Officers Equipment Company, Madison, NJ: examples and patterns

[rustywings]

I'm not a fan of that Glider badge... and suspect it was recently made. Here's the identical style badge, but Liaison Pilot rating, currently listed on ebay (#122103460341):

[Patchcollector]

In the link that Patrick provided the Wing style is ID'd as WW2 era Officers Equipment Company products.Reading through the thread it seems,to me at least,that the evidence for the ID is pretty overwhelming.

 

Having said that,I also noticed that Cliff stated that what Patrick had mentioned about a similar pattern being still being sold today "by someone" is also true.

 

Does anyone have any images,or links to the person who is selling the other ones?I ask because it seems a good idea to compare the WW2 era Officers Equipment Company Wings to the other,newly made ones.

[cabbell2006]

Myself i would avoid these wings.there seems to be no evidence that they ever existed.and then bang here they show up out of the wood work?i hope im wrong,but until then i would avoid them.

[Patchcollector]

As with anything,every collector has to make choices about what they want,or don't want,in their collections.I respect yours,and all others decisions in this regard.

 

 

Having stated that,I want to put forth why I like the Wing.

 

 

There is a discussion about these that Patrick provided a link for in post # 3.

 

 

In that thread evidence seems pretty solid(to me anyway) that they were produced during the War by(or for) the Officers Equipment Company.Now,as I stated earlier in this thread,if anyone has any specific info about these being reproduced at a later date(and photo examples would be great!) I would certainly appreciate knowing about it.

[5thwingmarty]

I have seen one flight engineer wing made with an E applied to an observer wing, but I believe that one was made from an Amico wing. The vet that showed it to me said it was the wing he was issued when he graduated from his flight engineer training. There is no way to know if someone had ordered a batch from Amico for that school or if they had a local jeweler make them up.

[Patchcollector]

I have seen one flight engineer wing made with an E applied to an observer wing, but I believe that one was made from an Amico wing. The vet that showed it to me said it was the wing he was issued when he graduated from his flight engineer training. There is no way to know if someone had ordered a batch from Amico for that school or if they had a local jeweler make them up.

 

 

Thanks for the input,that's pretty cool that an entire class would have this done!My guess is that they had a jeweler make them up.

[5thwingmarty]

Because of the more current threads on the Officers Equipment Co. I found this old thread I thought I would revive a bit.  The pilot wing DMD posted photos of is the Fox pattern.  I have examples of this "skeleton-back" sterling-only marked wing in both pin back and clutch back.  I don't if these were made for OECo or if they were just a lighter evolution of the Fox wing.  My Fox hallmarked clutch back wing weighs 18.63 grams, the pin back wing weighs 15.23 grams and the other clutch back wing weighs 12.89 grams.

 

Other than some of the more "common" skeleton back pilot wings like an H-H, some British ones and a really heavy Adams 1920's to 30's pilot wing, the only other skeleton back wing I have is this Aerial Gunner.  I have seen this pattern attributed to Donduro, and have seen it with three different reverse strike patterns including this skeleton back, a hollow back with a raised sterling mark low on the right side of the wing, and a hollow back that is pierced between the bullet wings and the shoulders and has a raised sterling mark  near the center of the left wing.

 

This wing is heavier than my hollow back version at 19.52 grams compared to 17.12 grams.  So is this a version that was also made for OECo?  

 

[pfrost]

I believe the official term for that type of back is "cliche".