ID and Value: US Propellers Inc - 72CA57

[JohnMayfield]

I would very much appreciate any info about the year this propeller was manufactured and the plane it was used on. Also what would be a fair asking price for this? Pictures are attached.

US Propellers Inc.
L = 72"
6 bolt holes
Markings:

• On one side, "US PROPELLERS INC" is stamped on one blade, and "DES 72CA57" (that "C" might be a "G") and "SER 16272" is stamped on the other blade.
• On the flip side of the propeller "16272" is stamped near the large middle opening and "57" is stamped on the opposite side of the same opening. It's hard to see in the pix but a "1" is stamped on one blade and "2" on the other blade.

The propeller came from my deceased grandfather who I know owned two airplanes, one was a post WWI biplane and the other I believe was a Piper Cub circa 1930s-40s. I'm not sure if this propeller is from one of those planes or just a collectible he picked up along the way.

Thank you in advance for your help!

John Mayfield

[Dave]

I'd say it might be for the J3, although it's a very coarse pitch and the bolt holes look too large for the usual Cub engine. "CA" is likely an engine or hub designation, but I'm not sure what it means.

According to the Type Certificate it was made to use on a 75 HP engine.

[JohnMayfield]

Thank you very much Dave. My mother is the current owner and she is wanting to sell it. Do you have any suggestions on a fair asking price?

[Dave]

I'd put it on eBay for a few hundred dollars and hope that a bidding war drives the price up to the high hundreds or even $1000 or so. See this page for some discussion.

Absence of any decals (although I don't know that U.S. Propellers even HAD decals), and absence of know usage are both downsides to value.

[clhuddleston]

Nearly identical prop

I just acquired, and posted about, a 72" US Propellers, Inc prop nearly identical to yours, but mine has U S Propellers Inc decals indicating it was reconditioned by Approved Station No. 371. Mine is SER 16395, not far from yours. The DES is perfectly clear 72C 57. The same info is stamped on top of the hub.

I've attached a photo of the decal, and you will note a 2" "shadow" adjacent where presumably a previous decal was removed during reconditioning. Sorry the photo is upside down, but the lighting on the upright side was inadequate and I didn't want to remove prop from the wall.

[Dbahnson]

So in that photo the ghost of the previous decal is clearly circular, so I was mistaken in thinking it was a Sensenich decal.