Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 26:
Description
WASP-Style Aviator Wing, GEMSCO N.Y. 3-Inch – Postwar Reunion or Novelty Badge. A GEMSCO N.Y.-marked, 3-inch aviator wing badge with an applied diamond lozenge, styled after the wartime insignia of the Women Airforce Service Pilots but not identifiable as a wartime-contract WASP wing. This single badge presents a standard commercial aviator-wing die, produced by the New York firm Gemsco, onto which a smooth, centrally mounted diamond (lozenge) has been applied to evoke the distinctive crest of authorized WASP pilot insignia. No named recipient, unit history, or accompanying documentation travels with the piece, and no separate biography or service record has been located; it is offered and catalogued strictly on its physical and typological merits. The Women Airforce Service Pilots flew military aircraft in non-combat roles across the United States from 1943 until the program’s disbandment in December 1944, ferrying new aircraft from factories to bases, towing targets, and testing planes so that male pilots could be released for combat duty overseas – a contribution that went largely unrecognized militarily until decades later. Their authorized wartime insignia was a purpose-designed badge with an integrated diamond crest, manufactured to contract primarily by the Robbins Co. and by Juarez, and measuring approximately 23/4 inches across; genuine examples of this wartime pattern are scarce and command strong prices among specialist militaria collectors. The present badge departs from that documented form in both scale and construction: built on Gemsco’s standard 3-inch commercial wing die with an oversized diamond separately applied to the face, a configuration militaria researchers consistently associate not with WWII contract production but with postwar veteran reunion commissions, sweetheart-style commemorative jewelry, or later collector-market conversions assembled to satisfy demand for the WASP form after 1945. The obverse is die-struck in a nickel/silver-plated base metal, showing full-spread wings with crisply rendered, swept feather detailing typical of mid-20th-century Gemsco dies, beneath the plain applied diamond. The reverse bears a raised oval stamped GEMSCO N.Y., positioned beneath the diamond mount, together with an intact horizontal pin, hinge, and rolling-ball safety catch, all mechanically sound and functional. The photographs confirm the diamond’s oversized proportions relative to the wing body but do not establish the date of its attachment. No case, ribbon bar, paperwork, or additional insignia accompanies this lot; the badge is offered alone. Condition is very good overall for a vintage costume/commemorative piece, with surface patination, minor micro-abrasions, and light tarnish to the plated finish, but no losses, breaks, or repairs are evident. An honestly catalogued, wearable tribute to the pioneering WASP pilots – a Gemsco reunion or novelty-market badge, collectible in its own right, though clearly distinct from the far scarcer wartime-contract wing it emulates.
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