Pre WW2 or fake wings?

[Jack T.]

Hi Guys:
I have some wings here that seem off somehow. I've looked in Silver Wings, Pinks & Greens and More Silver Wings, Pinks & Greens by Jon A. Maguire. Two great books and United States Army Air Service Wing Badges-Uniforms and Insignia 1913-1918 by Terry R. Morris. man, there's some collectors items there. On the overleaf of Silver Wings,Pinks & Greens there is a silmilar wing. But it is brass. Then on page 82 #17 of the same book is a wing that looks similar but it is also brass. These wings are not hallmarked but marked sterling. The catalog description says Sterling marked PB Pilot Wings 2.75", 8.4 grams. These sure look like aluminum, not silver.

Thanks in advance

[Jack T.]

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[Jack T.]

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[Jack T.]

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[Lee Ragan]

Jack,
You can have those tested by a jeweller to see if they are sterling. If the word "Sterling" is raised instead of incised, it's usually a pretty good indication they are genuine. These look like thay may have been a jeweller-made set. They look like some of the 1920's-30's vintage pieces I've see in photos. BUT... they could be repos. Kinda hard to tell without holding 'em in your hand. If they prove to be made of somethning else besides sterling silver but are marked as sterling, you have a repro made to rip-off a collector. Hope this aint too confusing & helps you some.

[tom2001]

Here's a scary site where you can buy all types of repro aviation wings: Reproductions of US Military WIngs and Insignia in Sterling Silver and Jewelery Category List

[Jack T.]

Thanks for the hints, Lee:

The sterling mark is incised and it is unevenly struck The jeweler downstairs says it might be sterling but to go to the coin dealer who has some kind of solution that tests the metal. I hate to say it but I bought it at Manions so the glass is looking half empty right now.

Tom 2001: My wings look shakey, but those at that website look a lot faker. By the way you can get every insignia currently issued by the US and most campaign medals and patches at www.usmedals.com and I'm not so sure that they aren't the same ones the government issues.

Thanks again,
Jack

[Gary B]

Dear Jack T,

As indicated earlier in this thread the pattern of the wings you show is a 1930s pattern. The 2 pair I have like this are very thin...delicate almost. Although I do not have the wings in front of me (I am at the office) I do have my dbase that has their description. Both of my wings are non Sterling, but BOTH have a straight drop in catch (Bailey Banks and Biddle and no maker mark). The straight drop in catch was used on many piece in the 30s (and all wings from the 30s I have seen have the straight drop in catch). Although this in itself is not a definite idicator that the wings are not real it is something to consider. The sterling test is simple but make sure they test the wings in an area that does not show.

Gary B

[Jack T.]

Thanks for the info Gary.

The pin catch drops at about 7 o'clock definitely not straight down. Another funny thing, the pin is not mounted horizontially. The right hinge is at about 2.5 milimeters and the left catch side starts at about 3 mm. You can see from the picture it is crooked, I just thought it's the photo. Don't know if that means anything.

Jack

[Gary B]

Dear Jack T,

It is hard to judge a piece without actually seeing/handling it. There are a few things with your wing that I would not be comfortable with: 1) as you indicated, the crooked pin - quality of these early pieces was pretty good 2) the non straight drop in catch 3) the incised sterling mark. Off the top of my head I can not recall any wings in my collection (100 plus wings) that have an incised Sterling mark.

Just my thoughts.

Gary B

[NavyFCO]

Jack-

Here're some pics of a similar wing I got on a uniform from a reputable dealer a while back... Hope these might be of some help for comparison.

--Dave

[NavyFCO]

One other thing to note on my wings which is unusual is that they are the lightest wings I've ever owned: A whopping 7.12g! (A "standard" WW2 pair in my collection weighed in at 13.53g for comparison!)

--Dave

[Gary B]

Dear Jack T,

Note the straight drop in catch on the pictured wing.

Gary B

[Jack T.]

Dave: Thanks for posting your wings. The front of both wings looks similar. Same number of feathers (12) in bottom row. Wings in picture #1 might have been cast from #11.. The rear is less similar. The curvature of the bottom feathers from the rear is less distinct on mine. The rear of the Dave's shield is very different. And your right Gary, the catch is completely different on #11. Dave's are 7.12 grams, mine are 8.4 grams a difference of 1.28 grams. I suppose there is a slight possibility mine could be some independent maker variety. Or else someone went to alot of trouble to make a fake.

Thanks to you both.

Jack