dave307 Posted February 12, 2018 Share #1 Posted February 12, 2018 I am new to collecting wings. I purchased this collection recently and am tryng to learn all i can. I usually collect military knives and bayonets but i have branched out lately adding a collection of wings to my ww 2 items. Since i am new to this any comments on what i have would be greatly appreciated. What is a good book to buy that gives the collector all that he needs to buy original ww 2 wings ? I have so many questions I don't where to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted February 12, 2018 Share #2 Posted February 12, 2018 Nice assortment!That's what I call an instant collection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted February 12, 2018 Share #3 Posted February 12, 2018 Larger pictures will help if you want specific information. Is it one tray of wings? How many paratrooper wings are there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave307 Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share #4 Posted February 12, 2018 I’m getting totally absorbed in this. I had never even seen one of these before I bought this collection. Now I have allot of research to do which I like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdogchristy90 Posted February 12, 2018 Share #5 Posted February 12, 2018 Im getting totally absorbed in this. I had never even seen one of these before I bought this collection. Now I have allot of research to do which I like I'd start by identifying the "type" of each wing as well as looking at the back of them and trying to figure out the "maker mark" of each. I'm not a wing guy but taking it one step at a time, that'd be my first thing. Type and Maker Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave307 Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share #6 Posted February 12, 2018 I will post some better pictures in a smaller grouping. There’s 40 total so 2 trays. I have to paratrooper wings. 1 that says sterling gp and the other just has sterling. The glider wings are in country made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplecanopy Posted February 12, 2018 Share #7 Posted February 12, 2018 Agree, nice collection. You asked for advice and you came to the right place. There are many experienced collectors here that are willing to give their opinions. You are new to collecting wings, so from my perspective here are a few tips. 1. Decide on what you are going to collect. There are two main types of wings, Flight wings- for those who operate aircraft and Parachute wings -for those who jump from perfectly good aircraft. Each category has many different variations, manufacturers, levels of expertise and branches of service. WWII wings would be from 1941-1945. If you have documented evidence (Photos, service records, award certificates etc) along with a set of wings, one could perhaps believe that they may have something that came from a certain period. 2. Carefully compare your wings with known WWII examples. Provide closeup photos (front and back) and post here and the members of this forum will be happy to let you know what they think about them. 3. Set reasonable goals for your self. No one collector ever has them all, so enjoy your collection and always seek to improve it. For a really good reference book on WWII Parachute Jump Wings, I recommend HEROES in our MIDST Volume 1 by LTC John R. Angolia. It has numerous photos of authentic WWII jump wings plus the history of U.S. Paratroopers and Airborne units. For Flight wings, I am sure there are good references too. I'll let someone else tell you about them. Have fun collecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted February 12, 2018 Share #8 Posted February 12, 2018 As for WWII wing references, I highly recommend the 2 volumes of the Pinks and Greens, Silver Wings series. Also Bob Schwartz web site http://www.ww2wings.com/main.shtml And this forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted February 12, 2018 Share #9 Posted February 12, 2018 Not sure how much $$$ you paid for the collection, but buying wings and a lack of knowledge about them can be a lethal combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave307 Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted February 12, 2018 I can say one thing. This sure does take up allot less space than my bayonet collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted February 12, 2018 Share #11 Posted February 12, 2018 Although while I don't see too many super rare wings, I don't see any obvious clunkers either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted February 12, 2018 Share #12 Posted February 12, 2018 Two other excellent sources of Wing info are these websites: http://www.anaspides.net/military/aviator_wings_american.html and Patricks site: http://pfrost.bol.ucla.edu/Home.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwnorma Posted February 12, 2018 Share #13 Posted February 12, 2018 Hello? - Please state the nature of the emergency. Uh, yes. I'd like to report a wing collector. - Existing or new? New, i'm afraid. - Is it... bad? Bad I'm afraid. - [sigh] it always is... Is there anything we can do? - Well, we recommend a full dose of Duncan Campbell's book in the morning and Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens before bed. Also, silver polish may or may not be advised. Thank you. So is there no hope? - I'm afraid not. At this point, just try to keep the wing collector comfortable. Flea markets or gun shows may provide temporary relief but for the worst cases, a trip to the Show of shows may be required. Alas, there is no known cure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave307 Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share #14 Posted February 12, 2018 Kurt’A Your right but for what I paid for these , it wasn’t’ much of a risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave307 Posted February 12, 2018 Author Share #15 Posted February 12, 2018 Some of the makers are aug c frank, Blackinton,leVelle, lgb,vanguard, gemco and more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtA Posted February 13, 2018 Share #16 Posted February 13, 2018 Some of the makers are aug c frank, Blackinton,leVelle, lgb,vanguard, gemco and more Well, being that you didn't pay much and those are some of the makers, you may have had a huge score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted February 13, 2018 Share #17 Posted February 13, 2018 Nice instant collection! I would start by sorting them by WW2 wings (USAAF) and post-war (USAF and USA) wings and by size. The Army wings after the Air Force split in 1947 have an inverted triangular shaped shield in the center, and I see a few in there. Senior wings have a star on top and master (Army)/command (USAF) wings have a wreath around the star. Just quick observations, the green circled ones are Army, post-WW2. The yellow are all Aircrew wings in uniform 3" and shirt 2" sizes (from what I can tell), and the red circled are WW2 Aerial Gunner with a winged bullet, often confused with bombardier which is just a falling bomb with no wings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted February 13, 2018 Share #18 Posted February 13, 2018 The blue circled are bombardiers 2" shirt sized and the red are a good example of command, senior, and basic pilot. Hope that helps, I only know the different types, I can't help when it comes to specific makers or authenticity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lsparks Posted February 13, 2018 Share #19 Posted February 13, 2018 Your Jump Wings with the star on top (sr parachutist) was authorized in 49 IIRC and master parachutist (star with wreath) authorized in 52, IIRC. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave307 Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share #20 Posted February 13, 2018 Thanks for the help. I have a question ? should I post additional pictures here for info or start something new. Thanks for the help. Anyways here's 2 wings. One I know what it is and one I don't know anything about. any idea on values ? I want to insure these. I just don't know what they are worth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted February 13, 2018 Share #21 Posted February 13, 2018 The top is a 'sweetheart' piece I believe that was a bracelet at one time, bought for a girlfriend or wife. The bottom are WW2 aircrew wings by LeVelle that look legit to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted February 13, 2018 Share #22 Posted February 13, 2018 The top item is probably part of a bracelet or necklace. It is nice but not worth much (no more than 10-15$, realistically--or what ever scrap sterling is getting). The other wing is a very nice and relatively rarely encountered LeVelle marked aircrewman wing. AC wings aren't all that valuable, but you could get a premium for one with this hallmark because you don't find them very often. One could quibble, but as for value, I would think about the 50--75$ range would be reasonable... maybe up to about 100$ if you found someone who really wanted an example. Both are from the WWII era and very nice. I would keep posting on this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave307 Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share #23 Posted February 14, 2018 Some gunners wings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted February 14, 2018 Share #24 Posted February 14, 2018 very nice. The third from the top is probably what is called a Bell wing. Made (probably) by the Bell manufacturing company. They have become very popular the last few years. I also want to say that the two top wings are very similar to the Goodwear Fabrics marked wings. Its hard to remember, but I think only the 2 inch wing shows up as hallmarked. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/157659-goodwear-fabrics-gunner-wing-good/?hl=goodwear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mghcal Posted February 14, 2018 Share #25 Posted February 14, 2018 A really nice collection. Congratulations. Do you have a photo of the back of the command pilot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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