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FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

Article about: by hawk3370 Steve, Where did you find these jewels. Perhaps they would be willing to trade these three fabulous wing badges for lets say my Riable DSC group. What do you think? Thanks for sh

  1. #11

    Default Re: Fake WWI Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Quote by Steven M View Post
    Here is a RMA badge that I found on ebay a couple of years ago. If memory serves me correctly, this one sold for $600+. This badge is so beautiful, I am almost hesitant to apply the ugly word "fake" to it. This example demonstrates that not all fakes are crude, in fact, this one looks too good. The quality and finish are superb, but the thick block backing plate is something that appears on high-end as well as crude fakes.

    I believe that this wing was produced modern day with a laser. I can see no evidence of hand finishing anywhere. If there are opposing opinions, by all means, please post your opinions.

    Steve,

    Your right about it being a beautiful design, however I feel it is nothing more than a fantasy piece. Someone put a lot of work into this wing with the cut out shield and fancy lines. But just about everything points to a recent mfg wing. I have also seen this in a full size version. Construction of the wing and the backing material is not period WW1. They did have the sense to use a tiffany catch which is a nice touch but I would have to pass on this one. Notice that there is absolutely no wear what so ever to the metal or the wool.

    Terry

  2. #12

    Default Re: Fake WWI Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Quote by hawk3370 View Post
    Steve,

    Your right about it being a beautiful design, however I feel it is nothing more than a fantasy piece. Someone put a lot of work into this wing with the cut out shield and fancy lines. But just about everything points to a recent mfg wing. I have also seen this in a full size version. Construction of the wing and the backing material is not period WW1. They did have the sense to use a tiffany catch which is a nice touch but I would have to pass on this one. Notice that there is absolutely no wear what so ever to the metal or the wool.

    Terry
    Thank you Major for the additional information. It seems that the use of period type hardware is becoming a more common practice, especially in metal wings.
    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  3. #13

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Here is another RMA wing in bullion and thread on a felt backing. The seller admits that it is a fake, however, that does not ease my disdain for fakes. My personal belief is that fakes have no place in a serious collection. I hear some say that they buy them as "fillers"...it is still a meaningless object with no connection to the period...I digress as I don't want to get too much off topic.

    While this is a fairly tidy and symmetrical creation, it still stands out as being incorrect. You will notice that there is what appears to be a fine wire mesh incorporated into the background of the shield. This wire mesh is found on original French made wings. In particular, examples that I believe came out of the Tours area near Issoudun, France. I believe this because I have seen three attributed WWI pilot uniforms that were tailored in Tours, and all had some variation of this mesh material in the shield. However, the material used on the fake wing appears to be a silvered fabric instead of actual wire.

    The most obvious reason that this is not a period wing is the over use of cotton/polyester thread to define areas of the wing and more importantly, the bars in the shield. A real wing could have a small amount of thread to highlight feathering, however, the liberal use in this wing represents a shortcut with no real craftsmanship that is to be found in original pieces. Note how the feathers are merely an extension of the shoulder (most of it) with no separation other than thread.


    For comparison, here is a real wing from the Duncan Campbell collection:
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  
    Attached Images Attached Images FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings 
    Last edited by Steven M; 02-03-2010 at 04:45 PM.
    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  4. #14

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    The "Dallas" wing is probably the most faked WWI we will encounter. Some are very bad castings that are obviously crudely made. Others are expertly made and requires a very close in hand inspection. Still others are somewhere in between. Although this particular example isn't "crude", it isn't great either.

    Original period wings were die struck in three parts, the "U" and the "S" were separately applied, and in real gold. The hardware was heavier and more substantial. The hinge was large and heavy duty, the pin was thick, and tapered, having a flat area on either side of the pin at the hinge. The catch was a barrel roller type with a central cylindrical retainer that extended past the left side.

    For the following reasons, this wing is NOT a period original.

    1. Incorrect hardware, pin is too thin, hinge is post WWI, and the catch is flimsy for this style of wing.

    2. The "US" is a part of the shield, not separately applied and not gold.

    3. If you look at the close up of the right wing tip, you can see bubbles resulting from being cast.


    **ORIGINAL WING - The leather cross hatch cover on the reverse is rarely seen as they were glued on original pieces. Most have fallen off of originals, leaving the back plate partially exposed
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings   FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  

    FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings   FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  

    Last edited by Steven M; 02-12-2010 at 05:03 AM.
    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  5. #15

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Note the differences in the fake and the original.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings   FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  

    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  6. #16

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Look closely at the beading. You can see evidence of casting there, as well as in the wing feathers. Die struck pieces (as were the originals) do NOT have bubbling in them. The striking process makes that impossible.

    What is NOT usual for a fake, is the symmetry of the beading around the wings and for this leading beaded edge to extend past the edge of the wing. Many fakes of the Dallas wing feature VERY irregular bead spacing and the bead row stops at the end of the wing tip instead of extending past it.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings   FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  

    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  7. #17

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Here is a visual of the differences in a fake catch and a period original. Also of interest is the characteristic of the pin extending way past the catch. This is often found on fake wings of varying styles.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings   FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  

    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  8. #18

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Here is another abomination. A fake representation of the very rare Eisenstadt wing. This is just one of many fakes created by the same person. All of his "pieces" are cast, he intentionally makes them that way so as to not "fool" anyone. They won't fool anyone who is versed on construction, however, when they have changed hands a few times (and many years from now) the uninitiated could easily fall for them.

    Now, not only can you have a bogus wing with period type hardware, but you can also have it with inscribed initials that are equally meaningless; I will stop there. The details are weak, as most cast fakes are.


    Original Eisenstadt wings of this design, when found, usually have two or four "U" shaped prongs soldered from the edge of each side of the shield to each side of the inner portion of the wings.
    As soon as I can locate my photos of an original Eisenstadt, I will amend the post to include it as a comparison.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  
    Last edited by Steven M; 02-22-2010 at 11:05 PM.
    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  9. #19

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    A FAKE - and a dangerous one. This is by the same maker of the above Eisenstadt wing.

    Until now, I had only known the producer of these "creations" to make them in cast examples...this is a new development to me...

    This is from the seller's ebay auction:

    "This is a die struck Flying Instructor in brass with a gilt metal plating as was the original. These were to be worn just above the right cuff on all coats. While the regulation called for this to be made in metal, most were made out of bullion. The badge was rescinded in June 1927. Most reproductions of this insignia are the collar prop insignia with the pro removed. This is an exact reproduction made form original dies. You will not see the edge of where a prop was removed. "
    Attached Images Attached Images FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings 
    Last edited by Steven M; 02-12-2010 at 06:28 AM.
    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

  10. #20

    Default Re: FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings

    Yet another "museum quality reproduction" (as stated by seller) in the full line of cast and die stamped fakes to be found on a major online auction site. Save your money...
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture FAKE World War I Allied Forces Bullion & Metal Wings  
    [B][COLOR=Black][SIZE=3][FONT=Book Antiqua][I] Steve[/I][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

    [CENTER][I][FONT=Georgia][COLOR=orange]Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?[/COLOR][/FONT]
    [/I][/CENTER]
    [B]
    [SIZE=3][COLOR=lemonchiffon][I][CENTER][FONT=Georgia]"Fly on dear boy, from this dark world of strife. On to the promised land to eternal life"[/FONT][/CENTER]
    [/I][/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

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