Dondereo, A. H. Dondero of Washington D.C.: Examples and patterns

[militarymodels]

I beleive these excellent designed Command Pilot wings were produced sometime in the 50's by A.H. Dondero, Inc. I've had these wings for many years but I've never run into another wings with this maker hallmark again... I'm wondering if wings of this maker is that rare or even scarce? ... or may be not at all, just because I didn't run into them? If you have wings with this maker hallmark, please share? Please share your opinions as well.

Regards,

Lonny

 

[pconrad02]

No these are common as dirt , you should really just send it to me so as not to clutter up your collection... :whistling:

 

Actually. I can't remember seeing one of these before, it is a really nice post war wing by a scarce maker! I would love to have one of these!

 

Paul

[MikeK]

Hi Lonny,

 

I have what appears to be a similar, but not maker marked example (see scans), that is imo post-WW2 (based on the clutch pins and to a lesser degree the keepers which could have been added anytime - but probably not in this case!) and I thought might have been associated with the Amcraft/Gemsco wing debate based on the obverse characteristics (inner feathering, etc).

 

Thanks for posting a maker marked example which points in another direction!

 

Regards

Mike

[teufelhunde.ret]

No doubt a scarce item...

 

History of Dondero, Incorporated:

A.H. Dondero, Inc. was started in 1922 by Colonel A.H. Dondero. As a retired quartermaster officer he recognized the need for supplying quality uniforms and uniform appointments for officers of the armed forces. He distributed and manufactured officer uniforms, uniform accessories, distinctive unit insignia and all most any uniform item that an officer would need during his tour of duty.... http://www.dondero.com/history.html

[John Cooper]

Nice wings! Here is one to consider... when I picked this up I thought it was ver similar to the Amcraft and then the scales started to tip toward Dondero... thoughts?

 

John

 

[militarymodels]

John,

IMO, your wings lean toward the Amcraft as you can see in the attached photo from a couple of my Amcraft wings. Even the cuts and the flakes match your wings. The other wings from Mike seem to lean toward Dondero's. However, I beleive both Amcraft and Dondero used the same pattern, and there may be other unknown manufactures who also used this pattern to produce these wings without markings but who knows for sure without a proof of documentation.

We now can be safe to assume that there's not so many wings with Dondero's hallmark are around, and based on the excellent link that teufelhunde.ret pointed, it leads me to believe that Dondero probably did not mass produced their wings but they probably produced in a very small number or even per orders only. However, they seemed to focus more on producing DUI and other insignia as I found quite few DUIs with their hallmark from the search. Regards, Lonny

 

 

 

 

I just found these early Dondero wings from rustywings posted on this forum in other post and was very impressed. :thumbsup:

 

 

 

[rustywings]

Here's an early pattern Senior Pilot wing with "A.H. DONDERO, INC. - WASH. D.C. - STERLING" hallmark.

[rustywings]

Back of the "Dondero" wing.

[rustywings]

I don't have Lonny's or John's skills with the camera, but here's a closer view of the hallmark. "A H DONDERO, INC. - WASH. D.C. - STERLNG."

[pfrost]

I don't have Lonny's or John's skills with the camera, but here's a closer view of the hallmark. "A H DONDERO, INC. - WASH. D.C. - STERLNG."

 

Dondero is one of those retail companies (like Luxenberg) that I suspect did not actually MAKE wings. But rather had them made for them by a manufacturing company and then sold them under their name brand. This is why you typically see them in patterns that are frequently found with other hallmarks. Luxenberg used AECo and Blackinton, etc....

 

Patrick

[rustywings]

From their web site:

 

 

DONDERO, INCORPORATED

P.O. Box 59

Brownsburg, Virginia 24415

 

A.H. Dondero, Inc. was started in 1922 by Colonel A.H. Dondero. As a retired quartermaster officer he recognized the need for supplying quality uniforms and uniform appointments for officers of the armed forces. He distributed and manufactured officer uniforms, uniform accessories, distinctive unit insignia and all most any uniform item that an officer would need during his tour of duty

 

Colonel Dondero originally had a taylor shop and show room on Pennsylvania Avenue, one block away from the White House. Some of his more notable military clients included General John J. Pershing, General Douglas McArthur, General George C. Marshal, Admiral Hap Arnold, officers of all ranks and even some foreign governments personnel from 1922 until the mid-1970's.

 

In 1960 A.H. Dondero, Inc. moved all operations to Glebe Road in Arlington, Virginia. In 1976 Helen Edwards, the lady who assembled medal sets for uniforms, left to take care of her parents in Louisiana. This was the last part of uniforms that were totally made in our store, at this time changes were made to become a recognition and awards company.

 

In the early 1970's A.H. Dondero, Inc. changed their focus from military uniforms and uniform accessories to other products for recognition. They began selling and distributing more custom awards, service awards, wall seals, gifts and other services.

 

Sue and Pete Hecht purchased A.H. Dondero, Incorporated in 1979 and officially changed the company's name to Dondero, Incorporated. Pete had been working for A.H. Dondero, Inc. since 1975 before they purchased the company from Colin Evans. We are a small 51% woman owned business and a Virginia Corporation. 1986 brought us with a decision as to where we were going to locate our offices and manufacturing facilities. Sue Hecht, being a native of Brownsburg, Virginia, decided that the company should move most of its operation to Fairfield, Virginia.

 

Today Dondero, Incorporated offers fulfillment programs, quality awards and gifts, in house engraving, textile screen printing, embroidery, promotional products and other customized awards and products.

[pfrost]

GEMSCO, Luxenberg, Vanguard, Wosk (of San Diego fame), NS Meyer and likely any number of other companies offered a whole range of uniforms, patches, insignia (cloth and metal), equipment, shoes, belts, hats, ribbons and other supplies to the Military, either by mail order or through their own or contracted PX/uniform shops. Other companies (like Blackinton and LGB) seemed to offer both wholesale and retail sales as well as mail order sales. Frankly, I suspect that what existed during the war was a mish-mash of local retail/uniform stores, mail order supply companies, and PX and government contracts that were provided merchendice by a relatively small bunch of wholesale manufacturers that supplied them all, either under their own name or another company name.

 

I would expect that for the most part, metal and metal working skills, presses, dies, stamps, and equipment would have been co-opted by other war-related work, and the cost of maintaining your own manufacturing shop to churn out all the different insignia would have been mostly cost prohibitive.

 

For what its worth, I suspect that when you see a wing in basically the same pattern (like Amcraft and Dondero), then I think it is likely that one company made the wings for whole sale, and other companies simply bought them to sell retail. WHile I am not 100% sure, I suspect that once a company designed and developed an manufacturing line for a unique wing pattern that other companies simply didn't just copy or borrow it with out treading on copyright infractions. Just my 2 cents.

 

 

 

 

From their web site:

DONDERO, INCORPORATED

P.O. Box 59

Brownsburg, Virginia 24415

 

A.H. Dondero, Inc. was started in 1922 by Colonel A.H. Dondero. As a retired quartermaster officer he recognized the need for supplying quality uniforms and uniform appointments for officers of the armed forces. He distributed and manufactured officer uniforms, uniform accessories, distinctive unit insignia and all most any uniform item that an officer would need during his tour of duty

 

Colonel Dondero originally had a taylor shop and show room on Pennsylvania Avenue, one block away from the White House. Some of his more notable military clients included General John J. Pershing, General Douglas McArthur, General George C. Marshal, Admiral Hap Arnold, officers of all ranks and even some foreign governments personnel from 1922 until the mid-1970's.

 

In 1960 A.H. Dondero, Inc. moved all operations to Glebe Road in Arlington, Virginia. In 1976 Helen Edwards, the lady who assembled medal sets for uniforms, left to take care of her parents in Louisiana. This was the last part of uniforms that were totally made in our store, at this time changes were made to become a recognition and awards company.

 

In the early 1970's A.H. Dondero, Inc. changed their focus from military uniforms and uniform accessories to other products for recognition. They began selling and distributing more custom awards, service awards, wall seals, gifts and other services.

 

Sue and Pete Hecht purchased A.H. Dondero, Incorporated in 1979 and officially changed the company's name to Dondero, Incorporated. Pete had been working for A.H. Dondero, Inc. since 1975 before they purchased the company from Colin Evans. We are a small 51% woman owned business and a Virginia Corporation. 1986 brought us with a decision as to where we were going to locate our offices and manufacturing facilities. Sue Hecht, being a native of Brownsburg, Virginia, decided that the company should move most of its operation to Fairfield, Virginia.

 

Today Dondero, Incorporated offers fulfillment programs, quality awards and gifts, in house engraving, textile screen printing, embroidery, promotional products and other customized awards and products.

[rustywings]

Dondero is one of those retail companies (like Luxenberg) that I suspect did not actually MAKE wings. But rather had them made for them by a manufacturing company and then sold them under their name brand. This is why you typically see them in patterns that are frequently found with other hallmarks. Luxenberg used AECo and Blackinton, etc....

 

Patrick

 

 

I'm of the opinion, and I emphasize "opinion" because I don't have any concrete facts, that Dondero did indeed produce at least some of their own wing badges. I agree that numerous manufacturers, including Dondero, sub-contracted with other companies to fill orders. And I believe some companies may have even shared their dies with one another. Lonny's Dondero hallmarked example may very well have been produced by GEMSCO in the 1960's. But I think Dondero produced their own distinctive pilot wing pattern early in World War II. I've never seen this unique pattern with any other company's hallmark. I have seen them void of any hallmark, which suggests Dondero may have produced them for someone else. I'll continue to refer to the wings illustrated below as the "Dondero" pattern until someone shows me an example with a different company's hallmark.

[rustywings]

Here's the WWII era Dondero pattern in Pilot, Senior Pilot and Command Pilot.

[rustywings]

A little closer view of the unique feathering in the shoulders of the Dondero pattern.

[militarymodels]

Lonny's Dondero hallmarked example may very well have been produced by GEMSCO in the 1960's.

Rustywings,

:think: I'm wondering what you based on to say that my Command Pilot wings were procduced by Gemsco in the 60's? I've not seen a Gemsco wings with these pattern. If you say Amcraft or other company with this patern I may agree but not Gemsco. Moreover, 2-digit codes were used in the 50's and 3-digit codes were started in the 60's. I believe Dondero use D2 in the 50's and D21 in the 60's.

I'm sure that I've seen your pattern somewhere before but the wings did not have Dondero's hallmark... I'll post the photo if I got it saved in my library.

 

Regards,

Lonny

[juvatwad]

Dondero FS:

 

 

[pfrost]

I'm of the opinion, and I emphasize "opinion" because I don't have any concrete facts, that Dondero did indeed produce at least some of their own wing badges. I agree that numerous manufacturers, including Dondero, sub-contracted with other companies to fill orders. And I believe some companies may have even shared their dies with one another. Lonny's Dondero hallmarked example may very well have been produced by GEMSCO in the 1960's. But I think Dondero produced their own distinctive pilot wing pattern early in World War II. I've never seen this unique pattern with any other company's hallmark. I have seen them void of any hallmark, which suggests Dondero may have produced them for someone else. I'll continue to refer to the wings illustrated below as the "Dondero" pattern until someone shows me an example with a different company's hallmark.

 

Those are really beautiful wings Russ.

 

I just wonder if Dondero was a retail store rather than setting up their own manufacturing line. IIRC, the cost and expense of setting up the equipment and procedures for making things like their own merchandise would have been prohibitively expensive? It is my theory that most of these companies simply subcontracted out to a more dedicated mill or manufacturing company to get their stock, rather than have their own equipment in house.

 

On the other hand, Dondero was also a hallmark commonly found on DUI. One does wonder if they made those in house or also subcontracted out to other firms to have them made for them for sale? Considering the large number of units that would have been passing through, one suspect that they didn't keep all the DUI in stock. Again, I suspect that they either contracted with the US government to provide a set number of DUI for a particular unit, OR had them custom ordered when a particular officer or enlisted man came into the shop looking for uniform items.

 

Somewhere in my huge pile of misc. USAAF related paperwork, I have a order form for a newly minted pilot that has all his equipment and insignia listed on it, with a check box next to what he wanted to order. So, things like shirts, belt, hat, patches, wings, rank insignia are there, and it looks like what he did was fill it with the number he wanted, and then gave it to the cashier. At that point, his order was placed, and the firm then everything was compiled and then picked up some time later when everything had been put together. I guess the question I have is did they then go into the back of the warehouse and churn out a bunch of badges and insignia, or did they place an order with a supply company somewhere else?

 

Patrick

[John Cooper]

Russ - post #14... SWEET!

[Costa]

A 2'IN WING BUT, I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS MAKER. IS IT WW2 OR POST OR A FAKE?????????????

[Allan H.]

Tne Flight Nurse wing is a 2" wing, so it isn't like you're looking at a sweetheart or shirt sized wing here.

I've never seen a faked Dondero marked wing. It doesn't mean that they don't exist, but I would expect more of them to be floating around if there were numbers of them out there. the markings are consistent with what you would normally find on DI's and other Dondero made insignia.

 

Allan

[mshaw]

A 2'IN WING BUT, I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS MAKER. IS IT WW2 OR POST OR A FAKE?????????????

 

 

This looks like the one that's on ebay right now. The "N" on this one looks substantially different than the one on Bob Schwartz's outstanding site.

[Mark]

Thought I would add these wings to this thread to keep the information together.

Dondero Senior Pilot obverse

[Mark]

reverse

[Mark]

reverse markings