I recently acquired this pad from a guy on eBay. I paid more for it than I would have liked, but based on the pad's stated age and looks I took a chance.
According to the seller, this pad was in a box of drum hardware and other ephemera, which belonged to his grandfather (a professional drummer in the 1910's through 40's) and dated from 1929 to 1932 (written on the side of the box).
From the photos the pad looked homemade, or at least home-altered.
After thinking about it for a few days, I made an offer and bought the pad.
It arrived a few days ago. I hung out with it for awhile before writing this up, researching it on the web and finding nothing definitive.
So here's what I've got: A drum practice pad made of a calf head laid over some kind of padding, and set in place by a heavy metal rim with screws. I'd say that from the design and look of the metal and the calf head, it probably dates from the time period advertised. The base of the poad was made with solid wood and varnished -- sadly, including the calf head, meaning it and the stuffing underneath were hardened as a result. Based on the look of the wood -- uneven, wide grain and rather sloppy varnish work -- I'd say that the pad is homemade, though there's no way to definitively prove that. The metal ring could have been from a barometer wall hanging or similar, re-purposed for holding the head in place. I don't know what the stuffing might be; in those days, anything could have been used, including horsehair, wool or even natural sea sponge.
The wood used to tilt the pad for traditional grip is different and may be a bit newer than the base. It's not as dense and shows nail holes from a previous use, which tells me this part was definitely added on at home.
I have to go on what I see and feel, so I'm calling this a nicely homemade practice pad.
Below are photos and a short video. If the seller's story is real -- and I have no reason to doubt it, but anything's possible -- then it's the oldest pad in my collection to date.
I'll continue to research this and see what I can turn up.
UPDATE: (12/19/2020)
Based on further research, I now believe that the pad may have been factory-built, and indeed from the late 1920s. I've seen enough photos of other pads from the era to confirm my hunch. However, I believe that a previous owner installed the additional piece of wood to give it the tilt. This is borne out by the differences in wood grain, the tint and quality of the stain/varnish, and the fact that nail holes appear in the prop-up piece of wood that indicate it was recycled from something else. Further, on most two-piece pads like this, some of the wood on the main piece would have been shaved down to provide more surface area for a second contact point on the bottom. That is not the case here.
So the pad may well date from the late 1920s, but there's no way to know when the pad was altered or by whom.
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