Photo Credit: iconrelicsaz
Vintage U.S. Naval Aviator Insignia
Buy It Now Price: $85 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)
Pros:
-Here is a spectacular example of a vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia from the World War II era. Naval aviator insignia were awarded to pilots who had completed their training and were deemed qualified to fly a military aircraft.
-The Naval aviator pin has remained unchanged since it was first designed in 1917. It consists of a pair of wings spreading from a central shield superimposed on a fouled (tangled) anchor, all rendered in gilt metal. This same badge has been used to the present day to denote qualified pilots in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corp and Coast Guard.
-This vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is hallmarked “1/20 10K GonS”, which indicates it is made from solid sterling silver with a thick layer of 10 karat gold-filled material on top.
-This vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is marked “AMICO” on the reverse. Otherwise known as the American Insignia Company, AMICO was a well-known and highly regarded manufacturer of vintage U.S. military insignia.
-Although it isn’t readily visible in the photo above, the silver colored clutches on the pin appear to be sterling silver Ballou clutches. These clutches are scarce and rarely seen today. They were first patented in 1943 and were only made for a few years afterwards.
-This vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is incredibly high quality, even by the exacting standards of World War II American military paraphernalia. Vintage sterling silver AMICO pilot’s wings typically weigh a hefty 18 grams (0.578 troy ounces), compared to only 10 to 12 grams (0.322 to 0.386 troy ounces) for most wings from other contemporary manufacturers.
-Militaria is a burgeoning niche within the antiques industry today. Demand is skyrocketing for high quality pieces like this insignia pin, so I believe that prices may go much higher in the future.
-The patina on this vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia is even, undisturbed and original. I have no doubt that this is a genuine World War II era pin from a coveted maker in superb condition. I have seen similar insignia offered between $200 and $250. In light of this assessment, the $85 asking price seems laughably low.
Cons:
-Even though this piece is made out of sterling silver, it has a fairly modest intrinsic value. Although the seller did not explicitly state the weight of the piece, if we assume that the hallmarking is accurate it should weigh around 18 grams. In this case, our vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia contains about $15 of gold (at a spot price $1,300 per troy ounce) and just short of $9 of silver (at a spot price $17.25 per troy ounce) for a combined scrap value of around $24. Therefore, the premium for this specimen is 254%, which is honesty not as high (expensive) as I thought it would be. Of course, no one would melt such a beautiful and historic piece, so this is really a rather academic exercise.
-I would have really loved it if the seller had included a close-up photo of the silver Ballou clutches. This could have helped confirm the World War II dating of this vintage U.S. Naval aviator insignia beyond any possible doubt. However, I honestly believe there is little question of the piece’s authenticity anyway.
