rustywings Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share #26 Posted October 28, 2014 Comparison shot of the last two... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilroy56 Posted October 28, 2014 Share #27 Posted October 28, 2014 Superb collection! Thank you for sharing. Dominique Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted October 29, 2014 Share #28 Posted October 29, 2014 Some great wings there! A totally under appreciated field. If I had things to do differently, I may have started out my collecting career focusing on the smaller "sweatheart" or cap-size wings. Rarely faked, easily affordable and as well crafted and interesting as their larger brothers. What is amazing is the depth and quality of US wings that Russ has put together. Well done and thanks for sharing. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksman Posted October 29, 2014 Share #29 Posted October 29, 2014 Absolutly Fantastic Wings! Thanks for showing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share #30 Posted October 29, 2014 Thank you Dominique, Patrick and Marksman for your kind responses. I agree with you... So far I've not seen any fakes being made with the small ones. And for the most part they are very reasonably priced. Recently there have been a number of exceptions on ebay involving WWI cap badges with desirable hallmarks selling in the $250 to $350 range. Of course that's a small price to pay when the same hallmarked wing in full size is valued in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. Here's one of my favorites. At two inches in width, it's a little larger than the previous examples. Maybe Cliff or one of our other knowledgeable members can tell me who made this detailed little WWI wing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share #31 Posted October 29, 2014 Pin-back with drop-in rotating catch and incised STERLING mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay V Posted October 29, 2014 Share #32 Posted October 29, 2014 Wow That's one nice wing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share #33 Posted October 29, 2014 This 1.5 inch wide little gem is hand chased and has an Eisenstadt look to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share #34 Posted October 29, 2014 The reverse is unmarked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share #35 Posted October 29, 2014 At only 1.25 inches in width, this is my smallest WWI Pilot wing with gold 'US' letters. The back is marked STERLING. Please note that for the most part WWI badges, including these small wings, have a slightly thicker pin than their WWII counterparts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share #36 Posted October 29, 2014 Group shot of the previous three... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skypilot6670 Posted October 29, 2014 Share #37 Posted October 29, 2014 Russ The 2 inch you posted has some similarities to the G.W. Haltom Co. Fort Worth (thanks to Bobs Site)the hand chased seems like a Homrighous out of Memphis.Several items on the 2 inch including the US and the extra curl in the shoulder don't match.However stylistically the 2 inch and Haltom seem to be made by the same hand. Fun to guess and I have no supporting info.Thanks Russ for posting more of your wonderful collection. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share #38 Posted October 30, 2014 On 10/29/2014 at 7:19 PM, skypilot6670 said: Russ The 2 inch you posted has some similarities to the G.W. Haltom Co. Fort Worth (thanks to Bobs Site)the hand chased seems like a Homrighous out of Memphis.Several items on the 2 inch including the US and the extra curl in the shoulder don't match.However stylistically the 2 inch and Haltom seem to be made by the same hand. Fun to guess and I have no supporting info.Thanks Russ for posting more of your wonderful collection. Mike Your right Mike...there are a lot of similarities between the full size Haltom-made Pilot badge and the smaller two inch wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share #39 Posted October 30, 2014 Here's a 1 & 7/8 inch wide Kinney Co. made WWI Pilot wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share #40 Posted October 30, 2014 Reverse with a drop-in rotating catch and incised 'Kinney Co.' hallmark and 'STERLING' mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share #41 Posted October 30, 2014 A two inch wide Robbins Co. style Pilot badge with incised stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share #42 Posted October 30, 2014 The back displays a Tiffany-style lever catch and incised 'STERLING' mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted October 30, 2014 Author Share #43 Posted October 30, 2014 Group shot of the previous three wings. For me, the modest variations from one example to the next is what makes collecting these aerial badges so interesting. Please feel free to post your early variations on this thread as well... Russ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted October 31, 2014 Share #44 Posted October 31, 2014 That is quite the collection of Wings you have there.I enjoyed looking and reading about them.Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share #45 Posted November 1, 2014 Thank you Patchcollector. I appreciate your comments and input. Here's a wing which is similar in design to the example illustrated in frame #41, but produced from a different die. The tips of these wings don't turn upward as much as the ones above. This wing displays additional hand etching along the perimeter of the shield, but lacks quality in the star strikes. Some of the stars look like they've been double and triple tapped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share #46 Posted November 1, 2014 The back has an incised STERLING & 10K mark. (The 10K mark is indicative of the gold content in the 'US' lettering.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Costa Posted November 1, 2014 Share #47 Posted November 1, 2014 RUSS, LOVE THOSE SMALL WINGS. VERY NICE EXAMPLES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share #48 Posted November 1, 2014 A third example which seems to combine the characteristics of the two other wings. This one has both upswept wing tips and additional etching details in the shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share #49 Posted November 1, 2014 RUSS, LOVE THOSE SMALL WINGS. VERY NICE EXAMPLES Thank you my friend... The back of the third example is marked "STERLING - WING." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustywings Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share #50 Posted November 1, 2014 Here's a comparison shot of the three Robbins-style wings listed above. Lots of small differences in the details and the lettering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now