Thanks to the production boom of the 60s, we had a large sampling of drums, which provided enough data to do our research. We began in the late s by monitoring all of the 60s Ludwig drums that came into our shop. Motivated by a growing number of customer inquiries about dating 60s era Ludwig drums, as well as our own historical interest, we took on the task of record keeper. Though in actuality, the way to pin down the elusive age of these drums would call more for the sharp pencil of a record keeper than the skill of a Sherlock Holmes. With the debut of serial numbers, Ludwig helped the dealers comply with the new law. Our dealers begged us to put them on, so we had our badge manufacturer imprint sequential numbers on the badges for all of our drums. Prompted by the insurance industry, the new regulation mandated serial numbers on certain goods, including drums. These overlapping events would intertwine to have a direct effect on the collecting and dating of s Ludwig drums. Their television debut ushered in not only a new era for rock and roll, but something more. It was the day the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. But unlikely as it may seem, the broadcast of one television show in early played an unwitting role in helping to date more closely one particular brand of drum. One of the intriguing aspects of collecting vintage drums is discovering when your instrument was made.