Mervyn ....
1. I was not questioning Blunderbuss Antiques reputabilty, It was said tongue in cheek, i was merely commenting on the fact that the Auction house are supplying them as Provenance, when the drum supposedly originates from the 1720s. I dont know what your idea of provenance is, but something from 1720 needs a little more substantial provenance than a dealer from 1994 saying its original.
2. I would agree Kev is entitled to post requests for information whenever he feels like it. However, he obviously had much more information than he was originally prepared to share. If he would like honest opinions on something, put any information he has at hand on the object and let everyone have a starting point to at least form an opinion on and decide if they want to contribute. I am not suggesting he put the auction site, or where its for sale. 'very early drum info needed' is fairly vague when you already have some information on the object to hand.
3. I agree with Brian, the level of membership should have no bearing on whether someone feels obligated to respond to a request for information. I thought we shared Information for a common good, not because someone has paid more for a membership than someone else.
4. I'll finish by simply agreeing it's up to individual members how much information they feel they should or should not provide, in my case. I am more than happy to contribute information if i can, but providing valuations if requested is something that i personally am not prepared to do.