Update 12/20/24: SEASON'S GREETINGS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS from FLYING TIGER ANTIQUES!!
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Thank you for visiting. We hope you will find some vintage artifacts here on our site to add to your collection.
We look forward to serving your collecting needs! Happy Holidays, Ron & Kana.
ARTIFACT:
This wing has a unique, massive construction. It is not maker marked, but I would not be surprised if someday it was discovered that it was made by the Robbins Company of Attleboro Massachusetts. The Wing conforms loosely to the November 19th, 1920, US Army Air Service Regulations as that of an Observer, Qualified as a Pilot. But, it is also a bit of an anomaly. It definitely has design characteristics that go back to WWI, especially the beveled-corner "O" at center, and in Duncan Campbell's Revised Edition of Aviation Badges and Insignia of the United States Army 1913-1946, Duncan mentions a photo from 1918 where it is hard to discern, but the wing being worn appears to be this wing. Also, with regards to the wing's construction, it is obvious that the wing was originally designed with only one wing, going out to the right, as viewed, like the December 1918 USAS Regulations Observer Wing.
The collector from whom I acquired a previous example of this wing from, perhaps the most knowledgeable wing collector in the country, has researched this wing and he feels that this extraordinary United States Army Air Service (USAAS) dual-wing Balloon Observer badge is close to being one of a kind. His research shows that only a small number of officers who received training as Balloon Observers at Langley Field, Virginia and Scott Field, Illinois in 1921 were able to get them before it was realized that the letters "US" in the center shield did not conform to Army regulations according to the rules of heraldry as defined by the Commission of Fine Arts on 14 November 1918, amended by the War Department on 11 October 1920 and 30 July 1921.
VINTAGE:
Circa 1918 - 1920.
SIZE:
Approximately: 11/16" in height by 3-1/16" in width.
MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION:
Sterling silver.
ATTACHMENT:
Horizontal pin with drop-in locking catch.
MARKINGS:
STERLING.
ITEM NOTES:
This is from a United States Army Air Service Wing Collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. CON-RLB-VAHJJX05/05-24 LDIIEX09/24/24
CONDITION:
9- (Excellent+): The wing has only some very light wear, and a gorgeous gunmetal grey patina.
GUARANTEE: As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.
