1848 Zachary Taylor & Lewis Cass Campaign Drum
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GUEST:
It was given to me by a friend, and it was given to him by an uncle around 1950.
APPRAISER:
It was a presidential campaign drum. It's from the campaign of Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Of 1848. It's really rare. It's 155 years old, and it's survived beautifully.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
You can see the stars, 13 stars, and an American eagle. And Zachary Taylor was an officer, a hero, during the Mexican War. "Rough and Ready" was his slogan. Later drums had little iron attachments for the ropes.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And a drum of this period has holes, and the ropes went through the holes, and these tightened the drum. These are leather tighteners.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And these are the original hand-carved wooden drumsticks.
GUEST:
We actually have used those to stir paint with.
APPRAISER:
That's interesting.
GUEST:
And then kind of thought about it, and then cleaned them off.
APPRAISER:
Don't stir paint with them anymore, no.
GUEST:
Don't stir paint with them anymore.
APPRAISER:
If I had this drum, I think I'd want between $10,000 and $15,000 for it.
GUEST:
No!
APPRAISER:
Yes. Well, it's a wonderful thing, 155... Well, you know, it's very historically important.
GUEST:
Would these be original ropes on here?
APPRAISER:
They could have been replaced.
GUEST:
Could have been replaced, okay.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
I saw you looking in this hole.
APPRAISER:
That's a percussion hole.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
When they beat the drum...
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The air came out that hole. But opposite that hole would have been the maker's label, and you can see where it was, but it's long gone.
GUEST:
So even looking like this, this is great condition.
APPRAISER:
Oh, it's wonderful... I wouldn't touch it.
GUEST:
Okay.
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