Need help

[vbhawk]

My husband has bought a wooden propeller and we are trying to identify it. Here is the info I have from the propeller 8ft 5in, it has 8 holes, the # on one side is 887590 and the other side has 1478 on this side it has F.O.R and above this I can't really make out U?orL?S? and it looks like maybe an anchor. There is no seal or stamp. It does have tin on the ends with dots. Pictures that I have seen have tin that narrow and extends wider than what this has on it. I hope this is enough info to receive some help.

Thanks,

[Dave]

Sounds like one from one of the Navy flying boats from the late teens, but that's just a guess.

A picture would help.

[vbhawk]

Thanks for the reply. I will try to post a picture in the next few days.

[vbhawk]

pictures of propeller

Here are some pictures of the propeller. The one that is green is the where the letters are barely visible so I shaded over to try to determine. These letters are located on the right side of hub above F.O.R. The numbers 1478 are located on the bottom center of hub. On the other side are where the numbers 887590 are located. I hope this will help in identifying this propeller.

Thanks

[Dave]

Well, nothing there identifies it positively, but I'm 90% certain that it's one of many models used on one of the Navy flying boats using a Liberty engine. I can't tell from the photo, but many of those models were notched at the front and back to lock two separate 2 blade props together to create a 4 bladed one. It's easy to tell if that's the case by looking at the other side of the hub.

Despite the convincing tracing, I think the letters are actually "F.C.R." although I still don't know what that stands for. It's seen on many of the propellers from that era.

[vbhawk]

Thanks for you information. I do think that what looks like an O could be a C. My husband has mounted the propeller on the wall but I will have to check the back to see if it is notched as you suggested. We didn't think to take a picture of the other side before mounting. (It is very secure on the wall)

I'm curious do you think that the emblem on the right is an anchor?? (1st picture) We didn't even see those markings until it was mounted they were so worn down. My husband purchased the propeller at the Antique Archaeology Store in Nashville Tn "American Pickers". They had just purchased it and had not ran any history on it. I am anxious to watch the episode that gives the info on where it was purchased. Maybe that will also produce some information.

You have been very helpful and I appreciate the time that you have committed to this website.

Thank you

[Dave]

Yes, that's an anchor and "USN" around it. It's seen on many props acquired by the Navy during the late teens.

[vbhawk]

Thanks once again. This forum has been very interesting and I appreciate the imput on the history of these old wooden propellers. My husband is the history buff but, I have enjoyed doing the research on this propeller. I proudly hang this propeller in my house and will love being able to share it's history with guests and especially my grandchildren. I'm gald my husband didn't listen to me when I was saying "You can't buy that, what are we going to do with it"

[Bob Gardner]

I used to buy and sell WW1 props but have just retired. What you said to your husband, which you quoted above, is almost universal. I have heard it a thousand times. I am also a world-expert on the expression on a wife's face when I turn up at the front door with a nine foot prop.

With kind regards,

Bob

[vbhawk]

Thanks for sharing. That is so funny!

I have really enjoyed this forum.

[vbhawk]

Oh my, I just realized who you are sir. I would like to ask which of your books you would recommend that might have a picture of the prop or the type of plane that this would have been used on. My husband is interested in knowing which military branch you served in. We are not going to sell our prop but I am curious to see if you have an idea what ours might be worth. I'm just wondering if he was in the right price range for what he paid. (it is another wife ?? I'm sure you have heard before ) I look forward to going to your website and looking over your books.

Thank you for your time.
Sincerly,
Brenda

[Bob Gardner]

Hello Brenda,

I can't be of much help, I'm afraid. I specialise in British WW1 props. Dave is the best man to advise on the value of American props.

And there won't be a photograph of your prop in any of my books because I only describe British props, except for props made by Dashwood Lang who was a British maker seconded to the USN by the RN in 1917 to advise on the mass production of props. He stayed in the States for about two years and then returned to making props in britain. I describe his American sojurn and American props for completeness.

I was a logistician in the British Army but spent much of my time with the RAF. I was a despatcher who parachuted stores, ammo and vehicles from aircraft. I also worked with the US Army in Germany and the USAF here in Britain.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Bob Gardner]

Brenda,

A postscript; I missed the lowest of your photographs. Your prop has the distinctive angular shape of an American Navy Lang designed prop. I describe Lang in Part Three of my Book. There are sixty pages on Lang of which twenty describe the props he made for the USN.

You can order it from my website and pay by PayPal or by credit card through PayPal. When you order, please note that you have three choices of postal costs; within Britain, within Mainland Europe and everywhere else which includes USA, Australia etc.

But don't order it if your surname is Turner, because someone of that name has also just ordered Part Three

With kind regards,

Bob

[Dave]

We are not going to sell our prop but I am curious to see if you have an idea what ours might be worth. I'm just wondering if he was in the right price range for what he paid. (it is another wife ?? I'm sure you have heard before ) Thank you for your time.
Sincerly,
Brenda

Brenda, there are several unknowns with respect to valuation of your prop, which is always difficult even in the best of circumstances.

1. It looks as if the hub has been chiseled out (usually for a clock), but I can't really tell from the picture. Alterations like that reduce value.

2. You should be able to see whether the hub is notched without having to remove it from the wall, and you can at least measure the existing thickness to see if it's less than a standard Liberty engine hub, which would also indicate that it's part of a 4 bladed combination rather than an entire prop as is. A two blade component of a 4 blade prop is not worth as much as a two blade prop that is designed as a two blade. Matching 2 bladed interlocking props (consecutively serial numbered) are extremely rare and quite valuable, IMHO.

3. If the prop has been refinished, and decals removed, the value is also reduced significantly.

If you monitor eBay for a while and search under "wooden propeller" (singular) then go to "Completed Listings" you can find what similar props have sold for in the past, keeping in mind some of the above considerations as you compare.

Planning to keep it instead of thinking of selling it relieves you of having to do any of those steps.

[vbhawk]

I really appreciate the information that you have given. I will check into purchasing your book with the information that I am interested in. We are impressed and appreciate your background of service. I have to say that I am becoming more interested in WW1 history. Interesting people like yourself and others have helped to bring a new meaning of that era to light for me.

I thought you might like to know that the propeller my husband purchased is proudly hanging in a little town in western Kentucky.

Thank you again.

Sincerly,
Brenda