BeckettM101 Posted September 2, 2019 Share #1 Posted September 2, 2019 I know this is the wrong area to post this, put I just wanted to get this out there. I was looking through Goodwill's online shop and saw this. https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/74775903 It is Don S Gentile's footlocker and grouping. It appears to have previously been sold, because it is on a couple auction sites. https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/cowans/us-wwii-painted-foot-locker-to-capt-don-s-gentile-archive-324790. I just wanted to let people who actually care about this stuff know so it goes to a good home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron3-6 Posted September 2, 2019 Share #2 Posted September 2, 2019 So....much like the 501st PIR helmet that showed up on shopgoodwill awhile back - this group both in it's former form and current form appear very, very suspicious. Without typing a thesis statement I do believe that collectors who have been previously "hooked" by suspect high dollar items are moving them through goodwill. Maybe they're getting a tax write off and not selling it themselves relieves them of any culpability? I'll see if I can find the paratrooper helmet thread discussed on here earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron3-6 Posted September 2, 2019 Share #3 Posted September 2, 2019 Found it, back in June: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/329024-501st-d-bail-on-goodwill/?hl=%2Bgoodwill+%2Bhelmet&do=findComment&comment=2644392 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted September 2, 2019 Share #4 Posted September 2, 2019 So....much like the 501st PIR helmet that showed up on shopgoodwill awhile back - this group both in it's former form and current form appear very, very suspicious. Without typing a thesis statement I do believe that collectors who have been previously "hooked" by suspect high dollar items are moving them through goodwill. Maybe they're getting a tax write off and not selling it themselves relieves them of any culpability? I'll see if I can find the paratrooper helmet thread discussed on here earlier. Is it just me, or do the painted markings on the lid look a little bit too fresh? Presumably the foot locker would have seen some rough handling and wear over the years. The painted portions look like they were done yesterday. The photos inside the cover look also look a little too good to be true. Without knowing the pilot, what kind of egotist posts photos of himself rather than friends and family? And again, no age, no bent corners on the photos. The Hindenburg luggage tag also seems to be a bit much. And finally, Gentile served in the ETO. Why would his trunk be full of newspapers from a service newspaper in China? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddyboots Posted September 2, 2019 Share #5 Posted September 2, 2019 I know this is the wrong area to post this, put I just wanted to get this out there. I was looking through Goodwill's online shop and saw this. https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/74775903 It is Don S Gentile's footlocker and grouping. It appears to have previously been sold, because it is on a couple auction sites. https://www.bidsquare.com/online-auctions/cowans/us-wwii-painted-foot-locker-to-capt-don-s-gentile-archive-324790. I just wanted to let people who actually care about this stuff know so it goes to a good home. My dad told me that he watched Gentile fly his P-51 under a bridge in Piqua some time after the war. He thought for sure he was going too crash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAW Posted September 3, 2019 Share #6 Posted September 3, 2019 Nothing about that trunk looks good to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMariner Posted September 3, 2019 Share #7 Posted September 3, 2019 It also appears a lot of the contents disappeared at least from the original sale to what is with it now! All the patches and insignia appear to have been removed from the set! I would agree with a previous members sentiment, goodwill and other donation places are giving huge write offs right now even well above market value. This might encourage someone to make a donation especially if it is something they want to move! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKNYC71 Posted September 3, 2019 Share #8 Posted September 3, 2019 This grouping is pure trash, in both ts former and current state. The ES patches and other insignia that were with it, is laughable, the items thrown together are pure comedy. The trunk is nothing but a cheap Circus Act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 3, 2019 Share #9 Posted September 3, 2019 It's pretty obvious that the trunk sold by Cowan's and the one on shopgoodwill are the same. Why would someone buy the trunk on Cowan's and then give it to the Goodwill? (Granted, they stripped it of "the good stuff" but still...) Seems odd to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBFloyd Posted September 3, 2019 Share #10 Posted September 3, 2019 I recall Gentile's medals being on display in the Air Force Museum. Next to the Quonset Hut exhibit on the Eagle Squadrons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Jerry Posted September 3, 2019 Share #11 Posted September 3, 2019 My thought was "what guy posts pics of himself inside his own footlocker?" and the Hindenburg sticker seemed a bit over the top as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin_Militaria Posted September 4, 2019 Share #12 Posted September 4, 2019 The whole lot at Cowan's auction house was fake, put together and did not belong to Gentile, none of the medals were named. Not sure if the E.S. patches were good but I doubt it. My guess is the buyer figured this all out and just decided to dump it. And someone just wasted $450, at least the Goodwill made out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted September 4, 2019 Share #13 Posted September 4, 2019 Is it just me or has Cowans handled a lot of the groups from IMa or IMA buying stuff from Cowans??....the Auction picture really reminds me of offerings from IMA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted September 4, 2019 Share #14 Posted September 4, 2019 Interesting in that my niece and I just had a conversation on Goodwill Auctions...she is a grad student, historical preservation, and she sorts and lists items on the Goodwill auction site... From what I gather, each store sorts and can list items on the auction site...some items are sent to a regional center...I believe she is at the regional center... I found it interesting that the auction site lists items with very little subject knowledge, and minimal research... From what I gather from my niece is that a person can not just bring in an item and have it listed, it can be donated then listed, but the sale goes to Goodwill, so what personal benefit to knowingly auction off a bogus group Possible it was purchased at another auction, found to be bogus, then donated for the tax right off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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