Technical Observer Wing

[mshaw]

I picked this TO wing up over the weekend. I am fully aware of the dangers of these wings. I didn't get it for $3 at a flea market (I'm not lucky like Patrick) but I don't have a lot of money in it. I decided to buy it for two reasons: 1. It's clutch back and all fakes I have ever seen are pin back. In fact, I've never seen a clutch back TO wing and 2. The word sterling is raised on the back of the "T". I would appreciate opinions of the wing scholars here.

 

Here is the front:

 

[mshaw]

And here is the back. FWIW it had sterling clutches.

 

 

[pfrost]

I like it. :thumbsup:

 

 

The problem is that I believe they made these from the original dies. So, like many of the balloon wings, it is almost impossible to tell the "real" from the "restrikes". What ever clues about patina and age, are likely moot, since the repops have been around long enough to get their own nice aged feel.

 

Adding to this is the fact that very few people have 100% iron clad wings that were given to them right off the chest of their grandfather's jacket, the one that was sealed in a notarized bag by a Catholic priest and then buried in a hermetically sealed time capsule in 1945. This makes side by side comparison all but impossible.

 

Plus, no matter what, someone will always take just the opposite position and either argue that they know for sure it is a fake or that they are 100% positive that it is the real deal.

 

In general, I have heard that "good" TO wings should have the raised sterling in the center like that. Not having the NS Meyer mark is also a plus (because, face it, who wants to screw with the NS Meyer restrikes?). After that, you kind of have to decide for yourself if you like them or not and the price was worth it to have them. They sure look good to me, but I don't have a TO wing anywhere in my collection, so I am totally ignorant.

 

Good deal.

 

Patrick

[mshaw]

I like it. :thumbsup:

The problem is that I believe they made these from the original dies. So, like many of the balloon wings, it is almost impossible to tell the "real" from the "restrikes". What ever clues about patina and age, are likely moot, since the repops have been around long enough to get their own nice aged feel.

 

Adding to this is the fact that very few people have 100% iron clad wings that were given to them right off the chest of their grandfather's jacket, the one that was sealed in a notarized bag by a Catholic priest and then buried in a hermetically sealed time capsule in 1945. This makes side by side comparison all but impossible.

 

Plus, no matter what, someone will always take just the opposite position and either argue that they know for sure it is a fake or that they are 100% positive that it is the real deal.

 

In general, I have heard that "good" TO wings should have the raised sterling in the center like that. Not having the NS Meyer mark is also a plus (because, face it, who wants to screw with the NS Meyer restrikes?). After that, you kind of have to decide for yourself if you like them or not and the price was worth it to have them. They sure look good to me, but I don't have a TO wing anywhere in my collection, so I am totally ignorant.

 

Good deal.

 

Patrick

 

Thank you Patrick. I do know the dangers of these wings. I have a restrike that I paid WAY TOO MUCH money for early in my wing collecting career. I wouldn't have bought these if serious money was involved.

[Paul S]

I agree with Patrick on these. They're a much better choice than any Meyer version, although I wonder if some of the Meyer TO's we see are, in fact, good post WWII wings, especially if the marks resemble the WWII straight line markings. I've seen your raised sterling version bring as high as $600 (IIRC) and mostly in the $250-$300 range, or a bit less lately. Too bad there is so much confusion here, but that's the way it is.

 

PS

[mshaw]

Thanks Paul. I agree that it is too bad that fakes have damaged wing collecting. I trust very little WWII German material and WWII painted US helmets have been severly damaged by the fakers. Reading the posts on this forum has saved me from making several mistakes.

[pconrad02]

:thumbsup: I like this one too. I would buy it!

[bschwartz]

I think that wing looks really good. I would have probably picked it up for my own collection if I would have seen it at a show. I have a Meyer pin back TO wing in my collection that I THINK is good but you can never really be sure when it comes to some of the Meyer stuff. Your clutch back looks like a real beauty. If it's a restrike it sure would have fooled me too.

[squidres]

The good news is they have not faked this pattern, it is 100 percent good. I just assessed a collection that had a pair in them. Good catch

[Collector Greg]

I am like you - always suspicious of the TO wings. With that said, I like it. It looks genuine to me.

[mshaw]

Thanks to everyone for taking time to express your opinion. I don't know any other serious wing collectors personally so I value the input and opinions of everyone here.

 

Mark