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Help on Indentification of USAAF Pilot wings, 1930's?


greasemonkey247
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greasemonkey247

Hi there!

 

This was today's find at the local antique mall today! Normally i Just stick to what i know, which is wwii airborne and equipment but I thought these were to good looking to pass up! I checked the ww2wings website and these wings look more like the "between wars" wings (matched closely to one listed there) then any of the wwii war time wings. But thought I'd ask here for a more knowledgeable insight on them.

 

The Wings measure 3.07in long by .803in tall and about 0.120in thick on the top of the shield and is marked in raised text "sterling"

 

I would like to nail down what year they may have been made in and their manufacture? and possibly it's value if i ever part with them. Thank you in advance for any insight you may be able to provide me!

 

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post-162614-0-71523300-1526247873_thumb.jpg

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Its a nice wing, but I'm not 100% convinced its a 30's vintage wing.

 

Still, Its very handsome pattern but the prices on most of the more common wings have plummeted over the last few years. Its unlikely you will ever know who made them, and sadly, the value of these type of wings is rather modest.

 

There are a few broad (and I know that there are many exceptions) rules that I generally apply to try to get a broad range of when a wing may have been made/worn. Take these with a grain of salt

 

1) Usually, earlier wings lack the fine parallel lines in the shield.

2) The catch is usually a "drop in style" or "C" style

3) The pin is usually rather robust

4) Sometimes you can tell by the hallmark, when a wing was made

5) Autobiographical wing

6) Prewar-manufactured wings tend to be closer to 3 inches (later wings are closer to 3.16 inches).

 

But remember, there wasn't a hard and fast line between pre-war and war time made wings.

 

All in all, a very nice set of wings no matter what.

 

 

Hope that helps

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5thwingmarty

I would add that pre-war wings tend to be heavier, but that is also not a hard and fast rule.

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