Patchcollector Posted April 26, 2014 Share #26 Posted April 26, 2014 Nice wings fellows!You know those peeps in Cali,they gotta do everything different Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mghcal Posted April 27, 2014 Share #27 Posted April 27, 2014 Really nice wing Marty! Congrats on the find. I've not seen a Navigator in that size before. There was an aircrew sweetheart that went today item #331183519580 it had the same upside down hallmark. Funny with a backwards pin and upside down hallmark maybe Tod ought to ask the family if the diemaker was a drunk haha. Cool stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted May 10, 2014 Share #28 Posted May 10, 2014 Hi all, I have never seen a wing like this.Is this for real? Here are the sellers' pics: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Seay Posted May 10, 2014 Share #29 Posted May 10, 2014 Awesome info.. thanks for posting! anyone have a good pic of the back setup on a Beverlycraft piece? I have seen a couple unmarked wings with reversed pins.. I wonder if they were Beverlycraft? -Brian Looks to be a Beverlycraft without the Palm tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Seay Posted May 10, 2014 Share #30 Posted May 10, 2014 Looks to be a Beverlycraft without the Palm tree hallmark. Here's some more views of it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rathbonemuseum.com Posted May 10, 2014 Share #31 Posted May 10, 2014 Beverly Craft wings obverse. The most telltale sign of the pattern is the low-definition inset "pebbles" in the corner of the shoulder. No other USAAF wing has that element. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rathbonemuseum.com Posted May 10, 2014 Share #32 Posted May 10, 2014 Beverly Craft wings reverse. Because of the unique nature of the embossing press that C.C. Veneman ended up using, each wing has a central depression where the embossing die would hit a center punch to give some rise and dimension to the obverse of the center device. Otherwise the reverse of the wings are totally flat and smooth. And yes, for some reason, BEVERLYCRAFT have their findings attached in the reverse manner from most other pinback wings. Maybe it was that "peg-leg character"? Who knows. You will usually find hallmarked BEVERLYCRAFT vs. unmarked graduation wings. I believe this had to do with Veneman's sales strategy which was to distribute to PXs and men's stores for individual purchase vs. direct to the military bulk purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted May 13, 2014 Share #33 Posted May 13, 2014 This wing just sold for 282 dollars.I guess someone thought it was for real Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuftStalg1 Posted May 13, 2014 Share #34 Posted May 13, 2014 Looks real to me. Fake Beverly Craft? I have seen one of these before, maybe here somewhere. Beverly craft die struck, but someone cut the hinge and clasp off. I think it could be restored though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted May 13, 2014 Share #35 Posted May 13, 2014 I realized that it was a Beverlycraft wing from reading about the palm tree and the low relief "berries" on another thread.What had me scratching my head was the "R" and the crazy repair job,which I'm guessing is a "field" repair.Neat piece though.If it were mine I would leave it as is and not try to repair the hinge. LuftStalg1,I did a search here on the forum and found this: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/204462-recon-r-ww2-pilots-wings-just-got-after-2-years-of-trying-to-buy-them/?hl=%2Bradar+%2Bwing&do=findComment&comment=1600903 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuftStalg1 Posted May 13, 2014 Share #36 Posted May 13, 2014 It is the same but has the relief on the back of the shield. Same "R" and everything. I just pulled the photos from the thread. Here ya go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted May 13, 2014 Share #37 Posted May 13, 2014 Ah yes.Wow,very nice.Thanks!The design on the shield on both of them is interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffP Posted May 13, 2014 Share #38 Posted May 13, 2014 It's a real wing. Started life as a Beverly Craft pilot wing. Subsequently altered by a jeweler to add the "R" probably for radio as that was the usual request. The versions I have seen were completely custom jobs done in India. This seems to have at least started with a US manufactured wing. This badge was not modified in India. It was modified directly by Beverly Craft here in the USA rather than a jeweler acting independent from the firm. . . thus making it a nice addition for someone who just had to add it to his collection. Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuftStalg1 Posted May 13, 2014 Share #39 Posted May 13, 2014 It looks as though it was struck with the pebbled shield rather then the standard pilot shield being altered later to have pebbling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17Guy Posted May 14, 2014 Share #40 Posted May 14, 2014 This is a perfectly legitimate wing badge by Beverlycraft. As Cliff said, the company most likely modified it on request. Wings of this type have been seen modified to have an "E" or "R", probably from a pilot wing. Both are exceptionally rare and even though this example has a bad pin replacement, it is none the less very rare. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share #41 Posted May 14, 2014 This is what I believe is a theater-made Beverly Craft glider wing. It could have been made in the US, but I suspect not. The "G" is made of what looks to be a bit of aircraft aluminum or similar metal. This came off of an 8th AAF patched uniform. I had visited a thrift store and the owner told me he had just sold the uniform to some guy an hour earlier. But since the owner wanted more for the wing than the guy wanted to pay, he had simply unpinned it and that is how I got it. I was sorry to have had missed the uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted May 15, 2014 Share #42 Posted May 15, 2014 This is a perfectly legitimate wing badge by Beverlycraft. As Cliff said, the company most likely modified it on request. Wings of this type have been seen modified to have an "E" or "R", probably from a pilot wing. Both are exceptionally rare and even though this example has a bad pin replacement, it is none the less very rare. John Thanks for the info John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted May 15, 2014 Share #43 Posted May 15, 2014 This is what I believe is a theater-made Beverly Craft glider wing. It could have been made in the US, but I suspect not. The "G" is made of what looks to be a bit of aircraft aluminum or similar metal. This came off of an 8th AAF patched uniform. I had visited a thrift store and the owner told me he had just sold the uniform to some guy an hour earlier. But since the owner wanted more for the wing than the guy wanted to pay, he had simply unpinned it and that is how I got it. I was sorry to have had missed the uniform. Wow,sad story there.But at least you have the wing.That's an interesting piece.Please excuse my ignorance,but if I understand you correctly,this may be a theatre made wing cast from a Beverlycraft one,or it is a US made wing that has been theatre modified with the addition of the "G" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share #44 Posted May 15, 2014 Its a standard Beverly Craft pilot wing, but someone added the "G" to it after the fact. The "G" is hand cut and soldered to the face of the pilot wing, converting it from the standard pilot wing to a glider pilot wing. This is a bit different than the "R" wing which apparently was made and sold that way by Beverly Craft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17Guy Posted May 23, 2014 Share #45 Posted May 23, 2014 So here are a few pics of the Beverlycraft "R" wing badge. After having it in hand, there is little doubt to me, that the replacement pin is period. The wear marks indicate to me that it was worn for some time with this pin and the low quality of the repair makes me think the replacement was done in theater. Personally, I think the repair gives this rare wing even more character. Best, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-17Guy Posted May 23, 2014 Share #46 Posted May 23, 2014 Close up front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschwartz Posted May 23, 2014 Share #47 Posted May 23, 2014 Beautiful wing John. If you look at it it looks like this wing has seen a lot of period use. As we all know the original pin and catch on a Beverlycraft are reversed but if you look at the solder marks from the old pin and catch they appear to be in the normal orientation with the hinge on the right and the catch on the left. Perhaps this wing has had two pin replacements. The old solder mark on the right hand side is a rectangle which is usually indicative of a hinge and the left hand side is a circle which is usually indicative of the catch. I think you got yourself a wing that was worn A LOT!! Even more history in the piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mghcal Posted May 23, 2014 Share #48 Posted May 23, 2014 Glad you got this one John, what a beautiful wing! Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted May 24, 2014 Share #49 Posted May 24, 2014 It is a great piece,I agree,that "field repair" adds character to the wing and is a great example of "G.I" ingenuity and resourcefulness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted July 14, 2014 Share #50 Posted July 14, 2014 Happy Sunday all, I'm kind of excited about this wing so I wanted to post it right away.I've been wanting a Beverlycraft wing for awhile,and when I saw this one come up for sale,I bid on it,not thinking I would win it,as it was part of a named group that was being pieced out,but decided to give it a try anyway. Well I won it,and got it for 69 bucks and change!I think this one slipped under the wire as minutes before a patch from the group went for almost 429.00(a very nice patch BTW). The wing is named to Merle Lee,a fighter pilot with the US Army Air Force 344TH Fighter Squadron.He served in the Aleutian Islands during the war and flew a P-38. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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