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Final two WW1 Wings


hawk3370
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These are my pride and glory, both made by Sweeney and so hall marked. A Bombing Military Aviator and Reserve Military Aviator in Sterling.

post-6022-0-20697100-1585237223_thumb.jpg

post-6022-0-76469600-1585237252_thumb.jpg

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Really splendid! It's nice to see these rare wings from you guys.

 

Didn't you pick up the Sweeney pilot wings from ebay? Cool to see that sometimes there are treasures there.

 

 

 

 

These are my pride and glory, both made by Sweeney and so hall marked. A Bombing Military Aviator and Reserve Military Aviator in Sterling.

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Really splendid! It's nice to see these rare wings from you guys.

 

Didn't you pick up the Sweeney pilot wings from ebay? Cool to see that sometimes there are treasures there.

 

 

 

 

 

You are correct the dealer had them identified as Eisenstadt. After the auction he was kind enough to cancel the sale and say he had made a mistake in the listing and didn't want to cheat me. I suspect he realized his mistake and would relist them at a much higher price. I informed him that wasn't going to get it and to send the wings which he did. Turned out to be a nice surprise. You are right once in a while one finds a treasure on e-bay, not often but it does happen.

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Wonderful to see both! Much more research has to be done on the matter but there seems to have been a trade relationship between Sweeney in Houston and Eisenstadt in St Louis!

 

Tremendous stuff and proof that WW1 wings are still out there!

 

Chris

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Yes- good pick up.

 

You are correct the dealer had them identified as Eisenstadt. After the auction he was kind enough to cancel the sale and say he had made a mistake in the listing and didn't want to cheat me. I suspect he realized his mistake and would relist them at a much higher price. I informed him that wasn't going to get it and to send the wings which he did. Turned out to be a nice surprise. You are right once in a while one finds a treasure on e-bay, not often but it does happen.

 

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I remember that wing on ebay (2/20/18). I asked others for opinions and mostly got the "thumbs down", so I didn't bid! I'm glad it went to someone who has appreciated it and posted it here for others to see. You got a very good price on it!

 

I guess knowledge is king and you were able to correctly identify it.

 

It would have been a shame to end up lost to history.

Wonderful to see both! Much more research has to be done on the matter but there seems to have been a trade relationship between Sweeney in Houston and Eisenstadt in St Louis!

 

Tremendous stuff and proof that WW1 wings are still out there!

 

Chris

 

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Unless I am mis-recalling (it has been a while) I think the badge discussed was one of these:

 

post-594-0-66960100-1585345536_thumb.jpeg

As you can see, this is a somewhat cruder wing than Terry's lovely Sweeney made piece, but is obviously copying its overall design. The crudeness is especially evident in the feathering.

 

Most collectors have mixed feelings about this crude version of this wing. Some think this is a period piece, where a local, and less talented jeweler copied the Eisenstadt/Sweeney design. While others think it is of more recent manufacture. The ambivalence makes these cruder versions (copies?) somewhat less desired by collectors.

 

Chris

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Unless I am mis-recalling (it has been a while) I think the badge discussed was one of these:

 

 

attachicon.gif Unknown - 1.jpeg

As you can see, this is a somewhat cruder wing than Terry's lovely Sweeney made piece, but is obviously copying its overall design. The crudeness is especially evident in the feathering.

 

Most collectors have mixed feelings about this crude version of this wing. Some think this is a period piece, where a local, and less talented jeweler copied the Eisenstadt/Sweeney design. While others think it is of more recent manufacture. The ambivalence makes these cruder versions (copies?) somewhat less desired by collectors.

 

Chris

 

Well Chris........ As I have said before, I would not know a good wing if it bit me in the butt, so it is not surprising that I had mistaken those wings.

 

That is why it is VERY MUCH appreciated that you guys take the time to help educate the rest of us with limited experience.

 

Thanks for the explanation!

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Blind pew, I think you are as much an expert as the rest of us. We all have opinions, and that is mostly what we share. Even "expert opinions", are still just opinions. I can't tell you the number of times I have been wrong or corrected. I have always felt that the most important thing to do is be critical, but ultimately decide for yourself. The more wings you look at the more you know, but that doesn't mean you will be right more frequently. I think you will just make less costly mistakes. LOL.

 

P

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Blind pew, I think you are as much an expert as the rest of us...

 

I concur with Patrick. I don't believe anyone here, or for that matter anyone I know, holds themselves out as an expert on early wings. The body of knowledge you have amassed, far exceeds that of many.

 

I believe, the most important quality in a wing collector is a sincere desire to learn about them. Much of the early research done on wings was done in the pre-internet period. There is so much more primary material accessible today, it is perhaps inevitable that some older theory has fallen by the wayside.

 

I bought my first WW1 wing in 1984. Since then, it has never stopped amazing me how complex the subject matter is, and how the more I find out, the more I discover there is to learn. Add in the challenge of fending off the fakes and it makes for quite an exciting hobby.

 

My hat is off to all you lads! Thanks for making it fun.

 

Chris

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