3" 1930's Airship pilot
" Pasquali & Co. Sterling"
I have been trying to track down the original of
these wings for several years. The following is my theory: This wing was
purchased several years ago on eBay, It came out of the western
part of the US. This was the first one I found on eBay , since then I
have seen several more. At first they all came out of the west, now they
are seen all over the US. A set of these also turned up in a
30 year old collection. I have held 3 of these, and each one had a
different pin. A collector friend who had access to a spectrometer (?)
had a set analyzed and apparently the silver was of a type used in
the 40's. The construction is correct, soldered posts and they are die
struck. The wings are very heavy. The first thing that jumps out
is the spelling "Pasquali " of which I can find no reference NOT
"Pasquale" which is a known wing maker. Also the wing I have has a very
light weight pin, the wing from the older collection has a heavier pin,
the third wing had different wing from the other two. Finally, I was a
set of these being sold by a seller who was selling the old stock of an
shop from the "House of Swords". Apparently this store commissioned a
lot of incredibly well made fakes of all types, lot of Nazi items
and WWI wings. Though yet another collector, I discovered that
apparently a family member has been selling this old stock on eBay
through an intermediary. I know that there is a lot conjecture here on
my part, but the facts seem to add up. A collector buy one of these in
the late 70's early 80's, nice pin. The owner of the House of Swords
dies suddenly, and these wings disappear from the market. A family
member starts "cleaning out the basement" and these wings resurface,
possibly without pins. Pins are added with what ever is handy, and they
start showing up on the market. Please feel free to drop me an email if
you have any other info that either proves or disproves my theory!
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