Propeller Identification

[Bob Gardner]

Well said Dennis! Well done. That thought has long lingered at the back of my mind but I have never quite managed to express it when advising people not to sell their prop, nor when explaining that their prop is valuable but not necessarily in terms of money.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Bob Gardner]

An after thought.

Kyle mentioned;
I've sent information on the propeller to the Smithsonian to see what if anything they come up with. It seems the folks there also frequent this forum since they had seen my postings re. the prop.

I have visited the major museums in Britain, France, Belgium, Germany and Poland (a total of nine) to gather info on German props for the series of books I am currently writing. Does the Smithsonian have many German WW1 props? Does anyone have a contact there?

With kind regards,

Bob

[Dave]

Bob,

About 15 years ago I met with the Curator of Propulsion at the NASM and we spent the day together looking over their entire collection of propellers. I don't recall many (or frankly even ANY) German props of note at the time. In fact, I think their best propellers were on display in the museum itself and many of the ones they had stored at their Silver Hill facility were not what you or I would consider high quality items. Their dirigible collection is impressive,though, partly because they are so huge.

Things may be different now, and the curator I spent time with (Jeremy Kinney) seemed to have a much more aggressive procurement philosophy than the previous curator, who apparently turned down most donations unless they had a documented history associated with a famous person or event.

The library at the NASM might have documents of interest, and the librarian there can be very helpful, but I went there to try to find listings of propeller design numbers associated with aircraft usage and did not come away with much.

Dave

[Bob Gardner]

Thanks Dave. That sets my mind at rest.

I'm moderately sure I have tracked down most collections of WW1 props in the nine museums I mention above. The problem is that I have this little voice at the back of my mind which whispers every now and then that there is a marvellous collection of German WW1 props somewhere and if only I made more effort I'd find them! I expect this happens to other researchers as well as me!

With kind regards,

Bob

[KTE]

Thank you for the feedback regarding my propeller. I realize it is a piece of history, and in fact the more I learn about it, the more I appreciate the significance. I've had the propeller for 28 years and it has been mainly in my attic the entire time. I simply do not have the space to display a nine foot propeller. The money is not necessarily the important part of the decision to sell, but more importantly to have it someplace where it could be better appreciated and viewed.

Additionally, if I were to keep it, I'd like to be able to place a value on it for insurance purposes.

Kyle

[KTE]

Does anyone know if the label on a propeller can be repaired? The label on my Supreme propeller is quite deteriorated as you can see in the picture. If a label is repaired does this hurt the overall value of the prop, or should one leave it as is?

Kyle