Hey Slingerland--thanks for the question. They are priced this way because that's where the market is. The K Zildjian factory in Turkey no longer exists, these are no longer made, they're the last closest objects to the original source, they are the original etc etc etc. They've got a lot of value and they sound unlike modern cymbals which are...well, we've got Drumaholic here who is the expert par exellence who can give the history much better than I can. But, they're priced according to market value. So cats like to collect them, but also, in my view as a cymbalholic, they are the cream of the crop. Like 12/14/18 Round Badge drums--why do they cost so much? Same exact idea. Why do Black Beauty snare drums cost so much? Same exact idea.
Hey Rich--I've got a couple rivets tied to dental floss like this I-------------I and then I tape it in the middle of the floss and attach to the cymbal. Saves me from drilling and I can test out where they seem to sizzle best!