Junk Shop Find

[Dan Stein]

I'm a clock and watch collector and found this clock in a junk shop. I liked the 1930's - 1940's Smith's 8-Days clock. Upon further inspection I found two brass plaques (one on top and one on the bottom) I believe this came from a real English propeller. Can someone verify and let me know what it is and if this is either interesting or valuable? My intention is to hang it on a wall and enjoy it. Thank you in advance for your responses. I realize that it may be sacrilegious to post something like this with the ends cut off. I apologize if I have offended your sensibilities!

[Dave]

I'm not sure how much you'll be able to narrow it down, but look on this page to find the drawing number, DH5220. You'll find a number of (similar) aircraft that might have used that model.

[Bob Gardner]

Hello Dan,

Welcome to the forum. Your hub is from a British Tiger Moth, built as a training aircraft for the RAF in 1939. It's a nice thing, well worth keeping and polishing. It's worth about 150 GBP in Britain, about 240 USD.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Dbahnson]

Just curious, Bob, how you narrow it down to the Tiger Moth, among the many other Moth versions that seem to correspond to DH 5220/ Cirrus III. The one variant they don't have listed is the MX20 suffix.

[Bob Gardner]

Dear Curious of Vermont,

I am always in favour of peer review, even though it militates against lateral thought, and intellectual challenges are always stimulating. And having reviewed all my data I am fairly sure my conclusion is correct, although there is an educated assumption lurking there.

Firstly, none of the 52xx series of de Havilland props were intended for the Cirrus engine, which used 51xx series props.

This data plate mentions the Gipsy III and Gipsy Major engines. Prop drg nos 5220/MX/19, 21, 22 and 23 are all for the DH Tiger Moth and DH Queen Bee. It is likely that 5220/MX/20 props are as well.
Afternote; the diameter and pitch on the dataplate are for the Tiger Moth.

The Queen Bee aircraft was a radio-controlled Tiger Moth made in small numbers as an aerial target, primarily for the Royal Navy I think. The Tiger Moth was made in large nos, so from a statistical point of view it is likely to be from a Tiger c.f a Queen Bee.

The data plate is military not civilian and dated December 1939 when Tiger Moths were being made in large nos for the RAF as it expanded to meet the threat from Germany. At this date, three months into WW2 (when Europe was at war and Americans slept peacefully abed) civilian aircraft production in Britain had ceased, to meet the demands for military aircraft.

Ergo, quad erat demonstrandum is that this prop is almost certainly from a Tiger Moth but I concede that this is an assumption, not a verifiable truth!

With kind regards,

Bob

Postscript; I shall challenge you, in retaliation, as soon as an opportunity arises!

[Dbahnson]

Dear Curious of Vermont,

I am always in favour of peer review, even though it militates against lateral thought, and intellectual challenges are always stimulating. And having reviewed all my data I am fairly sure my conclusion is correct, although there is an educated assumption lurking there.

Firstly, none of the 52xx series of de Havilland props were intended for the Cirrus engine, which used 51xx series props.

Well, you certainly got me there, but fortunately for my lateral thought, it was a simple transposition or clerical error, not one of fundamental belief.

Having said that, I'm simply looking at all of the possible uses of the DH5220/suffix props, and since there is no MX20 listed, I'm wondering if any of the other Gipsy III engines listed and their accompanying aircraft might have used that propeller.

Do you think the brass plate is original or made by the person who installed the clock?

Ergo, quad erat demonstrandum . . .

Rats! I might have to look that one up.

[Bob Gardner]

Dave,

I'm glad you appreciate my sense of humour! Humour doesn't always cross national boundaries intact. The data plates are the genuine item, applied by the latter day AID (where AID had become a Directorate rather than the Department of WW1)

Why have you got two personas? Perhaps I should sign on with a different name as well. I could then converse with myself.

Bob

[Dave]

Thanks, Bob.

Sorry about appearing as the second persona. I am "Dave" the moderator and "Dbahnson" the administrator, with the adminstrator password being very complex to avoid some of the hacking that plaques discussion boards like this. I sometimes forget to logout/login after accessing the admin privileges, but I try to stay logged on as Dave all of the time I post. You, Lamar, and I all have the same privileges as Moderators.

[Dan Stein]

Thanks to all that helped me identify this treasure. It now hangs over my desk in a place of honor.