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WWI Aviation Badges- Are they Authentic?


linasl
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Hello Everyone,

I found this lot of badges at an auction.  The house claims they WWI US military aviation insignias.  Are they original?  Do you know what they are for?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.  Linas

WWI insignias.jpg

WWI insignias 2.jpg

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I don't know if they are real or copies as I haven't seen enough of them but from top to bottom you have the 103rd Aero Squadron, 93rd Aero Squadron and the 168th Aero Squadron.  I don't know if there were variants of these pins but a 103rd Aero Squadron I have seen in the past has a visible swastika in the top most circular head dress piece which your pin lacks.  The 93rd Aero Squadron pin looks real with the older "T" hinge but I have seen a copy that was very convincingly engraved and had this very same "T" hinge pin back.  

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
On 2/6/2021 at 9:29 AM, blind pew said:

I directed Ron Burkey to these. He said they are not originals.

Wowser- looking at the ebay ads, the guy is taking the information pretty hard and is insisting that the pieces are 100% authentic. I think that when sellers go on rants about everyone telling him the pieces are fake, but saying they are all full of crap, immediately indicates to any potential buyer who does not know any better than the items are indeed fake. 

 

Everyone has been stuck with a fake now and then. What do you do? Chalk it up to experience and face the facts. 

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  • 8 months later...

Very interesting.  Originals may have been privately commissioned by members or former members of the unit in question. in order to commemorate their service time. I have run across references, primarily among crew members of German U-boat crews in WW2, where they either had made or made themselves miniature insignia of the ship they were serving on.  Generally they seem to have been worn on the service cap.  Regardless they were entirely unofficial.  Even though these pins are U.S. Airservice related it is possible that the same situation applied.

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