Need info for this prepeller

[eanglehart]

I need information for this propeller. It is a Curtiss HS-2, MATTHEWS BROTHERS propeller from U.S. navy. Take a look of the pictures:
- This kind of propeller is rare or common?
- Can you know the years of fabrication?
- What is the value?

Thanks!

[Dave]

See this page for general information about that style.

They are extremely common, probably the most common early propeller in existence. I'm not sure that the paint is original and it certainly looks as if the varnish has been removed and replaced. (Original Matthews Brothers propellers typically had Matthews decals on them.) The alterations reduce value considerably.

The one shown in the link above sold for $1600, which I consider a "reasonable" value for 2011. Ones that have been altered should not be worth much more than 1/3 to 1/2 that value, IMHO, partly because they are also very easy to find and replace.

It was manufactured in the late teens or early twenties, and likely sold as surplus a few years later.