VIPER Posted June 13, 2009 Share #1 Posted June 13, 2009 Hello Guys.......I am the new kid on the block having just bought my first set of wings, a LGB pilot with a hollow back shield. I am uncertain which type, I have sought advice on another forum but seems there are no dedicated wing collectors there willing too help a newby or its not their thing. But I am looking to buy my first set of jump wings and if anyone can give me a few tips it would be appreciated. There are a couple on ebay right now and if you guys could point out a good set of unadulterated WW2 pin backs of those on there I would be grateful. Also what is the best reference book or books with the most in depth look at jump wings. Are the books by Maquire the best resource on the AAF series or would I be better served with another reference. Sorry for the blizzard of questions, but I am really interested in this new area of collecting, new for me at least. Thanks for the help in advance.................Best Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted June 13, 2009 Share #2 Posted June 13, 2009 Hello and welcome. There are lots of people who can help you on this forum. Ask plenty of questions and take some time and look at the wide range of examples of wings posted. If you are serious about collecting, start building up a reference library. A good place to start are with the following resources (I have left a few out, but you get the idea). Cambell, J. Duncan. Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States 1913-1946. 1977. The Triangle Press. Carroll, Warren. Eagles Recalled. Air Force Wings of Canada, Great Britain and the British Commonwealth 1913-1945. 1997. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Atglen, PA. Chalif, Don and Bender, Roger. Military Pilot & Aircrew Badges of the World (1870-Present). Vol 1, Europe (Albania-Hungary). 1982. R. J. Bender Publishing. Fitzsimmons, Charles. Thirtyyears of U.S. Army Pilot Wings. 1917-1947. 1994. Huff, Russ. Wings of World War 2. 1985. Maguire, Jon. Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens. 1996. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Atglen, PA. Maguire, Jon. More Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens. 1997. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Atglen, PA. Rosignoli, Guido. Air Force Badges and Insignia of World War 2. 1976. Arco Publishing Co. New York. At the very least get Jon Maguire's two books on WW 2 wings. Plenty of photos and lots of good information. Final bit of advice, be patient. Lots of good wings are still out there. Have a plan on what you want to collect, what you want to pay, and then stick with it, and you will have lots of fun. Again, welcome. Patrick Frost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airborne_rome Posted June 13, 2009 Share #3 Posted June 13, 2009 Patrick, is there simithing similar for jump wings ? Regards Fabio Hello and welcome. There are lots of people who can help you on this forum. Ask plenty of questions and take some time and look at the wide range of examples of wings posted. If you are serious about collecting, start building up a reference library. A good place to start are with the following resources (I have left a few out, but you get the idea). Cambell, J. Duncan. Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States 1913-1946. 1977. The Triangle Press. Carroll, Warren. Eagles Recalled. Air Force Wings of Canada, Great Britain and the British Commonwealth 1913-1945. 1997. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Atglen, PA. Chalif, Don and Bender, Roger. Military Pilot & Aircrew Badges of the World (1870-Present). Vol 1, Europe (Albania-Hungary). 1982. R. J. Bender Publishing. Fitzsimmons, Charles. Thirtyyears of U.S. Army Pilot Wings. 1917-1947. 1994. Huff, Russ. Wings of World War 2. 1985. Maguire, Jon. Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens. 1996. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Atglen, PA. Maguire, Jon. More Silver Wings, Pinks and Greens. 1997. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Atglen, PA. Rosignoli, Guido. Air Force Badges and Insignia of World War 2. 1976. Arco Publishing Co. New York. At the very least get Jon Maguire's two books on WW 2 wings. Plenty of photos and lots of good information. Final bit of advice, be patient. Lots of good wings are still out there. Have a plan on what you want to collect, what you want to pay, and then stick with it, and you will have lots of fun. Again, welcome. Patrick Frost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted June 13, 2009 Share #4 Posted June 13, 2009 Hi Fabio, I am more of an "accidental" airborne collector, in that I tend to pick up stuff secondary to my main interests. Some of the other gentlemen on this forum are much more serious and advanced collectors and I suspect that they will be willing to help by sharing some of their knowledge. I think that a couple of books exist for airborne collectors, including one called "Geronimo!" by (IIRC) Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Some of the other airborne collectors on this site should be able to help with more specific information and additional resources. Another good (great) on-line site for information is via Mr. Mark Brando's trigger time web page. It seems to be mostly dedicated to the 101st, but has lots of good general info on insignia of paratroopers from WWII http://www.101airborneww2.com/insignia.html Finally, just doing a search for jump wings or paratrooper wings on this forum will bring up many great threads of information. Most of the guys are brilliant and dedicated collectors with a great deal of knowledge. Hope that helps. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
militarymodels Posted June 13, 2009 Share #5 Posted June 13, 2009 Hello Guys.......I am the new kid on the block having just bought my first set of wings, a LGB pilot with a hollow back shield. I am uncertain which type, I have sought advice on another forum but seems there are no dedicated wing collectors there willing too help a newby or its not their thing. But I am looking to buy my first set of jump wings and if anyone can give me a few tips it would be appreciated. There are a couple on ebay right now and if you guys could point out a good set of unadulterated WW2 pin backs of those on there I would be grateful. Also what is the best reference book or books with the most in depth look at jump wings. Are the books by Maquire the best resource on the AAF series or would I be better served with another reference. Sorry for the blizzard of questions, but I am really interested in this new area of collecting, new for me at least. Thanks for the help in advance.................Best Jimmy Jimmy, If you're new to collecting wings in general, it's always best to purchase wings from the collectors' forums because you know you're buying the original unless otherwise stated. Buying from eBay is risky for new collectors, even for more experienced collectors because of the the misleading ads, no close up shots, much less with poor picture quality. The internet is your best reference, especially this forum. If you found a wing that you like, search for it on the internet and compare to the known good ones. It's just my 2 cents, I hope this helps. Lonny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIPER Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted June 13, 2009 Thanks Guys....In looking at ebay I see that it can degenerate into a bidding war where the final price bears little resembalance too the true value. For example a set of Firmins I was interested in went for 400 dollars. I think I have decided on the Maquire Silver wings books for my first reference book on AAC wings. Paratrooper reference still up in the air. I will be monitoring the For sale forum for nice examples. Ebay is just too dangerous, at least for now.......Thanks Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted June 13, 2009 Share #7 Posted June 13, 2009 Hello Viper, I was in your position about 4-5 years ago and started by purchasing GI wings, both marked sterling and those with no marks. Both styles are perfectly legitimate to the period, are generally available for $15 - $35, and can give you a smooth entry point to the hobby without putting much of your funds at risk. They have 2 major advantages in my view; one, they are rarely copied and two, they are perhaps the wings used most frequently by WWII airmen in the combat areas--they are the real deal, while I think some of the rarer hallmarked wings might have been more available to folks back home as sweetheart pieces and to domestic based airmen. I like the GI wings a great deal for those points alone and there are some variations of GI wings that are far rarer than many of the wings bearing hallmarks. However, if you have the true heart of a collector, then you will probably soon outgrow the restraints imposed by focusing on GI wings and want to "get at" those marked with makers' names that everyone else seems to want. At this point you really need to have some of the references Patrick listed available to help keep yourself on track, because it's at this point that the real "wild west" begins. WWII wings have been collected since the end of the war and have gone through a generation or two of both collectors and fakers, so all that stuff is in circulation now and some of the fakes have all the legitimate signs of being old...because they are! Another thing to keep in mind about those GI wings is that they can be of great help in "calibrating" both your eye and your touch which is useful with the more expensive wings later. Be careful of taking a shot at the most desirable wings before you know a lot more than you do now. I've bought 3-4 Luxenberg wings from eBay sellers and returned them all...I've yet to pick up a good one. Odd balls and one-off pieces are another risky place to be as they are widely faked. There are perhaps 100-200 different examples of perfectly good, seldom faked wings available out there. Have fun with those for a while would be my recommendation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cooper Posted June 21, 2009 Share #8 Posted June 21, 2009 Welcome to the forum Viper, Lots of good advice has been provided so far and I want to add a few other online resources that are maintianed by a few of our members. http://www.ww2wings.com/main.shtml http://pfrost.bol.ucla.edu/01.html http://www.conradwings.com/ BTW feel free to post wings you are considering buying to get some feedback. Good Luck & Good Hunting. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham Posted June 28, 2009 Share #9 Posted June 28, 2009 Hello Guys.......I am the new kid on the block having just bought my first set of wings, a LGB pilot with a hollow back shield. I am uncertain which type, I have sought advice on another forum but seems there are no dedicated wing collectors there willing too help a newby or its not their thing. But I am looking to buy my first set of jump wings and if anyone can give me a few tips it would be appreciated. There are a couple on ebay right now and if you guys could point out a good set of unadulterated WW2 pin backs of those on there I would be grateful. Also what is the best reference book or books with the most in depth look at jump wings. Are the books by Maquire the best resource on the AAF series or would I be better served with another reference. Sorry for the blizzard of questions, but I am really interested in this new area of collecting, new for me at least. Thanks for the help in advance.................Best Jimmy Why not start with 2 inch AAF wings ? They are cheaper than their 3 inch big brothers and less faked, and as all the same rules apply they are just as good to calibrate the old eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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