Pickering v15 Series 4 Mystery

Nope, Shure top model was a V15 , I assumed Stanton used V15 to ride of the known name on their low products which did sound good.

Norman, my two fave carts of all time were the XVS 3000 and the Empire RD-9 . Nobody not there in the day believes they were better than current
2-3 K carts but they were .

cleeds,
V15 moniker I believe referred to the then prefer stylus angle.  Both Shure and Pickering used this.

N.

schubert!

Absolutely!  The Pickering XVS 3000 is one of the most impressive cartridges I've ever heard.  Pull out some old reviews, everyone loved it and with good reason.  They are worth searching out even today.  Very dynamic and detailed.  A truly powerful, silky smooth sounding cartridge.
Nearly impossible to miss-track as well.
N.

Just so Norman, I used to be able to buy them at 65$ a pop, when I first heard what the 3000 could do on massed strings I fell in love .
Don't you think the suspension might be a bit iffy by now?
Haven't see one for a loooong time in any event .

Another killer was Sonus which was just an ADC with better quality control, very fast !

Schubert, 

As with any old cartridge fitting a new stylus assembly is a must. 
ADC and Sonus!  Liked them both very much. 

I still have several vintages cartridges that I will swap in when the mood strikes. My two all time favorites are the Denon 103R and the Nagaoka MP11 Boron.  I play them the most, leaning towards the Nagaoka. 

I purchase a totl Audio Technica AT12s NOS recently.  I'm sure the stylus suspension is gone. I'll have to order one and see what it sounds like. 
N