Help with ID

[Beast]

Hello, My name is Jim and I am having a problem identifying a propeller my wife purchased me at an auction in England a little over ten years ago. When purchased it was billed as a Schneider Cup Trophy "Trophy" propeller. It is an Ebora prop a little over 8' long with a bore hole but no mounting bolt holes. It has not been refinished and has very few numbers that help in identification. Here are the photos.



IMG]http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm209/Beast__1/Eboradecal1.jpg[/IMG]

IMG]http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm209/Beast__1/eboradecal2.jpg[/IMG]







At one time we thought it may have been a prop for a Blériot
or a Nieuport but that was just a guess from looking at shapes in pictures.
Any help would be greatly appriciated. Also, any help on possible value would be greatly appriciated.
[/img]

Jim in Burkburnett TX

[Beast]

Missed a couple of pictures

[Beast]

any thoughts out there? Just looking for a bit of help.

[Dave]

I can't quite read the numbers, but it certainly is a very unusual hub configuration. The central bore is extremely large and I don't know of any engine that comes close to that size. The absence of hub drilling usually means that it either failed the final inspection stages or was able to be used for several different hubs, in which case the drilling might occur in the field.

It's certainly a pleasing profile and color tone.

[Beast]

Thanks for the response Dave. The paperwork I have on the prop states "1930s Mahogany Schnieder trophy propeller" it looks as if it my have had a small plaque on it at one time. Does it hurt the value of the prop due to the fact it might not have been airworthy or that it may have been a reject?

[Dave]

Original condition propellers are considerably more valuable than ones that have been altered, but alteration for purposes of creating a trophy of importance would completely offset that, IMHO. You'd have to get a lot more information to see if the trophy claim is true. I suspect that the propeller itself is earlier than the 30's, more likely the teens. I'm not sure how long Ebora was in business, although I believe they continued beyond WW1. The general appearance is more consistent with WW1 era, however.

[Beast]

THanks again Dave. I try and contact the auction house to see if they can give me more information.

Jim

[Beast]

For Bob Garner

Bob, I've had no luck finding information about Ebora Propellers other than the information on the wooden propeller web site and I have tried contacting the auction house where I aquired my propeller with no luck. Can you help me a bit on how to research/authenticate my propeller. I have a bill of sale stating it was a 1930s Scheider trophy propeller but I'm pretty sure it was from earlier and may have been a "trophy". Do you have any informaton you can share on Ebora? Any help would be appriciated

[Dave]

I think you will have more luck research the Schneider Trophy history from the 1930's than you will trying to track down the propeller itself. There just isn't much information to go on.

Maybe a photograph or a description of a propeller being used in a presentation or something similar will turn up.

[Bob Gardner]

Jim,

Much of my book describes Ebora props of various types that I have come across. I know little of the company except this below

Ebora Propeller Co Ltd
11-12 Surbiton Park Terrace, Kingston-on-Thames.
A Dutch propeller company established in England. It was registered as a new limited company in January 1917 with capital of £4,000, in £5
shares. The Directors were Jan Schiere, S. Cole and F. B. Darocle.

I'll do some research tomorrow and come back to you.

Bob

[Beast]

Thanks Dave and Bob, sorry I haven't replied earlier but my plate is full right now. I am retiring from the USAF this coming Friday afternoon. After 25 1/2 years of flying, my body is telling me to quit! Again thank you for your help on this.

Jim

[Bob Gardner]

Hi Jim,

Having retired from the Army after 27 years in 1993, I can tell you that life is survivable as a veteran. I was in the British Army but flew often with the RAF, mainly parachuting loads out of C 130 Hercs. Hence the Air Despatch brevet in my avatar, awarded after 40 training sorties or 20 sorties on ops.

I still have some work to do on your prop. It is not a 1930's Schneider prop. Power outputs were so large by then that props like this were not used. So yours might be from a pre war Schneider Trophy aircraft, although I have no evidence that Ebora existed before WW1 (this doesn't mean it didn't). There were two types of Ebora decal. Yours is the early type. I'm still researching for you.

Bob

[Beast]

Bob I did find this bit of information on ebora from http://www.kingstononline.co.uk/index.htm but that is about as much as I have found.

I am Jan Schiere, a Dutch citizen. My father, also named Jan Schiere, owned a company named Ebora Propellers in Kingston-on Thames during the first worldwar. The address was: Surbiton Park Terrace, Phone Kingston 672, Cable-address Ebora, Kingston. The company was a contractor to the Admiralty & War Office. This information comes from an advertising I still have in my posession. I also own one of the wooden propellers, produced in 1913. As my father died when I was a child I have not very much information about his life. It seems Ebora stands for Efficency by our rotating airfoils. Later he founded Ebora Clocks and, back in Holland, Ebora Radio. Now my son has an industrial automation company named Ebora. I would be very gratefull to learn more about the propeller company. Do you know more, please contact me. Thanks in advance! Arnhem, The Netherlands

IT looks to me as if it is the same as the prop on the Bleriot XI but the bore is bigger with no bolt holes. Is appears to be the same shape and made of the same type of wood.

[nantillé]

schneider trophy

Hi Beast,

I also nearly bought the same prop as you have.I was at an auction house in East Anglia when I saw the prop standing up & thought it would be a great piece to have in the house.I left a bid but was not the succesful buyer.
I always wondered what happened to the prop & have always kicked myself for not going in higher.
Best of luck in your research & I hope you come up trumps.

[Beast]

nantille,

My wife actually "won" as she would put it. It was at the Diss auction house in East Anglia back in September of 97. It's a small world.

Jim