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2 more wings to Share


Jay V
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Hi Guys

Thought I would share todays new wings. Both are just marked sterling but both nice .On the air crew wing it comes with a case not sure if its original to the wing but that's how it was stored for years.Any info would be awesome.Thanks and enjoy,Jay

 

 

post-564-0-29879800-1417482062.jpg

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Thanks Russ!! Fast question Please Russ do you think the wings are original to the box or is it a Marriage

 

Keep in mind the U.S. Army Air Force didn't want to display any particular favoritism to one jewelry manufacturer over another, hence the lack of hallmarks on 'Graduation' wings....and that would likely be true for presentation cases as well, if they were even used.

 

I rather doubt the Air Crew wing was made by H&H. And since your presentation box is distinctively hallmarked, it would have most likely been a private purchase as well. H&H did indeed produce a few full size USAAF aerial badges with their winged eagle hallmark clearly visible on the back. It's very possible one of their hallmarked Army Pilot or Navy Aviator badges occupied that box originally.

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Russ

So if I understand you correctly,the wing is private purchase put into the H-H case, but the case is original and could have had a H-H marked badge in it? Jay

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I apologize for my poor wording. Let me try again...

 

I don't know for certain....and this is strictly speculation on my part, but I believe your nice presentation box was likely originally used for a higher-grade private purchase badge like a H&H hallmarked Pilot or Aviator badge.

 

Your Air Crew wing certainly appears to be an authentic period piece. But it also appears to be the more common type of unmarked badge issued by the Army upon graduation. I don't believe an "issue" or "graduation" wing would have started out in a private purchase presentation box. Somewhere along their seventy years of existence, the Air Crew badge ended up in the H&H box.

 

Just my two cents...

 

Russ

 

 

 

 

 

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Just to add a comment or two- the mottled appearance of the back side of the wing makes me think that it has been sitting on velvet or some other "plush" surface for many, many years. While I agree with Russ that I would expect to see a higher quality wing in the case, I do not think that it is beyond the realm of possibility that the wing inside the case didn't originally come in the case. Additionally, even though this wing COULD be a graduation wing, it is also possible that this one was a PX purchase. Now, imagine the scenario- GI goes to the PX to buy an "extra" wing to send home to the girlfriend, or mom. He plunks down his hard earned 65 cents and buys the wing. He then asks the girl behind the counter if she has a box that the wing could go in since it is going to be a gift. She pulls out this H-H box and the wing goes inside.

 

Flash forward 70 years and a bunch of guys are sitting around their keyboards trying to figure out if 1) the wing is actually an unmarked Hilborn Hamburger wing or 2) it is in the wrong case. :lol:

 

Great wing!

Allan

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It's also plausible in my mind that the guy bought a "nicer" set of private purchase wings and placed his "graduation" wings in the new box for storage.

Maybe if you could find the original Airman's uniform, you could find the H+H wings on it?

So yes, probably placed in the "wrong" box close to 70 years ago. ;)

 

-Brian

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Thanks Allan H and Brobs for the comments. Allan I about fell off the couch laughing reading your comment :).But could be a reasonable answer.Thanks again to everyone who has responded.Jay

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