F. Kirchenbauer of Newark NJ: examples and patterns

[Belleauwood]

This wing appears in one of my other posts from last summer of my Marine pilot, Lt. Everett Brewer, forum post:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=22735

 

I have never taken the wing off the uniform to really look at it until today. Can some of the forum's wing guys tell me more about this wing. This beauty appears to be the one he wore for his ID photograph in his undress white uniform.

 

The pin opens to 45 degrees and no more. Tiffany style catch is marked 10K. Detail is beautiful. Who the hell made it?

 

Lt. Brewer's other wing is a Robbins.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Dennis

 

[Belleauwood]

[Belleauwood]

[Belleauwood]

[Belleauwood]

[Belleauwood]

 

[Belleauwood]

 

Any info on the Hallmark is greatly appreciated - DJ

[teufelhunde.ret]

Good Lord - that is a beautiful wing Dennis. I recall seeing a similar hallmark somewhere and cannot recall where on the web having seen it. I'm guessing here... it may be the Robbins Co out of Attleboro, Mass. They have been around since early 20th century and I understand at the beginning of their existence, they used a variety of hallmarks. Good to see this uniform again! Semper Fi, Darrell

[none]

Not a Robbins Hallmark. I am still researching to find out whos hallmark it is.

[Belleauwood]

Good Lord - that is a beautiful wing Dennis. I recall seeing a similar hallmark somewhere and cannot recall where on the web having seen it. I'm guessing here... it may be the Robbins Co out of Attleboro, Mass. They have been around since early 20th century and I understand at the beginning of their existence, they used a variety of hallmarks. Good to see this uniform again! Semper Fi, Darrell

 

 

Darrell, For sure not Robbins.

 

Brewer has a Robbins as well. It's funny, out of the 3 WW1 Marine pilots uniforms that I have had, all 3 had Robbins wings, and all three trained in the same air fields. My guess on the Robbins, is that when they graduated pilot's training, the all went to the same jeweler to purchase their wings. A guess, but not altogether too far fetched-

 

By the way, REALLY nice to hear from you.

 

Dennis

[Belleauwood]

Not a Robbins Hallmark. I am still researching to find out whos hallmark it is.

 

Many Thanks, Looking forward to hearing back from you. The wing is "delicate" and "thin". Not nearly a thick as my WW1 BB&B's on my other Naval Aviators.

 

Dennis

[CliffP]

.

It was made by F. Kirchenbauer, Incorporated of Newark, NJ.

[none]

That was helpful in iding the maker. Here is the F. Kirchenbauer hallmark so you can se it better.

 

 

 

http://www.chicagosilver.com/jmarks9.htm

[Belleauwood]

That was helpful in iding the maker. Here is the F. Kirchenbauer hallmark so you can se it better.

 

http://www.chicagosilver.com/jmarks9.htm

 

 

 

Many thanks for the help! Was Kirchenbaur a popular maker and did he crank them out in volumes like BB&B and Meyer?

 

DJ

[none]

I found them listed in the New Jersey Directory from 1918 and still in business in 1922 as shown in the listings on hallmarks. I can't seen to find anything else.

 

I have sent an e-mail to the Newark Museum that has a jewelry collection, etc and asked if they know anything about this company. If I hear from them I will post their reply.

 

Joe

[teufelhunde.ret]

Many thanks for the help! Was Kirchenbaur a popular maker and did he crank them out in volumes like BB&B and Meyer?

 

DJ

 

Happy to see the wing is properly ID'ed. I suspect that makes this wing much more scarse than the numbered wings the Navy bought from BB&B? Dennis, may we use the pic's in the forum's hallmark reference section? And BTW - do the other 3 Robbins wings you mention have hallmarks likt the latter wing shown her? Semper Fi, Darrell

[bobgee]

Happy to see the wing is properly ID'ed. I suspect that makes this wing much more scarse than the numbered wings the Navy bought from BB&B? Dennis, may we use the pic's in the forum's hallmark reference section? And BTW - do the other 3 Robbins wings you mention have hallmarks likt the latter wing shown her? Semper Fi, Darrell

 

Darrell - the Robbins wing Hall Mark which you show is a later HM; probably mid 1920s and beyond. Robbins initially used a HM which looked very much like a British HM and at first confused me way back when into thinking it was an English-produced badge. Below is the wing which I believe was USMC Col. Jacob Plachta's original wing, when he qualified as Naval Aviator No. 2872 at the Marine Flying Field, Miami, Florida in Feb 1919.

 

And Dennis, that is one beautiful wing! Great that you now know the maker of it! I'd never seen that mark. Semper Fi......Bob

 

[teufelhunde.ret]

.... Robbins initially used a HM which looked very much like a British HM and at first confused me way back when into thinking it was an English-produced badge. Below is the wing which I believe was USMC Col. Jacob Plachta's original wing, when he qualified as Naval Aviator No. 2872 at the Marine Flying Field, Miami, Florida in Feb 1919.

 

Thank you Bob for helping us out here with the info! And thats how I was mislead... somewhere I read they had several early "English" looking HM's.... guess we round up all these and place in the HM ref. sec. and BTW - great to see the Col's wing too! Semper Fi, Darrell

[none]

I found them listed in the New Jersey Directory from 1918 and still in business in 1922 as shown in the listings on hallmarks. I can't seen to find anything else.

 

I have sent an e-mail to the Newark Museum that has a jewelry collection, etc and asked if they know anything about this company. If I hear from them I will post their reply.

 

Joe

Response from Newark Museum:

 

Although Kirchenbauer is listed in Dorothy Rainwater's Encyclopedia of American Jewelry Manufacturers, there is no other information given on their product or their operation. They were jewelry manufacturers in Newark, and as such would have made 14k-gold jewelry in a wide range of forms. You could track their years of operation more precisely through the Newark city directories, which are in our library. The military insignia you mention is no surprise--this is one of the many things produced by various shops in Newark (there were scores of jewelry makers, with thousands of employees citywide before the crash of 1929).

 

Anyone live near Newark and want to visit a Museum.

[Belleauwood]

Response from Newark Museum:

 

Although Kirchenbauer is listed in Dorothy Rainwater's Encyclopedia of American Jewelry Manufacturers, there is no other information given on their product or their operation. They were jewelry manufacturers in Newark, and as such would have made 14k-gold jewelry in a wide range of forms. You could track their years of operation more precisely through the Newark city directories, which are in our library. The military insignia you mention is no surprise--this is one of the many things produced by various shops in Newark (there were scores of jewelry makers, with thousands of employees citywide before the crash of 1929).

 

Anyone live near Newark and want to visit a Museum.

 

Really appreciate all the effort here!! Many thanks, Really adds to Brewer's group. Thanks again.

[cwnorma]

All,

 

Sorry to bring back such an old thread but this was one of the very few references I could find to F. Kirchenbauer on the web--at all.

 

This wing made by Kirchenbauer is a recent acquisition:

 

The wing at the top of this thread is 14K and so is Cliff P's wing found here:

 

http://www.ww2wings.com/wings/wwi/us/presleynavy4.shtml

 

This wing is gold plated sterling with about 75% of the gold plating remaining.

 

In the decade since this thread was originally posted, have any more examples of Kirchenbauer wings come to light or has anyone found any additional information about F. Kirchenbauer?

 

Thanks for any information you can share!

 

Chris

[pfrost]

Those are very nice wings.

[cwnorma]

Patrick,

 

Thank you.

 

They are an interesting pattern, with a slightly oversized anchor and slightly undersized shield they have unique proportions... Despite that aesthetically it does seem to work.

 

Chris

[Fly USMC]

Great to see this post revived. Some Beautiful wings out there.

 

Semper Fly,

John

[The Rooster]

Great wing Chris !