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Walter Lampl of NY, NY, aka "Juarez": examples and patterns


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  • 1 year later...

I happened to snag a bad wing at a show and was pretty mad at myself for falling for one of the "museum replica" pieces. I could make alot of excuses but it boils down to not paying attention and making an impulse buy. It took me a while but I was able to get a good one; die stamped, old catch repair and the really cool thing is that the wing was bent /curved to wear more flush on the uniform when the catch was repaired. You can see the casting flaws in the "G" and in the middle back of the bottom wing. Luckily, I have only a few wings in my lessons learned box and I will carry them with me to the next show to remind me to be more careful.

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The G's should be separate pieces attached to the base wings. If the one is a cast wing it should be clear with a loop whether the G is applied or cast with the base wing. The cast wing should also be about 1/8" smaller in span that the die stamped wing.

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Thank you both for your assistance. The wings are the same size and the "G" is applied to both wings. Thanks for teaching me what to look for and to not be over critical. It's nice to have both the coin silver and sterling versions!

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  • 1 month later...

Hello: I really love these wings. I have some 100 plus wings in my collection but the “Juarez” have to be my favorites. I break down my Juarez wings into two collector metal content categories: “Sterling Silver” and “Coin Silver.” Here is my current collection of Juarez Wings. post-242046-0-19640400-1575523273_thumb.jpegpost-242046-0-64208200-1575523439_thumb.jpeg

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The back of the Service Pilot wing in the last post is interesting. I don't recall seeing any other Lampl/Juarez wings with a back like this one. Does it look like the top and bottom edges of the center shield were ground away for some reason, or was it stamped this way? It reminds me of the backs of some Beverlycraft wings.

 

Make sure all of you Lampl/Juarez wings are a full 3.25" wide, or not much more than a hair under. JoeW makes copies of all these and others may as well. Copies can be 1/8" too narrow. Also on the letter wings, the letters are all separate pieces that were attached to the base wings. Using a loop you should be able to tell this on real wings. The fakes have all been cast as one-piece wings. At least some of the fake bombardier wings are also cast this way. It should be clear that the bombs have been attached.

 

Other varieties that are out there are Observer, Aerial Gunner, Flight Surgeon and Flight Engineer. JoeW also makes fake Navigator wings, but no one I have ever spoken with that collects wings owns or has ever even seen a genuine full-size Lampl/Juarez Navigator wing. There are 1-3/8" (cap sized) wings out there with Lampl hallmarks, but I don't know of any such Navigator wings that have the Lampl hallmark.

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  • 2 weeks later...

post-242046-0-06468000-1576814252_thumb.jpegThanks so very much for the helpful information. I’ll get my calipers out and measure them all for the correct length. I recently bought a genuine Observer Wing in Sterling Silver with the Lampl stamp . The “S” Service Wing was listed as “Juarez Style” so I assumed it to be just that. It at the very least makes for good conversation. Compared with all the others on the reverse it does seem out of the ordinary. The one Bombardier Wing with the solid back appears to have rivets holding the bomb onto the wing from the front. Here’s the latest photo:

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lakenormanusa

Love the distinctive look of the Juarez wings!

This is a Lampl Pilot wing I have that's made of Coin Silver and appears to have been jeweler modified with an L.

 

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Lampl (or whoever made the wings for Lampl) made the Glider Pilot wings using both standard pilot wings and the prescribed "Venetian Blind" background wings using the same G. I don't recall seeing any Lampl Liaison or Service Pilot wings where the standard pilot wing was used along with Lampl's standard L or S. This wing definitely looks like some other jeweler applied the L.

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rathbonemuseum.com

So the navigator is rare enough to be unfound yet, Marty? Good to know.

My sense is the gunner is relatively harder to find.

And that Service pilot is pretty rare!

Are there any examples found of senior or command pilots in this pattern?

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I'm not saying they don't exist, but I've never encountered a Senior Pilot or Command Pilot wing in Juarez/Lampl pattern. The rating I've found to be very illusive is the Navigator wing. I've seen a couple of examples in the distant past, but they were either too expensive or damaged to pursue... so I'm still searching.

 

Here's a couple of pixs of a Juarez pattern Aerial Gunner badge and an unauthorized Flight Engineer badge, which was likely a jeweler-made private order using an original coin silver Observer's wing for its base. Note both of these badges are missing their swivels which was an apparent inherent problem with this type of catch...

Juarez A.jpg

Juarez B.jpg

Juarez SLG.jpg

Juarez SLGa.jpg

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I have been amazed that Lampl Navigator wings don't routinely show up on eBay since JoeW makes his replicas of them. I have only ever seen one supposed Lampl Navigator wing on eBay ever, and I assumed it was a JoeW special.

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Hello again... several days ago I managed to snag a pair of Juarez Glider Pilot wings in Sterling Silver which were missing from my collection. Thanks to a knowledgeable member I now have more knowledge about the Lampl Juarez wings. This exchange is what makes collecting so enjoyable. Honestly, I never noticed that many of the Juarez design wings had an upside down “g” in the hallmark “Sterling” and that some of them have a right side up letter. You learn something new every daypost-242046-0-04110600-1577556266_thumb.jpegpost-242046-0-56818900-1577556319_thumb.jpeg. Here’s wishing each and every member a joyous and Happy New Year!

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  • 3 months later...

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Hello Again..... since the last posting I have added additional “Juarez” wings to my specialized collection including a Liaison Pilot wing and a WASP Wing from the 318th Training W 7 Class. In the Sterling Silver category I have been trying to collect both the correct “g” and the inverted “g” examples.

 

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  • 10 months later...

My “Juarez” collection of USAAF wings has been growing by leaps and bounds lately. Within the last two weeks I have managed to add six new “Juarez” specimens to my collection. I believe I now have enough examples of the type to make some classification observations based upon direct observation of the various specimens in my possession. Part and parcel of collecting anything collectable is the identification, classification, and categorizing of the varied specimens within that collection. Unfortunately, I can make no guess as to the rarity or authenticity of each type in collecting circles other than that the “Sterling” additionally stamped with the Lampl Shield seem, by personal experience, to demand exceptionally higher retail and auction prices. As my collection continues to grow and, being a trained Anthropologist (Meso-American Archaeology), I cannot help but make some classification observations regarding the entire collection. I am not an expert in wing identification nor do I claim that each and every one of the wings in my collection is genuine but what I can do is offer this review as a record of my careful and direct observation of the specimens in my own personal collection. I try very hard to buy from reputable sources but you know as well as I do that on more than one occasion “reputable” and ten dollars will buy you a cup of coffee and a doughnut in New York City.

 

Now about the Lampl propriety marks… research of online Lampl jewelry historical listings has confirmed that on many jewelry pieces in the 1940’s Lampl used the Shield containing the “WL” script. ( see the examples of Jewelry from the 1940’s marked with the Lampl Shield). The two examples of wings in my collection having the Lampl Shield also have the “inverted G” in the word sterling present. The natural assumption here being that subsequent wings marked “Sterling” with the inverted “G” but lacking the Lampl Shield may be assumed to be of Lampl origin also.

 

First of all, based upon direct observation, the collection of production specimens falls into two major categories: (1) items made of Sterling Silver and marked as such, and (2) items made of Coin Silver and marked as such.

 

Within those two major classifications are specific variations which will be described and illustrated below.

 

Within the examples marked “Sterling” there are three sub-classifications:

 

(1) Type A - Those marked “Sterling” with an additional Lampl “WL” Shield stamped above the “Sterling” mark and an “Inverted G” in the word “Sterling”.  The indentation on the reverse containing the inscription can be either circular or shield in nature. (note: I have yet to find a wing marked "Sterling" with a solid flat back.. Perhaps in the future)

 

(2) Type B - Those marked “Sterling” with a “Normal G,” and

 

(3) Type C - Those marked “Sterling” with an “Inverted G” in the word “Sterling”, again with either shield or circular indentations on the reverse.

 

Within the "Coin Silver" category there are basically two sub-categories of the wing, both marked “Coin Silver” with no yet found variation in the stamped lettering such as with an inverted letter.

 

They are as follows:

 

(1) Coin Silver …. Type A, consisting of a flat back with a circular indentation in the center of the wing, and

 

(2) Coin Silver …. Type B, consisting of a solid flat back without the indented circle or shield and stamped “Coin Silver.”

 

I trust these observations will add to the knowledge of collectors who love the “Juarez” wing as much as I do.

 

Constructive suggestions and additional pertinent historical data are always welcome.

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Here is a recent photo of my collection of Lampl "Juarez" wings (Sterling on the Left and Coin Silver on the Right) (The latest addition of Observer Wings in Coin Silver with a solid back is on its way .. last Photo) :IMG_1533.JPG.d148895ec752fd9e8130e4a2439c6a16.JPGIMG_1533.JPG.d148895ec752fd9e8130e4a2439c6a16.JPG

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