coogrfan Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Is anybody here sufficiently knowledgeable about WWII footlockers to know if this is legit? https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/74775903 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CATCplSlade Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Saw this last week on another site I belong to. It seems a little fishy to me. It would be nice if they had a pic of paperwork showing the authenticity of the locker. It just looks like someone rounded up some period items and threw them in, then painted kill markers on it. Would Gentile (or any pilot) have done that? A hard pass without some kind of proof of its origins. coogrfan, Jack and R Palimaka 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Interesting item and collection, but seems a little too pristine and tidy. The photos too are easily printed from images online. As mentioned above, I'd be suspicious without some documentation of provenance. Still though, nice conversation piece. Jack, LSP_K2 and coogrfan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 looks to me like a whole lot of B.S................. coogrfan, Lothar and R Palimaka 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigor Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Well if I mean if it was the real deal why wasn't it donated to a museum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmayhew Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 provenance is everything... R Palimaka 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Are they trying to say it's his original footlocker that he actually used in WWII, or is it supposed to be a reproduction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziggyfoos Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Out2gtcha said: Are they trying to say it's his original footlocker that he actually used in WWII, or is it supposed to be a reproduction? The link provided seems to imply it was his, although the description would indicate sold as-is and that they're not experts. I call reproduction too (as in real locker but painted up like his). It looks too fancy and "perfect" with everything there like you'd see recreated for a display piece. I know aces/pilot's can have an arrogant streak, but seems strange that he'd deck out his own trunk with photos of himself and war shots. No personal home or girl stuff? Edited September 4, 2019 by ziggyfoos Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 11 minutes ago, ziggyfoos said: I call reproduction too (as in real locker but painted up like his). It looks too fancy and "perfect" with everything there like you'd see recreated for a display piece. Thats kinda what it feels like to me too...........................way too shiny and new looking with hardly any wear on it for something that was done 70+ years ago and during war time no less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbk57 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 This is being sold on shopgoodwill, so not an ebayer. Someone donated this thing, I kind of think in part a tribute to the pilot, maybe this was put together after the war by himself, kids or family for him. Even if made for him by his family or something, it would be worth a lot of money I think or be a museum piece. I ran a quick search on google for images of army Air Force footlockers, there were no images of footlockers decorated like this one by other pilots or decorated as replicas in my quick search. So it might be a unique piece. I bet it it is real this was done after the war and might have been his actual footlockers, but the top decorated and photos added not as he used it during the war. It would be interesting to authticate the travel stickers on the side and see if they correspond to place he stayed traveled or went during the war. That might help authticate it. Is the hat size correct for him, maybe it was his hat? I would like others said above want more information if buying as a artifact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coogrfan Posted September 4, 2019 Author Share Posted September 4, 2019 Auction ended, went for $452.00. Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigor Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Might see it on pawn stars the guy trying to double his money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Bellis Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Places like Sporty's Pilot Shop and others have been selling memorabilia items just like that for decades. Anything similar to that would sell for about what it went for, too. While I haven't seen memorabilia footlockers offered for a long time, the current hot ticket along those lines and price range seems to be the metal "Nose Art" wall hangers. https://www.sportys.com/wrightbros/aviation-signs/nose-art-panels.html 7 hours ago, Out2gtcha said: Are they trying to say it's his original footlocker that he actually used in WWII, or is it supposed to be a reproduction? Nothing in the ad implies that it is original or previously owned by anyone specific. D Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamF Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Actually that is fake, because a careful look at the Stencil painted letters look like they've been painted by somebody to look like stencils but they've failed with the 'G' and some other letters. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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