Antique Wooden Propellers

[dbahn]

I have collected over 100 wooden propellers (mostly WW1 era) since the 1980s, but over the past few years as I focused on estate planning I've kept less than 20 of those. So I'm not really collecting any more, but I recently ran into an airline captain who flies for free and can transport them as baggage, avoiding shipping charges and for (international transport) brokerage fees, so we're trying to locate more of them around the world. He's already picked up a few and is looking for more.

Anyone know of the whereabouts and contact information for any WW1 era props for sale? Does anyone else here collect them?

I started a web site and forum years ago, and have photographed many of the ones that I have owned. (Here's the photo page, and a link at the bottom goes to an old page with more of them. I've kept the ones that are quite rare, and I need to add a few new photos.)

Here's my favorite, a pre-war Helice Normale prop for a Bleriot X1 with a 25 HP Anzani engine:

 

[GeorgeC]

Rhinebeck might want the Bleriot prop..

 

[Busflyer]

Those are amazing! I love old propellers.

 

[dbahn]

Rhinebeck might want the Bleriot prop..

Well, you'd think so. But I traded props with Cole Palen years ago and he told me that an antique prop shouldn't cost more than it would cost him to make a reproduction, since he would prefer the reproduction on one of the original planes. A static display is a lot different, but for the operational antiques he wouldn't trust a 100 year old piece of wood. For a collector that's not true, but for Rhinebeck it does make sense.