Jump to content

WWI to WWII USN bullion wings: examples and patterns


 Share

Recommended Posts

Can I get your opinion on what era this bullion Naval Aviator wing was produced? I've always considered it a late 1920's to 1930's piece until I saw a recently posted image in the pinned thread section under "WWI Bullion Wing Variations." Belleauwood (Dennis) shared a beautiful "named" bullion Aeronaut wing in Post #123 which has very similar feathering characteristics to my Aviator example. Could this USN Aviator wing be WWI vintage as well? Russ

IMG_2128_crop.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tarheelyankee

Do not know if these are WWI period or not but they most definitely are a beautiful pair of bullion wings. Wish I had as nice a set in my collection. Thank you for sharing. :thumbsup: Tom (Tarheelyankee)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have several other bullion USN Aviator wings which I assumed for years were inter-war period, but now I'm wondering if they're older?

IMG_2154_crop.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Tom, thank you for your kind comment.

Here's a comparison shot of the last two wings.

Russ

IMG_2147_crop.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Russ,

 

These two "drop dead gorgeous" beauties are screaming middle to late 1920s to me.

So if you ever wish to part with either one you now know who to contact. :love:

 

Cliff

 

Pictured left to right is LCDRs Bruce G. Leighton, and Richard S. Byrd.

post-4542-1300105428.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gents, I appreciate your response and input. Cliff, thank you for the terrific period photos for badge comparison. If I can dip into your well-of-knowledge again, I have a few more bullion USN Aviator wings I'd like help in dating. These next two wings have considerable depth, demension and gold foil detail, like an early 1930's era badge, but the cross-hatched stars in the upper shield suggests WWII era? Are these considered pre-war wings?

IMG_2182_crop.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gents, I appreciate your response and input. Cliff, thank you for the terrific period photos for badge comparison. If I can dip into your well-of-knowledge again, I have a few more bullion USN Aviator wings I'd like help in dating. These next two wings have considerable depth, demension and gold foil detail, like an early 1930's era badge, but the cross-hatched stars in the upper shield suggests WWII era? Are these considered pre-war wings?

Russ, :think:

 

This one badge may have been made in the mid to late 1930 era... or the early 1940's. Who can say for sure (?) but up until then the very thin gold wire thread used in its construction came only from Lyons, France... and the method for making it was a trade secret. In consequence, when Germany invaded France in May of 1940 all sources for the world market were severed and since no company in the USA made the wire, by late 1940/early 1941 the situation had become critical for our Navy whose officers wore gold insignia. Well, as history can prove, the ingenuity of American manufacturers can be very resourceful during a major crisis such as war and by the summer of 1941 a couple of companies in the Northeast were able to figured out how to make the gold thread, wire and lace needed for Navy insignia. It may not have been as fine a material as that produced in France before the war but it was deemed very acceptable.

 

Cliff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beautiful USN gold wire wing badge owned by Russ Wilson which was referred to above in post #16:

 

Stunning wings Russ. Simply stunning.

 

The nice thing about the USN bullion wings is that (IMHO) new collectors can get a very nice start on the collecting of these frequently under-appreciated little works of art. I find that bullion USN aviator wings tend to be about 30-50% less than their USAAF counterparts. With luck and patience, a person could likely start an excellent collection of WWII variations in bullion for less than 50$ a wing (and sometimes much less than that).

 

These are a nice pair of wings that I always felt were a bit early in the war-- maybe into the 1930's. But, like the USAAF, prewar stuff is rare for a reason. Not that many pilots were in the USN during that time.

post-1519-1300237685.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Russ, :think:

 

This one badge may have been made in the mid to late 1930 era... or the early 1940's. Who can say for sure (?) but up until then the very thin gold wire thread used in its construction came only from Lyons, France... and the method for making it was a trade secret. In consequence, when Germany invaded France in May of 1940 all sources for the world market were severed and since no company in the USA made the wire, by late 1940/early 1941 the situation had become critical for our Navy whose officers wore gold insignia. Well, as history can prove, the ingenuity of American manufacturers can be very resourceful during a major crisis such as war and by the summer of 1941 a couple of companies in the Northeast were able to figured out how to make the gold thread, wire and lace needed for Navy insignia. It may not have been as fine a material as that produced in France before the war but it was deemed very acceptable.

 

Cliff

 

 

Cliff,

Interesting stuff! I'll copy down the information you've been kind enough to provide and add it to my growing reference notebook of wing-related tid-bits. Thank you for being so generous with your stockpile of topic information. I appreciate all of your efforts.

 

Patrick,

Your illustrated Aviator wing sure fits Cliff's description of French style finely made thin gold wire thread. It's a really nice wing! I agree with you regarding your assessment of USN bullion Aviator wings. When you consider there was only one U.S. Naval Aviator for every ten Army Air Corps Pilots during WWII, you would think bullion Aviator wings would be more expensive than the current market commands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matching up inter-war period USN bullion hat pieces with similar style bullion wings. Finding nice USN hat pieces with left-facing eagles is a real challenge.

IMG_2197_crop.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rusty wings,

I really like your early usn bullion wings! I guess I will have to add a example or too.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Jason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matching up inter-war period USN bullion hat pieces with similar style bullion wings. Finding nice USN hat pieces with left-facing eagles is a real challenge.

 

That makes one heck of a display! :thumbsup:

 

Jason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...