A few years ago I started a small project to construct a framed display featuring our fathers’ crew picture in the center, surrounded by an example of a WWII vintage wing that each of our fathers would have worn on their uniforms. I had Dad’s wings and with a little study could determine what wings your fathers would have worn—there were 5 different wings worn by members of an average combat crew.
That early interest introduced me to an amazing collecting activity that I had never before considered. A resource such as eBay brings the ability to find almost anything at a reasonable price for the patient. As a life-long collector of first one thing or another, I was inexorably drawn into this collecting activity way beyond what I had anticipated and have since written a collector’s guide for other newbie collectors. There is a huge problem with fakes and undisclosed restrikes that plague wings collectors. It was dealing with this problem that I hoped to help new collectors avoid becoming fleeced and discouraged. I thought our fathers’ service deserved more respect than it appeared to be getting from others.
The wings, as you likely know, were very significant to our fathers. Pictured is a variety of the wings, some form of which, our fathers undoubtedly wore when they donned their dress uniforms. Most likely they did not wear them while they were dressed in their flight gear for a mission.
Most of these period wings were made from sterling...silver was plentiful during the war, while most other metals were not. As a result, we are left with a beautiful piece of a remarkable legacy that is no longer made in the same manner. Today's Air Force wings are mostly made from a plated zinc pot metal. Hope you still have your Dad's.
No comments:
Post a Comment