Awesome score. Could you post the other tag numbers. I think the buyer actually requested those to have B&B lugs because my dating chart dates them to early 64. Thats the highest serial number of B&B's I have seen to date.

Rogersoholic - PM sent bud... I have 'used' opaque/white heads on the floor tom and rack tom. I'll be pulling them shortly to install new heads on the kit. I'll copy out the serials then. If I get ambitious, I'll pull the heads tonight and jot down the numbers. I 'think' one of them has a 4-digit serial number. (?) Look for a post shortly.

Glenn - Until I accidentally acquired this kit, I had never seen mardi gras (in-person) before either. I'd seen photos of course, but never the 'real thing.' It's one of the rarest Rogers finishes. So don't feel bad, there aren't many who have seen mardi wrap in real-life. Thanks for the kind words...

John

You should be able to just look through the vent holes to see the numbers.......

no need to take the heads off...............

*Thanks, Blair! (D'oh!)

Serial numbers:

9"x13" Rack tom - 67893

16"x16" Floor tom - 7621

14"x20" Bass drum - 42267

No sequence at all to those numbers. All over the map!

Gary - that 4 digit serial number on the floor tom really nails it to 1964. Excellent call on the year of issue!

John

PS - I made a swap deal for all the parts I need to complete the bass drum. Thanks to all that responded. J

Check this out... I was doing some homework and I found this at Steve Maxwell's site:

"ROGERS" Mardi Gras: The Rogers Mardi Gras wrap finish is a rare one indeed. This finish is especially rare with beavertail lug drums. The finish was only in the color line from 1958-1962. Beavertail lugs didn't replace the crack-prone B&B lugs til circa 1964. So, as a result, while Rogers Mardi Gras is rare with B&B lugs, it is extraordinarily rare with beavertails. We have seen only a couple of sets in this finish with beavertail lugs. However, we have seen several "fakes" where B&B lug drums were drilled out to accept beavertail lugs. Beavertail lugs have a different hole spacing than B&Bs. So, if you find a beavertail Mardi Gras drum in your travels, be extra careful and be sure that it isn't a B&B lug drum with enlarged holes. Pull those lugs off and double check. And, if you do have an original, CALL ME, especially if it's a snare drum or a complete set. "

The Beavertails on my drums are a nice tight fit! It made me feel so good to read this. It's like hitting the Drum Lotto to find this kit. I swear, I'm going to start buying every painted kit I come across! You really never know what you're going to find. A buddy of mine bought a painted Ludwig keystone kit and when he removed the paint... Psych-Red! I used to avoid painted drums like the plague. Never again. Unreal.

John

You must be living right, Purdie. Awesome score!

I spent some time on the phone with Jess at Maxwell's Drums in NYC. I sent him photos of the drums. Jumping2 He forwarded them to Steve Maxwell and I'm waiting to hear what Steve has to say about the kit in terms of rarity and value.

I'm so happy with the way the drums are turning out. If it wasn't for the rough wrap on the rack tom and the extra hole in the bass drum, it would be an 8+ kit in terms of overall condition. The beavertails cleaned up a real treat for the eye. All the hardware is shiny, clean. Can't wait to hear how Steve assesses them. As soon as I hear from Maxwell, I'll share the response with you all.

I don't know about you, but I'm having big-time fun with this set of drums already and I haven't even played them yet! Stay tuned... more to come. baby crawl2

I've included a shot of the bass drum shell so you can see how great it looks. Enjoy...

John

Outstanding!

Tom - it's fun stuff to share, bro. I always enjoy reading about the scores guys make dumpster diving, or at yard sales etc. It's always fun because in the back of your head you're thinking, wow, maybe I'll get lucky one day. Well, 'that day' is here for me and it makes it 10 x's more fun to share it with you guys. Man, I'd be busting at the seams and stopping strangers in the street if I didn't have you guys to tell my good-luck story to. You guys add the 'glory' to these finds. I get a kick out of how excited some guys are about the wonderful drums I found.

Half the fun is finding them, the other half comes from sharing it with you guys.

John

I went by you initial photo {B&B} when I was posting on these drums. That rack tom is the only Mardi gras drum I have seen with a Dayton tag. I have seen beavertailed Mardi which are rare, but never with a serial that high and these are prolly the last Mardi gras to leave the plant in Ohio. That color was done away with and these shells must have been stored undrilled for around 3+ years as the 13" dates to 1966 {678xx tag}. My guess is the bass and floor had tags on them when stored but probally not the 13". The introduction of BT was around 365xx tho both were used +/- 200 shells in 63. The only other possibility I can think of was the 13" tag isnt original to the drum. I could see if the number was lower, but not higher as they didnt know the tags were going to change in 63 to read Dayton. No matter, that is an awesome rare score. Welcome to the Rogers club! Yer gunna love these tubs..