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Airship Rigger Rates


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Many thanks to those responsible for developing the Ranks and Rates Discussions. I collect US Navy Ratings, USMC Distinguishing Marks and Liberty Cuffs so I am very happy to see this. I have been trying to collect a complete set of Airship Rigger(AR) rates for several years, but I have never found a non-bullion CPO AR rate. However, I have found two bullion CPO AR rates. Since these rates are not real common, I thought I would post scans for anyone interested.

 

Fritz

 

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Many thanks to those responsible for developing the Ranks and Rates Discussions. I collect US Navy Ratings, USMC Distinguishing Marks and Liberty Cuffs so I am very happy to see this. I have been trying to collect a complete set of Airship Rigger(AR) rates for several years, but I have never found a non-bullion CPO AR rate. However, I have found two bullion CPO AR rates. Since these rates are not real common, I thought I would post scans for anyone interested.

 

Fritz

 

Thanks for sharing those. My dad was an airship rigger for seven years but started just before they changed the AR's to AM's: Aviation Structural Mechanic.

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Thanks Kurt. I am really proud to own these AR rates. Believe me, I know how difficult they are to find. However, I try to be really cautious about using the term "rare" because it is so overused and often misused. I think some folks that use the term are just misinformed and some are not real knowledgeable about specific military insignia. But there is no doubt that there are some truly rare insignia out there.

 

F

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Many thanks to those responsible for developing the Ranks and Rates Discussions. I collect US Navy Ratings, USMC Distinguishing Marks and Liberty Cuffs so I am very happy to see this. I have been trying to collect a complete set of Airship Rigger(AR) rates for several years, but I have never found a non-bullion CPO AR rate. However, I have found two bullion CPO AR rates. Since these rates are not real common, I thought I would post scans for anyone interested.

 

Fritz

 

post-1466-1204665857.jpg

 

FRITZ: A serious collector of United States Navy rates wrote and asked me for my Airship Rigger rates, he was expecting six in return he said he'd make me laser colour photocopies of his rarer rates in exchange, instead I sent him 8, not 6 AR rates plus some Aviation Pilot rates and Sailmaker's Mate rates. He sent one laser colour photocopy with rates over-laping each other and I never heard from him again and still had more to send even though I was disappointed with just one photocopy, I kept up my end of the "gentleman's agreement!" Here are some pictures I took of them, thought you and others might like to see these? I still have boxes in the store room filled with rates and other goodies as I cannot keep so much clutter in my senior citizen's apartment which is very small as you might guess? Hopefully the Mrs. will not set those boxes by the curb for the trashman to pick up? :) Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California ( [email protected] )

post-837-1204738273.jpg

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FRITZ: A serious collector of United States Navy rates wrote and asked me for my Airship Rigger rates, he was expecting six in return he said he'd make me laser colour photocopies of his rarer rates in exchange, instead I sent him 8, not 6 AR rates plus some Aviation Pilot rates and Sailmaker's Mate rates. He sent one laser colour photocopy with rates over-laping each other and I never heard from him again and still had more to send even though I was disappointed with just one photocopy, I kept up my end of the "gentleman's agreement!" Here are some pictures I took of them, thought you and others might like to see these? I still have boxes in the store room filled with rates and other goodies as I cannot keep so much clutter in my senior citizen's apartment which is very small as you might guess? Hopefully the Mrs. will not set those boxes by the curb for the trashman to pick up? :) Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California ( [email protected] )

 

Some more pictures. Called several museums and they tell me I have to bring what I have for them to look over before they decide on accepting a contribution or I can send them by U.P.S. or FedEx and accept their return if they're rejected? :)

post-837-1204738724.jpg

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Some more pictures. Called several museums and they tell me I have to bring what I have for them to look over before they decide on accepting a contribution or I can send them by U.P.S. or FedEx and accept their return if they're rejected? :)

 

Some more scans. :)

post-837-1204738883.jpg

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Thanks for the Airship Rigger(AR) scans, Sarge. If anyone else has any different AR rates, I sure would like to see them. I met a fellow at a Ohio Valley Military Society show back in November who has been an insignia collector for 30-40 years and use to work for a museum. He made a comment about donating collections to museums that shocked me. He said that on average, museums only ever exhibit 10-20 percent of military collections donated by private collectors. The rest of donated collections are stored away in boxes and are never made available to the public. My collection is not that extensive yet, but his comment sure made an impression on me. When I reach that point, I think I would rather see my collection go back into circulation so others could enjoy collecting and owning insignia as I have and do.

 

F

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...He made a comment about donating collections to museums that shocked me. He said that on average, museums only ever exhibit 10-20 percent of military collections donated by private collectors. The rest of donated collections are stored away in boxes and are never made available to the public.

 

Check out this thread about donating to museums: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=5126

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Wow, that is a great thread from several different points of view. Thank you for the reference. I really was not trying to start another thread on the same subject, I just had not seen it previously.

 

Fritz

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Wow, that is a great thread from several different points of view. Thank you for the reference. I really was not trying to start another thread on the same subject, I just had not seen it previously.

 

Fritz

 

FRITZ and KURT, et al: Here is an Airship Rigger I drew 600% larger than actual size from an actual rate I once owned. I drew the original in India on velumpaper for my unpublished book "SPECIALTY & DISTINGUISHING MARKS" (1996), Thought you might like to see this one? :) Sarge Booker

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post-837-1204764955.jpg

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Here is the 2nd Class rate from my collection. The wings are more stubby than those posted earlier. I don't remember where or when I got this one as US Navy rates are not my primary focus.

Vance

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post-781-1204786602.jpg

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Thanks for the scan Vance. It is always interesting to see the variations, especially for a rate that is not all that common.

 

Fritz

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Thanks for the scan Vance. It is always interesting to see the variations, especially for a rate that is not all that common.

 

Fritz

Thanks for this thread, folks. I fully agree with the scarcity, especially at the CPO level, of this rating specialty.

Probably in the top-5 of USN rating badge "specialty" rarity. Other candidates: Underwater Mechanic, Spec-H, Aviation Rigger and Quartermaster, Aviation. Most rare USN "rating badge" specialty, in my opinion, is Gun Captain (1902-04).

 

Been away on a business trip and missed the early posting.

 

Fritz, I'll scan some of my AR rating badges for design reference as soon as I can get the current consulting work out of the way.

 

Re: museum donations, some museums have a rotating displays area that does display an additional percent of their donated items, outside of their "static" display area.

-dan

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The top left 1c crow has felt applied chevrons on cut felt rating badge, the top right 1c crow has felt applied chevrons on a gabardine rating badge, and is dated 1944. The 2c and 3c rating badges both are red felt applied chevrons on blue cut felt.

 

The white 2c crow has black cotton twill applied chevrons on a white cotton twill rating badge.

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DAN, FRITZ, and VANCE: think.gif Here are some drawings that appear elsewhere here, you'll see a bogusd Aviation Rigger someone had made, drew it from the actual specialty mark on the rate for a CPO. I did over one thousand (1,000) such drawings on one hundred pages (100), have just added 20 more, making the total so far 60 of those 100 pages. w00t.gif Sarge Booker

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Dan, my blue AR rates are much like yours; the 1c is applied chevrons on cut felt, and the 2c and 3c are applied chevrons on gabardine. All white are applied twill on twill. I hope one or both of us finds a non-bullion CPO someday.

Fritz

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Dan, my blue AR rates are much like yours; the 1c is applied chevrons on cut felt, and the 2c and 3c are applied chevrons on gabardine. All white are applied twill on twill. I hope one or both of us finds a non-bullion CPO someday.

Fritz

I hope so too, Fritz. Maybe we can find two... :lol:

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  • 3 months later...
Guest kutzburg

Fritz

Just a side note, I have a large collection of Liberty Cuff with some for trade. have you seen them out on "navycolletor.com?

 

Kutzburg

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Fritz

Just a side note, I have a large collection of Liberty Cuff with some for trade. have you seen them out on "navycolletor.com?

 

Kutzburg

 

 

 

Sent PM.

 

Fritz

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Fritz

Just a side note, I have a large collection of Liberty Cuff with some for trade. have you seen them out on "navycolletor.com?

 

Kutzburg

You can see some of Kutzburg's liberty cuff collection here: liberty cuff display

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  • 14 years later...

Does anyone have any WW2 era bullion Chief Petty Officer(CPO) rates for sale or trade? Always looking for additions to my collection. Not just AR rates but any WW2 era bullion CPO rates.Thanks.

 

Mods, I posted this in the wrong place Please delete.

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