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#1
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RFC Collection
Hello,
I recently acquired this RFC collection and would be interested in any observations/opinions. I purchased it from a person in the UK who was selling his father's collection of military items. These were his RFC items. I was told his father collected these in the 1960-70 period. The cloth items had been glued in a frame at one time. I have not seen RFC wings of this style before. There are two cloth items: Royal Flying Corp Shoulder patch RFC Wings Other items are: Cap badge - unmarked Collar badge - Firmin/London Button - J.R.Gaunt & Son Ltd. London Engd Any comments/evaluations of these items would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks, Dan |
#2
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Personally I don't like the RFC shoulder title and definately the Pilots wing which is a total fake. The collar badge being silvered is also concerning. Although it may be a genuine item it may have been silvered for a sweetheart badge.
Dave |
#3
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Hi
Totally agree on Dave's observations . Regards Steve |
#4
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Quote:
Thank you and Steve for your comments. I certainly had doubts about the "style" of the wings, although they certainly appear old. What pointers could you provide on the shoulder title.....what should I look for in an original shoulder title? Also, does the "Firmin" backmark appear original on the collar badge? If it's an original item that was made into a sweetheart badge, I'd still keep it in my collection. Thank you again for your observations. At least I didn't spend a lot for this grouping. If the button & cap badge are correct, I may have broken even. Dan |
#5
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Hi
Cap badge and collar are correct , though I suspect collar was silver washed as a sweetheart badge for a partner. Not all genuine badges are rear marked. Best Steve |
#6
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..you need to study the rear materials used in patches of WW1 and look at the weave originals ..eventually it becomes easier to spot the good from the bad !!
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#7
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Here are some examples of genuine items. The main bad feature of yours is the backing material which is obviously covering a mess of embroidery. I agree with Steve that the cap, collar and button are genuine.
Dave |
#8
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Dave & Steve,
Thank you both for your comments and for the photos of original shoulder titles. I very much appreciate your evaluations and assistance. Dan |
#9
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Firmin made a great many die cast cap and collar badges for RFC officers to wear upon SD, but, their plate is a rather unusual thing to see on the reverse of a collar badge.
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#10
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Dan, Another thing to keep in mind is that real RFC titles were always serif lettering. There were some sans-serif ones made by Hollywood, who did it for one of the early 30's movies - Dawn Patrol. You can just get a quick glimpse in this trailer at 47 seconds in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U409HIwikoQ I had a pair in my collection and you can see them on the bottom left here. I was also able to find one still that might let you see it better. The on ins this picture is cut half-moon shaped, but I recall others being more traditionally cut. Since he movie centers around he pilots, and only the ORs wore the titles there are not a lot of scenes with them. There are quite a few real German and French planes in the movie too. The main one seen is a Pfalz D.XII. Dawn Patrol is my all time favorite WWI flying movie. Terry |
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