Extremely Rare Ca 1944 USN Aerial Photography Specialist (Unofficial) Wing Initialed

ARTIFACT: This is an extremely rare World War II United States Navy Aerial Photography Specialist wing. Setting the record straight on this extremely rare wing, I consulted THE top US wing expert in the country (yes, there is someone I "look up to" when it comes to US wings!). I've seen spurious stories about the wing being developed early on in 1942 at Anacostia NAS, but then dropped. This made no sense to me: I had not had one of these wings to offer in over 15 years, but I distinctly remembered when last I researched the wing that it was a later war piece, as opposed to earlier war. Here are the facts:

Opened in 1944, the USN Aerial Photography Specialty School was operated by the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY. Kodak enlisted Charles Fischer of 562 Fifth Avenue, NYC, to design and produce the wing, superimposing an Aerial Camera on a USN Pilot Wing. The wing was produced by casting, with a high level of attention to detail, and the wing is almost a full 3-dimensional piece. In gold-plated sterling silver, clearly marked "CHAS. FISCHER N. Y.", these wings are a gorgeous tribute to the jewelers' art. The wing was produced in unknown, but limited numbers, probably less than 200, and was awarded to both enlisted personnel and officers upon completion of the course. Though unofficial, the wing was worn, especially by enlisted flight crew. This wing shows signs of such uniform use, and has the original owner's initials "SDP" scratched into the reverse.

Yes, I recently acquired not one, but TWO of these extremely rare wings, the other one being in Extra Fine condition (please see link at bottom of page for more information), and this one being in Fine to Very Fine condition, showing signs of wear and having the original owner's initials scratched into the reverse. Both are exceptional in their own right, and some collectors may find the one in better condition to better fit within the parameters of their collection, and others may find the wing obviously uniform worn and possibly attributable to better fit. They are both priced the same, as I feel the obvious "wear from use" and initials to balance against the condition of the unworn example. Two lucky collectors will be able to add these to their collections. Or perhaps one collector will choose to acquire both examples.

VINTAGE: Circa World War II.

SIZE: Approximately 7/8" in height and 2-9/16" in width.

MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION: Gilt sterling silver.

ATTACHMENT: Horizontal pin with come-under locking swivel catch.

MARKINGS: CHAS. FISCHER N. Y., STERLING, SDP initials.

ITEM NOTES: This is from a World War II United States Navy rare wing collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. MEJJX14 L/SACGEX5/14

CONDITION: 6+ (Fine-Very Fine): The wing has obvious and uniform wear.