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[WWI BALLOON WINGS/ UNIFORM] The Saga of Jimmy's Balloon Wings....


Jayhawker353
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When I first started avidly collecting WWI US Militaria I became quickly familiar with a local character who many of the midwestern circle will remember. Jimmy was most easily identified when I referred to him as "Daisy Dukes and Cowboy Boots" (He preferred unpleasantly short cut-off shorts year round: they showed off his running horse tattoos). He set up at the Wichita and Tulsa fleas, the Wichita Militaria Collectors Club Show and the Hastings Militaria Show. Jimmy in general was an agreeable guy to talk to and I spent a lot of mornings standing in line with him at estate sales. Although his early morning banter was always riddled with a cringe-worthy variety of loogies and snot rockets, he did have some real "thigh slappers" in the repertoire.

Here comes the cold truth about Jimmy, and I don't say this to disparage the dead, but I say it because it is relevant to these wings. Jimmy was openly willing to look you in the eye and sell you a fake. I saw him do it several times. In fact he burnt me on my first major forgery, a $900 lesson that is particularly hard to stomach when you are 22 years old. Most of us who knew Jimmy knew about his fake wings, forged items and medals with names crudely scratched in the back. Supposedly his brother, who operated in Texas cobbled most of it together and Jimmy inherited the forgeries.

Jimmy was mostly deaf and he yelled me the tale of his balloon wing collection many times. At one point I offered him a large sum for an original wing, if he could come up with it. A year later he opened a booth in an antique mall and placed in it a definitely bad pair of WWI balloonist wings with the price tag of $1,195.95. Someone came in to my shop and told me about them and Cookieman and I got in the car and were there within a few minutes to investigate. Legends of his balloon wings stayed alive and active with Jimmy until he died suddenly three or four years ago of complications from a heart attack.

Jimmy's nephews inherited his collectibles upon his death. They took over the flea market operations and I once again offered them a large sum for Jimmy's balloon wings, if they could come up with a real pair. By now his property has been scattered to the far corners. The local legend of "Jimmy's unopened storage locker" has become enough of a joke to Dad and I that we have kidded for more than a year that we plan to buy a conex box, christen it the "Jimmy's unopened storage locker" and charge admission. Yesterday someone came by with some ex-Jimmy debris that cost him $300 for a truck load, and he filled the truck. Another pair of pickers came to me with word that they were "breaking the padlocks" off of "Jimmy's unopened storage locker" to pick it (this is 3-4 years after his death.) And sure enough they were the ones that finally found it. There were a couple of good EM air service uniforms mixed in. It was under a pile of modern BDUs and a dirty USAF party suit. Several fakes were turned up and finally a pair of balloon wings on a uniform.

 

I initially said I didn't like them. The casting of the feathers appears too crude to me. The impression of the "Sterling" stamp seemed wrong. But cause to doubt my opinion came when I saw the same pair of wings attributed in John Maguire's More Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens. This pair is attributed and from an older collection that I am not familiar with. It is a pair with a bar catch and jimmy's wings have crudely attached brass posts.

 

So after all, the saga of Jimmy's balloon wings continues... Please share your opinions and help me make an informed decision on what to do about these wings. Thanks!

 

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I suspect you know the answer to your question. I would say... nope. There are some good examples of that wing posted here I think.

 

I have to agree with Patrick, as Duncan used to say "I would put that in separate case with suspect wings".

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As in Duncan C.ampbell? I only know a lot of these names by their books.

 

Yes, as in that Duncan Campbell. A number of us had the pleasure of talking to him. Some of us, like Cliff, knew him really well. I talked on the phone with him a couple of times early in my collecting career. He was with out a doubt the "Godfather" of wing collectors and was a true scholar and gentleman. He was very kind an would share knowledge with young/novice collectors freely. Those of us who actually got a chance to know him could tell all sorts of nice stories about the man.

 

His book was the first real reference many of us had, ESPECIALLY in WWI wings. Russ Huff never rose to the same level of respect and scholarship (not to pick on him) but truly Mr. Campbell was the Godfather. Even today, much of his wisdom and insight is quoted and held to be dogma by many collectors.

 

So, yes.... that Duncan!

 

P

 

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Yes, as in that Duncan Campbell. A number of us had the pleasure of talking to him. Some of us, like Cliff, knew him really well. I talked on the phone with him a couple of times early in my collecting career. He was with out a doubt the "Godfather" of wing collectors and was a true scholar and gentleman. He was very kind an would share knowledge with young/novice collectors freely. Those of us who actually got a chance to know him could tell all sorts of nice stories about the man.

 

His book was the first real reference many of us had, ESPECIALLY in WWI wings. Russ Huff never rose to the same level of respect and scholarship (not to pick on him) but truly Mr. Campbell was the Godfather. Even today, much of his wisdom and insight is quoted and held to be dogma by many collectors.

 

So, yes.... that Duncan!

 

P

 

 

Duncan was a gentleman to the bone and would never come right out and tell someone they had a piece of crap on their hands. His usual comment as I mentioned earlier was "I would put that in a separate case with suspect wings". When he uttered these simple words one could assume that the item in question was no good. No doubt he set the bar on publications concerning not only wings but US insignia from the Rev War up. In fact he told me one time that wings were just a side line for him and his true love was the helmet and belt plates from the early days of our nation. There will never be another Duncan Campbell and the collecting arena lost a true giant with his passing. Just an additional comment, his wife was just as generous and gracious as was Duncan, she was truly a sweetheart.

 

Terry

 

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An excerpt from the 1917 Army regulations change. I re-typed the text to clear up the printing to make it legible..

A white embroidered WING should read for observer

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  • 4 months later...

While this wing is similar in style to the Fleischman wing in More Silver Wings, the detail is much less crisp. The Fleischman wing is also pin back with a drop in style catch. I would bet this is a lost wax casting of a a real wing.

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