Dutch wooden pre ww2 crash trophee propeller

[Artdeco]

Dear members,

Today i bought this barnfind from a man in Holland. The story is that the prop came from the great grandfather of the seller. It was in a cold and wet barn for ages. He knew it was a family story that he was a pre ww2 fighter pilot and crash landed a plane in the interbellum period. He survived and kept a part of the broken propeller. Offcourse it can be an older plane.

The condition is very bad because of the years in the barn but still worth a possible professional restauration. But that depends on what kind of history i can find of the plane and then maybe some crash details.

There are no markings on the prop.

I hope someone can help because the tip looks very specific.

Thank you very much for your time and advice in advance

Regards

Karel

[Dbahnson]

Unfortunately, isolated blades are difficult if not impossible to identify, and even with an identifying hub attached that can identify it, single blades are not very "collectible" with respect to any value. On the other hand, if you CAN verify its connection to a documented crash and the story handed down with it, then its value would be higher, in which case it should not be restored in any way.

The alternating wood colors suggests a German manufacturer but doesn't assure it. Metal sheathing was not particularly common on WW1 German props but did come into use shortly after WW1, especially for use on sea planes.

I suggest that you leave it as is and see if you can find any supporting documentation of its reported history.