair, if identically stamped...probably worth between $80-125 or so. They'd be worth a bit more if they were lighter....but small, light Zenjians are pretty rare. I have a bunch of single medium-heavies...13, 14, 15... which I have combined into hats...they are quite good sounding cymbals.[/COLOR]