donaldnol Posted March 26, 2021 Share #1 Posted March 26, 2021 got this super rare item in yesterday nice observer three inch wings by ludlow london with a unusual back hinge and pin and weighing around 16 grams marked sterling silver. overall checking it out it looks to be legit. thanks for looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted March 26, 2021 Share #2 Posted March 26, 2021 I hate to be the one to tell you, but I would walk very carefully around this wing. You can do a search for Ludlow made wings, and I fear that this one has many of the characteristics of a reproduction. First, the originals didn't seem to use these little "hallmark" plates. This is always a bad sign. Second, the wing is marked STERLING SILVER and is probably not (at least from the picture) actually sterling silver. The British had very strict metal content laws. A sterling silver insignia made England during the war would have been very rare, and would have been marked is a very specific matter using British assay marks. Third, it looks like it is a casting. Fourth, the catch and the hinge/pin are wrong for Ludlow Sorry, but then again, it is just my opinion Here is a post showing some of the characteristics of a Ludlow wing (checkout post 10-13) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponyradish Posted March 26, 2021 Share #3 Posted March 26, 2021 I agree, not good. Pony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldnol Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share #4 Posted March 27, 2021 22 hours ago, pfrost said: I hate to be the one to tell you, but I would walk very carefully around this wing. You can do a search for Ludlow made wings, and I fear that this one has many of the characteristics of a reproduction. First, the originals didn't seem to use these little "hallmark" plates. This is always a bad sign. Second, the wing is marked STERLING SILVER and is probably not (at least from the picture) actually sterling silver. The British had very strict metal content laws. A sterling silver insignia made England during the war would have been very rare, and would have been marked is a very specific matter using British assay marks. Third, it looks like it is a casting. Fourth, the catch and the hinge/pin are wrong for Ludlow Sorry, but then again, it is just my opinion Here is a post showing some of the characteristics of a Ludlow wing (checkout post 10-13) well as usual your right my brother and i looked it over a number of times and have seen the pits where the u hook is and determined this to be casting defects and the sterling silver mark was casted in, dang it looks like silver. got this from gwhistorian war relics shop usually there stuff is the real deal, except this item, returning this soon maybe some other buyer will get caught in this loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHillen Posted March 27, 2021 Share #5 Posted March 27, 2021 If there is a bright side here, in addition to getting your money back, is that a new collector may read your post and learn what a bad Ludlow looks like. Funny, the Firmin and J R Gaunt wings seem to get the glory, but I really like Ludlow wings. I would love to find a Ludlow Observer and Bombardier wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldnol Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share #6 Posted March 28, 2021 15 hours ago, BHillen said: If there is a bright side here, in addition to getting your money back, is that a new collector may read your post and learn what a bad Ludlow looks like. Funny, the Firmin and J R Gaunt wings seem to get the glory, but I really like Ludlow wings. I would love to find a Ludlow Observer and Bombardier wing. me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now