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Bell Trading Post of Albuquerque, NM: examples and patterns


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I got to tell you, I just don't get it--almost 700$ for these!. Up to a few years ago, you could buy almost the whole set of Bell wings for about 50$/wing if you were patient and persistant--and that was at gun show prices. I think the average I paid for my set of pilot, aircrew, gunner, bombardier, observer and navigator was less than 30-40$ a wing (range is from about 10$ for an aircrew wing to 55$ for the bombardier wing) at my local flea markets--and if I tried harder I could have gotten many of them cheaper. In my mind, the retail value of a Bell observer wing is about 75$ at a show (maybe a few bucks more if the dealers doesn't like you much).

 

No doubt, they are really beautiful and lovely wings (you won't find a bigger fan than me for this pattern), but they kind of fall into the middle of the pack for rarity (IMHO). You would be hard put to sell a named Luxenberg observer wing for ~700$ for crying out loud. The last Juarez observer wing (which I believe is a kissing cousin of the Bell), I was watching on eBay sold for just around $150.

 

I get it that some people like the card. But in what world does a small piece of cardboard multiply the value of a wing by about almost 10 fold? Mabye if it was a sterling silver presentation box from Hap Arnold--but it is just a cheap paper card! And BTW, brace yourselves for the multitude of photoshoped and xeroxed copies that you will find pinned to Bell wings from now on.

 

Its funny, but it seemed to me that when I first started collecting one of the more sought after makers was AE Co -- everyone I knew (myself included) always wanted a full set of AE Co wings. In fact, I suspect that a majority of the longer-term collectors will say that AE Co was the first or second of manufactureres that they acutally completed a set of wings for?!? Not a pretty wing by any means, but it was up there in price and popularity (Well below the Luxenbergs and Blackintons, about even with the Balfours and Amcrafts, but above the Meyers and AMICOs in popularity for the most common hallmarked wings). For the unmarked, American-made stuff, Juarez lead the pack, with the Bell style just above the clutchback graduation/issue wings. It can be a strang hobby, in the last 2 years or so, at least 3 newer collectors have asked me about helping them complete a Bell wing set (to be fair, another asked about Amcraft and one asked about Balfour).

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5thwingmarty

Hey, the seller's Bell navigator wing on the card is a bargain at only $595. And both wings are accepting best offers.

 

I think I paid about $50 for my Bell 2" gunner wing on its card. A high price for a 2" Bell gunner wing but I wanted a Bell wing on its card.

 

It will be interesting to see how much their prices get lowered when they are relisted after they don's sell this time around.

 

I was amazed a few weeks ago when a pair of Charles Polk aircrew wings sold on ebay for over $300. I'm not sure Polk wings are even WWII vintage, and these were just basic aircrew wings.

 

Maybe the Bell wings seller will get lucky and someone who just has to have their wings on the cards will snatch these up.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bell Trading Company

 

The Bell Trading Company was founded in 1935 by Jack Mickleson and his wife Mildred. The company got its name from Mildred whose maiden name was Bell.

 

Over the years numerous hallmarks were used by Bell. They typically included the image of a bell or that of a bell sign hanging from a post. Show below are seven of the hallmarks that are known to have been used by Bell.

 

In 1972 the company name was changed to Sunbell Corporation.

 

Cliff

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  • 4 weeks later...
5thwingmarty

Russ, I meant to ask if the fronts and backs of the wings you posted pictures of in posts 20 and 21 are of the same two pilot wings.

 

Also, I just picked up another two-piece gunner wing that I thought was a little prettier than my other one, more patina and less that bright silver. The newer wing (to me) also has an incised sterling mark to the right of the center circle instead of the raised letter one in the center of the circle.

 

Please forgive that I swapped the wings when I flipped them over. The top wing in the top photo is the bottom wing in the bottom photo.

 

Marty

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5thwingmarty

I also picked up the 2" Service Pilot wing not too long ago. It was made by attaching a separate S to a standard 2" Bell pilot wing, which appears to be one of the older striking's as it has the incised STERLING with the upside down G.

 

Again, sorry for the poor quality of photos. I just can't get clear, detailed photos of my wings with my camera.

 

Marty

 

 

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Russ, I meant to ask if the fronts and backs of the wings you posted pictures of in posts 20 and 21 are of the same two pilot wings.

 

Also, I just picked up another two-piece gunner wing that I thought was a little prettier than my other one, more patina and less that bright silver. The newer wing (to me) also has an incised sterling mark to the right of the center circle instead of the raised letter one in the center of the circle.

 

Please forgive that I swapped the wings when I flipped them over. The top wing in the top photo is the bottom wing in the bottom photo.

 

Marty

 

Hello Marty,

 

To answer your question, no, the images in posts #20 and #21 are not the same wings.

 

I really like the two-inch Service Pilot badge you posted. There's something uniquely personal about these jeweler-altered period pieces.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Russ

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  • 1 month later...
5thwingmarty

To add a little more to the discussion about Bell and Walter Lampl wings, here is one I just picked up. It is the same as Patrick's Naval Aviator wing that had the Bell hallmark, except this one has the Walter Lampl hallmark and the STERLING merk with the upside down G.

 

The Walter Lampl hallmark is much clearer than I could capture in my photo.

 

I am curious if Patrick's wing has the same "gull" shape when viewed on edge which is characteristic of the typical 2" and 3" Bell wings but not the sweetheart wings or 3" Juarez / Lampl wings.

 

Marty

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5thwingmarty

Also in the mail today was this sweetheart Observer wing, also with the Walter Lampl hallmark.

 

Marty

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Patchcollector

Hi all,

I was looking online to try and match this one to another,and found this Bell pattern wing that looks similar.Am I correct?If not,does anyone recognize the maker of this one?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Here is a link to the one I found that looks similar:

 

http://www.ww2wings.com/wings/usaaf/gunner/hawkaafgunnerbell.shtml

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That is a Bell pattern that you posted. They all have the same style shoulders with 3 hashmarks on each side and almost a round tip. A lot of people like to try collecting each rating of the Bell pattern since they're fairly easy to find. There is also another style with what some believe is an early pattern Bell pattern. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/30751-1930s-aac-wings-opinions-please/?hl=%2Bearly+%2Bbell&do=findComment&comment=230108

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5thwingmarty

Bell had these two-piece aerial gunner wings and also a very similar one-piece aerial gunner in this 3" size. There has also been some discussion about whether Bell also had a two-piece bombardier wing in the 3" size, but I don't believe anyone has ever posted a photo of one to prove they exist.

 

Marty

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  • 1 month later...
5thwingmarty

I was finally able to add a Bell Navigator wing without (most of) the specs on the wings. On the right side of the wing, there are a few specs present and they match up with specs in my other wing, so it looks like something was happening to the Bell Navigator wing die that was allowing the specs to slowly develop.

 

Also in the new (to me) wing there are a couple of flaws in the middle of the bottom feathers closest to the center. There are raised irregular shaped bumps on each of these feathers, much larger than the specs on the other wing. I can't tell if small shards of silver got mashed onto the face of the wing when it was stamped or what caused them. The one on the feather to the left is clearly visible in the photo.

 

Marty

 

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  • 1 month later...
5thwingmarty

I thought I would post some pictures of the Bell 2-inch Pilot Wing variations I have in my little collection. A casual glance at the front of the wings will show they are all the "Bell" pattern, but not the subtle differences between the three. In reality they are all the same 2" width, it is just my photography that foreshortens the more distant ones in the pictures.

 

The first variant is a slick back wing with an incised Sterling mark. The front of the shield has a bit of a curve across it, and there is a bit of a vaulted profile when viewed on edge. I presume this was the first version of the 2" Pilot wing they produced, and I believe they can also be found with the Sterling mark where the G is not inverted.
The second variant is perhaps the most common with a recess along the top edge and a recess behind the shield, and has the raised Sterling mark. The front of the shield has a much more pronounced curve across the face of it, and there is a much more pronounced vaulted profile when viewed on edge.
The third variant is a much lighter wing, stamped from much thinner metal. It has a recess along the entire edge of the wing and a recess behind the shield, and the Sterling mark is incised. There is no vaulting at all on this wing, the back edge is all completely on one plane. The front of the shield also has almost no curve across the face of it. I presume this was the final version they produced, made with much thinner metal to conserve their silver stock.

 

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