PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE IN THE OFFICE Through TUESDAY 09/16,
AFTER That Date, We Will Be OUT OF THE OFFICE from WEDNESDAY 09/17 until TUESDAY OCTOBER 7th!!
Ron Will Be OUT OF THE OFFICE from WEDNESDAY 09/10 until FRIDAY OCTOBER 10th!!
So there MAY be SHIPPING DELAYS on MILITARIA Orders Placed AFTER 09/10 through 10/10!!
BUT We Will DEFINITELY Be ABLE TO SHIP Orders Placed Through TUESDAY 09/09,
And MIGHT Be ABLE TO SHIP ORDERS Placed through MONDAY 09/15, But After That we CANNOT SHIP Until TUESDAY 10/07!!
Update 09/09/25: WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH non-PayPal CREDIT CARD PURCHASES!!
BIG WEBSITE CHANGES are in the works and this Issue WILL BE CORRECTED sometime in OCTOBER!!
If you would like to PAY for an Artifact valued at OVER $100.00 with a CREDIT CARD, please email and I will get an invoice emailed to you ASAP!
We are HAPPY TO ACCEPT YOUR ORDERS during this time, and we will promptly SHIP MOST orders within ONE Business Day of Receipt of Payment!
And, as always, if you would like to fund your $100.00+ order through a Bank that offers ZELLE, ASK ABOUT our ZELLE DISCOUNT!!
That DISCOUNT also applies to PayPal GIFT (Fee-Free), Check, and Money Order payments!!
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, Ron & Kanae
ARTIFACT:
This is a rare circa 1941 United States Navy Observer and unofficial Enlisted Pilot Wing. Between January 1927 and October 1929 a new design for Naval Aviation Observer (NAO) was approved which was the same design as for Naval Aviator Pilot wings except they were in silver rather than gold. After October 1929 and until 1968, Naval Aviation Observers were authorized to wear the more familiar gold wing with a silver ringed disk at center with a silver anchor on the disk, with one exception: All Naval Aviation Observers who had qualified for the rating before November 1929 were permitted to continue wearing their original silver pilot-style wings like the one seen above for as long as they remained on active duty. Including if they were still on active duty throughout WWII and beyond. I have seen personally more than one USN enlisted pilot grouping from the just-prior-to-WWII through WWII era which included one or more SILVER Pilot wings, so I have come to the conclusion that it is quite possible that on occasion, these enlisted pilots UNOFFICIALLY wore a SILVER Pilot Wing instead of a Gold, to differentiate themselves from Officer Pilots, just as Enlisted Chiefs in the Submarine Service unofficially wore Silver Submariner badges during the late 1930s and WWII before they were officially issued. The wing has nicely detailed shoulders and one of the flukes has a circle at its center.
VINTAGE:
Circa mid-late 1930s.
SIZE:
Approximately 1-1/16" in height and 2-13/16" in width.
MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION:
Plated brass.
ATTACHMENT:
Horizontal pin with tongue-type C catch.
MARKINGS:
None.
ITEM NOTES:
This is from a United States Navy collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. VEJX08 LAAJJX2/12 SLHGEX04/19
CONDITION:
7- (Very Fine-): The wing has some small spots of moderate to heavy wear and tarnish.
GUARANTEE: As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.
