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Paratrooper British Gaunt Made Jump Wings


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Would appreciate opinion as to whether or not these British made Paratrooper Jump Wings are original WW2 or reproduction. I recall a while back hearing concerns about British made Wings, Glider Pilot and Glider Rider Wings that were made by Gaunt and on these Cards. Many thanks.

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Hi,

 

I'm quite sure that these badge is a reproduction based on the angle of the hallmark, the casting marks above where the hallmark is and becuase of the ding on the risers (I think that's what they're called). I've seen a few of these badges with cards come up for sale in the last few weeks, so I'm sure that someone picked up a bunch of these and is dumping them onto the market.

 

My 2 cents, hopefully, someone more knowledgeable about jump wings will correct me if I'm wrong.

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Thank you for your comments. The example I posted I bought several years ago, but am interested that some examples have been for sale in the last few weeks. Can anyone post further examples for comparison and any other information as to where they originated from? It is quite possible that both the backing Card and/or the Badge itself is a reproduction and I think fairly well done. The price for my Jump Wing was $38.

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ya,,the ding on the risers gives it away, thats one of the things to look for, it seems that someone took real wings that had that on them and that is were the mold came from. I have seen at least 20 or so that all have the same "ding"

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Many thanks for the images Sabrejet, really illustrates my concerns. I am fairly sure that collectors will have these examples, hopefully not bought, as I did, as originals. Will post a close-up of the flaw in the risers, looks like this is definitely one of the tell-tale giveaways.

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Excellent info being shared here! Can we expand it a bit to include Gaunt produced Glider-Rider badges. Are there any consistent flaws to look for in detecting reproduced Gaunt-made Glider-Rider badges?

 

I saw this unmarked Glider badge mounted on a similar "GAUNT" card sell on ebay a few days ago for big money. Is this an authentic WWII era example? (Ebay #130843913898).

 

$T2eC16F,!yEE9s5jD(t9BRCvjSzEQQ~~60_571.jpg$(KGrHqZ,!iQFDkOmOyF!BRCvjdy,J!~~60_571.jpg

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It is hard to imagine how people can be fooled by this wing!? Its obviously a cast wing, with fake patina and low quality workmanship. Even the label is artificially aged (someone just splashed a few drops of acid on the paper to give it some age.

 

The EXACT same things that people should look for in a fake USAAF wing, they should look for in airborne insignia. Its not that hard to find good reference material for quality paratrooper/glider wings Its a head scratcher...

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Rule of thumb...almost any insignia on an "old" Gaunt card is a fake/repro...call them what you will. These first appeared in the UK at least 10-12 years ago...I know this because I bought some at the time (actually sold as repros) The cards are photo facsimilies which look quite convincing with "authentic" foxing. Apart from Jumpwings (with/without bronze stars) there are glider-wings and PUCs too...all similarly carded. As we know, down the line these repros end up being passed on as "originals", so Caveat Emptor!!

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Thank you Patrick and Ian for your responses. I believe there have been so many generations of Gaunt reproduced Jump wings and Glider badges that flaws which might identify a fake this week doesn't necessarily hold true for fakes produced last week. Here's a Gaunt hallmarked reproduced Jump wing with no flaws to the risers on the front, but the same red flags on the reverse.

 

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Reverse of another cast Gaunt Jump wing. Note the similarities between this wing and the one posted at the beginning of this thread.

 

 

IMG_3527_crop.jpg

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Hi,

 

I'm quite sure that these badge is a reproduction based on the angle of the hallmark, the casting marks above where the hallmark is and becuase of the ding on the risers (I think that's what they're called). I've seen a few of these badges with cards come up for sale in the last few weeks, so I'm sure that someone picked up a bunch of these and is dumping them onto the market.

 

My 2 cents, hopefully, someone more knowledgeable about jump wings will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

The lines that connect to the edge of the parachute, and extend down to a joined point (four joining points in all) are called "suspension lines." These, in turn connect to the four risers, which are used to guide the parachute's direction. Hope this helps. Jack Angolia

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello,

 

Interesting thread. I thought I'd display my Gaunt Para and Glider wings for comparison. The Para wings belonged to a 505th Officer and the Glider Wings to an enlisted soldier. Both are extremely well made with clear writing that is in a straight line on the back.

 

I hope you like them.

 

Regards

 

Paul

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Thanks Clive.

 

Sadly the pictures don't do these wings justice as the detail is stunning in person.

 

Regards

 

Paul

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