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Scary looking US paratrooper wing HM RC-25


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I just saw this US basic paratrooper wing being sold out of the UK which to me is immediately suspect due to the fact that it is being sold out of the UK where so much bad stuff has come from over the years.  If you look at some of the other things being sold by the same eBay seller a number of pieces to include a glidertrooper wing (see photo) don't look right.  I don't know what to make of this paratrooper wing as the raised hallmark of RC-25 I've never come across before.  Usually with US manufactured insignia a single letter followed by a two digit number would indicate a current manufactured piece usually with rear clutch back pins instead of a pin back assembly.  However this is probably a foreign made piece with their own combination of lettering and numbering system.  The seller describes this piece as a WW2 "style" US paratrooper wing which would indicate that he or she doesn't think it is of WW2 vintage either.  Despite this piece being made of what looks like cooper with a silver wash what is scary about this piece is how well it is made.  If whomever manufactured this piece were to use sterling silver without the hallmark and chemically age the piece I believe it would fool a lot of people to include myself into thinking it was a genuine WW2 US paratrooper wing.   So could this be the next generation of fakes coming out of the UK?   Has anyone every come across one of these?  I guess it could have been a post war occupation piece as the rear catch looks similar to catches used on wings that were supposedly made in Germany after WW2.

 

  https://www.ebay.com/itm/255016764310?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

 

RC-25 Norfolk UK FAKE (2).jpg

RC-25 Norfolk UK FAKE (1).jpg

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triplecanopy

Most interesting. Looking over my list of manufacturers, I find R-25 which stands for Rainbow Emblems INC of Johnson R.I.  Not sure if that helps any, but it is close. I agree with you that the quality looks to be high and is doesn't appear to be cast. I've never seen this example before either.  I know that a lot of insignia are currently being made in China. Perhaps this is one to look out for.

 

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I was just wondering why you think it is a fake?  Because the hallmark is unusual?  I notice that that canopy of the parachute seems to be less detailed.  But it seems like it is die struck and the hardware looks good.  I suspect it could have been made anytime from yesterday back to the 40's.  Although my feeling is that is seems to be a post War/KW type-mid 60's feel. The pin and hinge are the sort that you find on Juarez and Bell made wings, I think.  The RC-25 could have been a catalog number or even a die/mold designation.  The die struck nature of the wing and the clean lines and workmanship seems about what I would expect for one of the insignia made in that time period.  The hallmark is a head scratcher, but I don't think I see anything that makes me think this is something made to fool the unwary.

 

I'm not a jump wing collector per se, and so don't have nearly as much insight as you fellows do, but if you were to show me this as an Air Force rating, I would just have said, "Cool beans, you have an interestingly marked wing".  I don't know that I would drop down a ton of $$$ on this. 

 

Just wondering.  I like it.  Have no idea or intelligent thoughts to add, but I do like it.

 

P

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Actually if you read the full description:

 

ABOUT US:  We specialise [sic] in fine quality modern made and vintage reproductions of World military medals, badges and insignia from WW1 to the present day. We also carry some original items and these are clearly marked GENUINE in the header.  All other items, including items that we are unable identify with certainty as genuine or reproduction, are sold as reproductions. This is particularly pertinent to GERMAN items - which have been extensively copied for at least 75 years.  Not withstanding this we offer an unconditional 30 day money back guarantee and will treat sympathetically any requests for returns after 30 days.  WE WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY WITH YOUR ORDER.

 

I was looking at a couple of interesting wings on this site and almost dropped a bid on an item then read the small print (so to speak).

 

I suspect that they are making reproductions (or having them made by someone else) for resale.  Kind of like a "He Who Shall Not Be Named" museum quality.  Sadly, I suspect in a few years, some of these will be making the rounds as "The Real Deal" on someone's table at a show. 

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If it is indeed a fake, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they were sourcing this shi* in China:  China is the source for many a faked collectable  these days: antique fakes, vintage toy fakes, vintage banks, brewerania, coin fakes, military fakes, stamps and more ad nauseum and are undermining a LOT of hobbies... The are a one country wrecking ball for the collector markets. I am seeing facebook pages of various types of collectors all screaming the same things.. sad.

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4 hours ago, pfrost said:

I was just wondering why you think it is a fake?  Because the hallmark is unusual?  I notice that that canopy of the parachute seems to be less detailed.  But it seems like it is die struck and the hardware looks good.  I suspect it could have been made anytime from yesterday back to the 40's.  Although my feeling is that is seems to be a post War/KW type-mid 60's feel. The pin and hinge are the sort that you find on Juarez and Bell made wings, I think.  The RC-25 could have been a catalog number or even a die/mold designation.  The die struck nature of the wing and the clean lines and workmanship seems about what I would expect for one of the insignia made in that time period.  The hallmark is a head scratcher, but I don't think I see anything that makes me think this is something made to fool the unwary.

 

I'm not a jump wing collector per se, and so don't have nearly as much insight as you fellows do, but if you were to show me this as an Air Force rating, I would just have said, "Cool beans, you have an interestingly marked wing".  I don't know that I would drop down a ton of $$$ on this. 

 

Just wondering.  I like it.  Have no idea or intelligent thoughts to add, but I do like it.

 

P

I don't know for sure that it is a fake wing but I don't trust any elite insignia coming out of the UK now a days on eBay.  I would guess something like 80 to 90% of the elite unit insignia coming out of the UK these days on eBay are fake.  To me this hallmark with a rear pin back assembly just doesn't go together.   If this was a clutch back piece with this hallmark then I wouldn't have any problems with this being something made recently.   I know that a number of countries in Asia and South America produce paratrooper wings similar to our design but none that I am familiar with use this type of of pin back assembly nor a hallmark like this.   The closest is the below picture of the post war German made occupation era glidertrooper wing which I spoke of that has a similar catch.  

 

 

German Variations (4).JPG

German Variations (5).JPG

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The Regalia Shop (Nicholas Morigi) is a well know and "honest" supplier of reproductions that sells them as such. They are a good place to go to if you need a repro filler and I know they've sourced hard to find original items in order to make excellent copies of them (eg Imperial German flight badge cases). 

 

The biggest problem with these places is when an item is resold by the collector who bought it - the association with the repro maker is removed.

 

For example, I saw another example of the following wing available from a collector a while ago and seriously considered buying it but it just did not look right - now I know why!

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254956684551

 

 

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Shouldn't the RC-25 give it away that it is not WW2 era.  What date does that code cover?   I have it stuck in my mind that the three digit codes were roughly VN era but I have never seen a four digit code so would naturally think it is even later.   You gotta love items listed with NO indication of age but every step taken to place it in a category and use terminology to make it as UNCLEAR as possible if it is real or not.   The common scheme to deceive without blatantly deceiving.  Ug!

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On the other hand, as collectors we have to always be on the watch--its our responsibility to police our own spending habits.  Caveat emptor as they say.  These aren't NEW schemes (as LuftStalg1 correctly point out).   That is why the forum is such a great resource as it offers well thought out and considered opinions, vast amount of hands on experience and years of collecting insight by so many diverse collectors.

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On 6/15/2021 at 9:08 PM, MikeK said:

The Regalia Shop (Nicholas Morigi) is a well know and "honest" supplier of reproductions that sells them as such. They are a good place to go to if you need a repro filler and I know they've sourced hard to find original items in order to make excellent copies of them (eg Imperial German flight badge cases). 

 

The biggest problem with these places is when an item is resold by the collector who bought it - the association with the repro maker is removed.

 

For example, I saw another example of the following wing available from a collector a while ago and seriously considered buying it but it just did not look right - now I know why!

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254956684551

 

 

 

ebay links disappear: for posterity:image.png.c4c4012243f1a844d62fb8a35dd50be8.png

 

image.png.703166b1961f1febdfe87e8a93b12df9.png

 

image.png.9c41102c96bdaae7aba8faf19b51aecb.png

 

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A clutch back version mounted on the manufactures card is currently up for bid by the same eBay seller.  The information on the card indicates it was produced in June of 1970.  They also produced a subdued version on the same card.

 

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/255021174827?hash=item3b6072502b:g:laAAAOSwjO5gviu8

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255021174827?hash=item3b6072502b:g:laAAAOSwjO5gviu8

 

 

 

 

 

 

R2.jpg

R1.jpg

R.jpg

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They have also reproduced the short lived 11th Air Assault badge with the same hallmark in antique silver finish and black subdued finish.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255011960402?hash=item3b5fe5b652:g:AUAAAOSwUh1gviqA

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255008662111?hash=item3b5fb3625f:g:SZoAAOSwvzVgviss

 

 

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