Out of curiousity, what is the last image of? Is that a bearing edge? And if so, of which drum? Everything I saw in those photos, with the exception of the last photo, leads me to believe that the shells are in pretty good shape. Im not sure how much of the chrome will be salvagable, but check out the section on cleaning that Dave has on the main website. Good info there. Also, the good news, as you know by now from looking at Ebay, is that Ludwig parts are plentifull and not stupidly expensive (lugs, screws, spurs, hoops, etc). The pic of the hoop that shows a split doesnt worry me greatly. Hoops are also an easy find. I would venture to say that your guess of this being an "unwrapped" kit is correct as one photo clearly shows (to me anyways) the seam where the wrap had been tucked into the outer ply. If that is indeed the case, then a rewrap would be a nice idea. The vintage value to a collector is most likely not going to be a great amount due to whats been done to the drums, so any rewrap you perform would not be sacrilage. I think this could turn out to be a nice players kit with some tlc, parts, and elbow grease. Please remember, this is only my opinion and I am not a restoration expert. Others may and probably will have more information, so ask around. Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

The last picture is indeed the bearing edge at the very bottom of the bass drum (resonant side). Don't be fool by the black paint that makes it looks worst than it is. I'd describe it that way: 2 slight separations in the plies of the shell itself (1/8" and 1/4" x 1/16") and a very slight separation in the seam of the reinforcment ring (1/32" x 1.5") Everything is still strong and solid. The bearing edge is smooth and even (to the eye) and in round. I don't thing it's major and that a lot could be done to fix it. I've tried to take more pictures of it in every angles, but it's not easy to capture it even with a good camera. Again, one can be fool by the black paint. Here are those pictures:

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3096.jpg

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3100.jpg

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3101.jpg

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3103.jpg

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3104.jpg

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3105.jpg

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3107.jpg

As far as the split in the hoop, the thing is still very strong and in round. I thought I'd glue it and keep pressure on it a couple of days and that would do the job. Here some other shots of it:

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3109.jpg

http://lepointvirgule.com/Ludwig/IMG_3110.jpg

I knew that they're not a big collectors value mainly because of the paint job that have been done to it, but you know, I bought it for the sound and the look. First of all, I'm a player. Now, I won't be afraid to rewrap them and maybe replace the bass drum spurs with stronger ones and things like that. I think I have a good vintage core that I can build around it. It's a nice project.

In the mean time, I discover a real interest for collecting and restoring vintage drums. On a side note, my wife always enjoys roaming around antique store, antique fair, garage sales, etc... She love vintage furnitures and alike. Suddenly, I have more interest to go with her and looking for drums and drums related stuff. Ebay is certainly not the main place to get vintage drums. :) Good place for parts, though.

I'll keep you posted with the resto... with a lot of pics. :cool:

Pierre