Military Experts... Rare Set of Shreve & Co. WW1 Pilots Wings?

[diggummup]

Military Experts... Rare Set of Shreve & Co. WW1 Pilot's Wings?

I picked these sterling pilots wings up today. Based on the info. on this site- WW1 Shreve & Co Wing - WING BADGES - U.S. Militaria Forum they appear to be the real deal. They are marked Sterling Shreve & Co. on the back. They have the little weep holes on the back. They show seams on the sides. The clasp and pin seem original. They are a full 3.5 inches long. Based on these photos, is this enough for authentication? Any Military experts out there? Thoughts? Opinions?

 

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[gburgess]

Very nice!

 

[duggap]

I found this on the net. It was listed as a WWI pilot wings.

 

[surf]

Wonderful find, diggummup!

Have a look here, too: Aviation Wings and Badges of WW2 - World War I Wings - United States Army

 

[diggummup]

I found this on the net. It was listed as a WWI pilot wings.

That's a set of Dallas wings, around $1k. There are many different types of early aviation wings and badges.

Wonderful find, diggummup!

Have a look here, too: Aviation Wings and Badges of WW2 - World War I Wings - United States Army

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I've only found several photos of authentic Shreve & Co. wings, but if you look real closely on each one you'll see a little sloppy area just inside the shield where the stars and stripes meet on either side. Here is one example (as well as the photo you posted).-

 

[Lafitte Deux]

The wear and patina look right, as does the feathering.
The clasp appears to have been repaired at some point.
Other than that, the look like the real deal to me.

 

[diggummup]

Nice. I kind of got the same reply over on the Wehrmacht-awards forum. I took a chance when I bought them, figuring I could at least make my money back if they were repro's.

 

[tamrock]

I would say that pin is a genuine period piece, (everthing about it looks good from my end) plus Shreve & Co. San Francisco a retailer of high end items of silver & gold. I have a set of sterling butter plates retailed from Shreve & Co., made around the time your pin was I would say. I also think the US is a layered sheet of rose gold. I'd be thrilled to have found that pin and I would be interested in having it if you ever think of parting with it? To me the secound set of photo's look to have had the pin replaced? or it's a later version of pin assembly?

 

[diggummup]

I would say that pin is a genuine period piece, (everthing about it looks good from my end) plus Shreve & Co. San Francisco a retailer of high end items of silver & gold. I have a set of sterling butter plates retailed from Shreve & Co., made around the time your pin was I would say. I also think the US is a layered sheet of rose gold. I'd be thrilled to have found that pin and I would be interested in having it if you ever think of parting with it? To me the second set of photo's look to have had the pin replaced? or it's a later version of pin assembly?

Thanks. Yeah, the catch looks to be an old repair job like Lafitte mentioned. I didn't even notice it till he pointed it out. There was no later version or different catch assembly produced by Shreve & Co. for this wing. As far as selling them, they will be probably going on Ebay when I do, unless I can work a private deal and save on the ebay fees. The demand/price for these is high, it's definitely for serious collectors only. I've already had several people ask about them on USMilitaria.com.

 

[tamrock]

Thanks. Yeah, the catch looks to be an old repair job like Lafitte mentioned. I didn't even notice it till he pointed it out. There was no later version or different catch assembly produced by Shreve & Co. for this wing. As far as selling them, they will be probably going on Ebay when I do, unless I can work a private deal and save on the ebay fees. The demand/price for these is high, it's definitely for serious collectors only. I've already had several people ask about them on USMilitaria.com.

I'll keep an eye on ebay at those. I think thats just a very cool find. Keep up the good work! ... you just never know what you'll uncover. When I'm asked by the antique folks of the store I walk in to. "what is it your looking for ? my reply is, The Deal of the Century! Is it here? They always say indeed it is, you just need to look around. I'm still looking for that.