Description:

AMERICAN ARMY PILOT'S CRASHED AVRO RELIC
A great World War I European Theater military aviation relic, a 17.5 x 3 in. section of painted canvas taken from an Avro observation aircraft which lost power and crashed, killing both American military aviators aboard. The canvas, painted red, blue and white on one side, has an ink note of provenance on the verso. It reads in part: 'Coblenz Airdrome June 25, 1919 Dear Bondie: Well, old man, the Avro is 'caput'! This is a piece of the 'cocarde' of the upper right-hand wing, so I guess there will be no more 'joy rides'. One of the pilots was giving a captain, of the Engineers Corps, a ride when the motor quit. The plan did a half of a 'spin', then 'crashed', killing the captain. The pilot is on the 'dangerous' list. We might leave any day now, so get over to see me Sunday, if possible...' The relic is accompanied by the original mailing envelope, sent by Lt. Thomas H. Hovey of the 138th Aero Squadron to his friend in the 2nd Engineers, 2nd Division. A copy of a newspaper article describing the incident, naming the deceased and mentioning that they were 'dashed to death'. Very good.

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December 5, 2024 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000