Keith Posted July 21, 2009 Share #1 Posted July 21, 2009 I looked at a pair of Aircrewman wings today in an antique store. They were smooth on the back, (not like a die cut, but perhaps cast?) and the pinback attachments showed braze or solder. It was marked COIN SILVER. I really didn't know for sure what I was talking about and I told the owner that I thought coin silver was like German silver and contained a nickel alloy and no silver. He told me he thought coin silver was the same silver content that a coin had but was not enough to be called sterling. He had $75 on them so we weren't close to stiking a deal, but now I am wondering about the coin silver backmark. Anyone have opinions on this or have seen that backmark before? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normaninvasion Posted July 21, 2009 Share #2 Posted July 21, 2009 Coin silver, I believe is 900.00 =90% pure silver, sterling =999.99. Don't know anything in relation to creating wings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bschwartz Posted July 21, 2009 Share #3 Posted July 21, 2009 Chances are it was one of the so called "Juarez" pattern wings made by Walter Lampl. Check out this thread http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=21936 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cooper Posted July 21, 2009 Share #4 Posted July 21, 2009 Chances are it was one of the so called "Juarez" pattern wings made by Walter Lampl. Check out this thread http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=21936 Bob that sure is a beautiful wing in the thread your linked John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfrost Posted July 21, 2009 Share #5 Posted July 21, 2009 Coin silver, I believe is 900.00 =90% pure silver, sterling =999.99. Don't know anything in relation to creating wings. I am not sure about COIN silver, but I think sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver, not 99.99%. Also, I believe that the Juarez wings are the most likely candidate for a COIN silver mark, but some other wings were also marked COIN, IRCC. 75$ for a Juarez aircrewman's wing is not that bad a price. I have typically been seeing them selling in the 100-150$ range but the market may be getting soft. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted July 21, 2009 I am not sure about COIN silver, but I think sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver, not 99.99%. Also, I believe that the Juarez wings are the most likely candidate for a COIN silver mark, but some other wings were also marked COIN, IRCC. 75$ for a Juarez aircrewman's wing is not that bad a price. I have typically been seeing them selling in the 100-150$ range but the market may be getting soft. Patrick I am going back today and look at them again. I don't think the pin was copper however. I need to look at the pivot point and the latch. They are large and nice looking and I probably will go ahead and buy them based on what I have read here.....I will try to negotiate a better deal though! Thanks for the feedback. If I get them I will post photos this afternoon. Regards. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted July 21, 2009 Share #7 Posted July 21, 2009 "Sterling" universally refers to the English system that set the standard for sterling at .925 pure silver. Started under the reign of Edward I about 1300, that standard has varied only slightly over the ensuing 700-years, and even then only for short periods of time. England's Goldsmith's Guild has been the authority for marking England's silver production. It is their system of marking sterling pieces that has been applied to manufactured sterling all these years. With a good reference and some patience you can tell from the marks where a piece was made, what year, purity, and who made it. As with most similar things, the markings were started as a means to collect taxes. "Coin" silver as a standard is a bit more nebulous since it generally refers to the purity of the silver coinage in circulation at the time and place the piece was made. For the United States, that has generally been .900 pure; however, for some periods of Mexico's history (as well as many other countries) that could also refer to an .800 pure piece, or perhaps even lower purity. To my knowledge, no government ever officially set a standard for the "Coin" markings on a manufactured piece. The standard for "Coin" silver was simply that applied by law to official coinage by the indigenous government. BTW that a piece is marked "Coin" does not necessarily mean that it was made from melted coinage. It was more likely made from the same or similar sheet stock used for coinage. The term was widely used in this country during the early to mid-19th century by silver flatware makers as a means of distinguishing their wares from other makers who were not using any form of marking to indicate purity. It was simply a marketing term used to differentiate one similar product from another. There followed a purity war of sorts that saw the "Coin" .900 makers challenged by others who were making "Sterling" .925 pieces, and even a few, mostly in NYC, who for a time used a .950 "English" standard. As used on wings, the term "Coin" is a bit intriguing as its common use had passed into history about 70-years before those wings were made. In some respects, "Coin", "Sterling", and "English" standards were about as confusing to consumers then, as it is now when trying to decipher relationships between "Giant", "Mega", "Double", and "Regular". While I don't condemn such marketeers to hell, I would like to see some holding pen just short of hell where they could be beaten (re-educated?) before final judgment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted July 21, 2009 I got 'em!! $65 out the door. 3 1/4" wide. I do think they are the Juarez wings you speak of. Thanks for looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cooper Posted July 21, 2009 Share #9 Posted July 21, 2009 Looks good although with a repaired PIN. Here is what the standard pin looks like which is often found to be broken... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted July 21, 2009 Looks good although with a repaired PIN. Here is what the standard pin looks like which is often found to be broken... John Thanks John, are talking about the pin CATCH or LATCH? That is all I see different and it does have a pile of solder at it's base?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cooper Posted July 21, 2009 Share #11 Posted July 21, 2009 Looks like all new fittings and been used to replaced the standard ones which often break John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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