Aviation Luxury’s
This site primarily is for the collection and memorabilia of aviation and police pieces. Collecting can be a time consuming and expensive, yet extremely rewarding hobby. Much of what you read or see on this site are items from the past…what once was, and is now valuable because of time and the significance of the items.
The airline industry really represents the ‘Golden Age’ of travel. It opened up the doors, or the sky, to a whole new level of optimism and freedom, as well as luxury. There is a big interest in obtaining a piece of that that once was, and with good reason.
We thought it would be interesting to talk about a few things are currently new luxuries in the aviation industry, and that may one day become collector’s pieces themselves. The style in which people travel has changed dramatically. The aircraft’s main objective remains the same, getting from pint A to B via a piece of equipment suspended in air, but the additions to air travel have changed, both internally and externally. The major changes come in the form of luxury travel. Economy travel, although mot as extravagant as the Golden Age of travel, still has it’s new luxuries as well.
- Personal Suites
- Hot Tubs (crazy right)
- Personal Mini TV’s/Computers (economy travel)
- Large personal TV’s/Computers (luxury travel)
- Beds…Seats that transform into beds (Air New Zealand)
- Luxury seats. Custom made furniture by well known furniture manufacturers)
- Gourmet Cuisine
- Massage Therapists
- A Gym (Air Force One)
- Aircraft personalization/commercialization ( airplane wraps….forget paint, people are getting crazy with vinyl wraps!). You no longer have to just paint you plane. You can wrap an airplane in vinyl. Thinking to get married from a plane? Get the bride and groom’s name installed on you plane…and easy to remove….crazy!
Air travel has been taken to the next level, and companies will continue to improve what they can offer. Air Travel in the Golden age of travel created an experience while you were getting from one place to the next. Air Travel today is allows people to literally live in the air, if they so choose. Technology advancements and improvements have awarded the industry and travelers many extensive luxuries that have transformed the way people travel.
Many of these extreme luxuries are not available to economy travelers…hot tub in coach?? I think not. And soon more is to come. Think Casinos, restaurants, bars….like I said, it’s living in the air. No longer will people travel to Vegas for a few days of gambling, fine dining and famous shows, they will book a large airliner to experience all of that, all while they have the best views possible and travel to new places.
What will the collectibles be 100 years from now? Food for thought.
What are Aviation Collectibles?
While many of our readers are avid collectors and very familiar with the value aviation collectibles, both monetary and in memory, some of you may be wondering what are aviation collectibles and memorabilia. From private collections, to hobbyist collections, to specific genres, aviation items share a part of history as we know it.
We would like to give you a little look into exactly what that is. The collectibles and memorabilia in the Aviation industry are expansive and represent the beginning of flight history. Collectibles may differ depending on the focus – commercial aviation, military, etc.
From the start of the WrightBrother’s embarking on their first flight, to the beginning of the passenger aviation service (1914), people have been collecting. What have they been collecting you may ask- Everything from fine china to menus, to aviation equipment.
In the beginning years of flight, passengers were offered meals served on fine china, eaten with nice silverware, hydrated with sturdy glassware, and presented on menus. Menus stamped with the airline name or logo, as well as China and glassware made by very well known and reputable companies. Airline China was made lighter weight than the traditional household China. Not only was it lighter, it was also labeled by the airline with in which one traveled. This being said, these pieces of China, glassware, and even menus are collectibles today.
Think beyond just dining on an aircraft. Think other onboard items, such as blankets, safety kits, ashtrays (when smoking on an aircraft was allowed), playing cards, cigarette lighters, magazines, fabrics from seats, stickers, wings (remember those wing broaches they used to have), and manuals. These items, much of what we see today have become the collectibles of yesteryear. The beginning of flight history set into motion a transformation of how people traveled. Collector’s today hold onto these items or seek these items because they were the beginning, and the continuous growth of how the aviation industry has transformed travel and so much more.
Now let’s take a look beyond the passenger items or onboard aircraft collector’s items.
Aviation Equipment. Any equipment used by airline staff. Emergency life vest, uniforms, badges, and in air equipment. The different positions, pilot to stewardess and ground staff, had different uniforms, name tags, etc. These are all collectibles today.
A few more randoms just to name a few…….
Post cards, calendars, mini models of aircraft, and other promotional/advertising items.
And of course there are the actual full aircraft carriers. A lot more rare, and a lot more expensive original, most in famous museums.
The Aviation Industry is a plays a huge role in history. Aspects from the first ashtray, to the wings that you were once given as a passenger are collections of this history.
Patch Collections Are Valuable
I want to remind everyone today that patch collections are valuable. In fact they are probably more valuable than you realize. Unfortunately though some collectors who have been collecting for decades end up giving their collections away, or selling it for a fraction of what it is worth after they decide to stop collecting. I want to warn people against this, because you are devaluing the market price for patches for everyone, and also missing out on a big sum of cash for yourself. Furthermore, you are giving your prized collection often to people who don’t understand their true value, or appreciate them for all they are worth.
In fact a friend of mine recently sold his collection, which mind you was very large, for a small fortune. He really took pride in his collection and understood their potential value, so he made sure he got the market value for the collection, and sold it to someone who truly understands their value. He spent more time than many want to, and sold many of them individually on ebay, however it really paid off. He took the cash that he sold his collection for and used it to move to Colorado and to purchase a hot tub in Fort Collins where he ended up settling down. My friend said the hot tub dealer gave him a great deal on the jacuzzi, but mind you, hot tubs typically sell for around $10,000.
I’m not suggesting that your collection is worth thousands of dollars. It took my friend almost three decades to accumulate his collection and he was rather obsessed with the hobby. So I don’ think many people have collections quite of this magnitude, but I would bet that your collection is worth more than you think. Read More…
Upcoming Shows (North America)
There are a lot of great upcoming shows all throughout North America. Whether you want to road trip to all of them, or make a trip to one thats close to your neck of the woods, here they are for you. I have not laid out all the details of the events, so if you want more information simply Google the name of the event and you should be able to locate the details of the event. All the shows will have police patches, and should have military and firefighter patches as well. This is not all the upcoming shows where you will be able to find great patches, but simply some ones that I wanted to highlight. If you have any questions, or are having trouble locating the details on a specific show, please feel free to contact me.
31st Northern California Law Enforcement Collectors Show (10/01/2016)
@ Ripon City Community Center (9am – 2pm)
Altona Manitoba Police Show (10/16/2016)
@ W.C. Miller Collegiate, 181-6th St. SE, Altona, Manitoba
Waterloo Regional Police Collectors Show (10/29/2016)
@Waterloo Regional Police Association Building (9am – 1pm)
SouthEast Patch and Badge Trade show (11/12/16)
@ Gresham Gymnasium at Georgia Baptist Conference Center, 4243 U.S. Highway 319, Norman Park, GA 31771 (9am -3pm)
Montreal Area Show (11/12/2016)
@ Champlain College Saint-Lambert
900 Rue Riverside, Saint-Lambert
Quebec J4P 3P2 (9am -3pm)
The Porky Show Police & Fire Annual Memorabilia Show (1/21/2017)
@ Claremont, CA
Fairfax Regional Badge & Patch Show 11/5/16
The Fairfax Regional Badge & Patch Show is right around the corner. The Event will be held Saturday November 5th at the Fairfax County Police Association Hall. Everything kicks off at 10AM and will go to 3PM. If you are planning to have a table at the event set up time begins at 9am and a table cost $20. To Reserve a table contact the Fairfax County Police Association fcpashow@aol.com.
For Guests this is a fun show that should have a good turn out. Definitely a show worth making a drive for, should be a lot of great collectible patches, and some avid collectors to meet and trade with. Entry is only 5$ and includes a spouse, and children. Turn out should be mostly collectors but you should run in into some guys and gals who currently or previously were in uniform too.
Hope to see you there.
Private Collection
Hey all, I just wanted to reach out and let those collectors in the Phoenix area know that a West Coast Collector will be putting his large private collections on display in Phoenix next weekend (Sept 10-12) at his office in Mesa AZ. The gentlemen has been collecting for over 20 years, so you can bet that there will be some great patches to see and purchase. From what it sounds like, he will be liquidating most of his collection in order to donate the proceeds to a local non-profit and focus his energy on his new plumbing company in Mesa. He has some rare patches that I believe he wants to get back on the market and free them from being buried in his basement.
You will see private collectors do this from time-to-time and it is one of the best opportunities to grab some hard to find patches. Whether people are simply getting out of collecting, need to down size their collection or are trying to generate some cash, you will find some great deals on collectibles. He has not stated what all will be there, but there is reason to believe there will be some great collectibles. I spoke to a gentlemen who has seen this collection first hand and he said there is very few collections as big as this one. Again, I don’t know if the whole collection will be for sell and trade but it does sound like a large majority will be.
I would bring patches to trade, but it sounds like a large majority will be for sale and not negotiable for trade, being that he wants to slim down his collection.
Get here early if you plan to attend, because more times than not these type of sales are better at the beginning. Often times people get less and less lenient withe their prices as they see their collection dwindle. Perhaps this will not be the case here, but you are sure to have first pick if you arrive early.
For more information regarding this event contact me directly. There has not been a great deal of informations posted about this event and I will do my best to update my viewers based on what I learn.
Stay Tuned.
Florence Kentucky Police Badge / Patch Show (Fall 2016)
Another great upcoming show for my fellow patch collectors is the Florence Kentucky Police Badge / Patch Show. I personally will not be able to to attend this show but I know it’s going to a great one. I know some collectors who will be bringing some extremely rare patches to this show and selling off hard to find patches for very reasonable prices. I’m not sure if this will be a great show for trading patches, but if you have some money to put down, I know there will be some nice merchandise to purchase. The shows is set for Saturday September 10th between 8:30am and 2:30pm, so make sure to get there early. I’ll update contact information as it becomes available.
2016 National Police & Peace Officer Memorial Collectors Show Sep 24, 2016
This years National Police & Peace Officer Memorial Collectors Show will be one of the best collector shows North of the US border. This will be a great opportunity for collectors and the general public to enjoy a large assortment of police patches, memorabilia, and more. Network with other collectors as you shop, trade, and observe one of Canada’s greatest collection of police collectibles. Doors are open from 9am – 3pm giving plenty of time to sort through collections and talk with some fellow traders.
For details regarding the show contact – pyefich@cogeco.ca
2016 National Police Collectors Show
Join all the enthusiasts August 20th -21st in Indianopolis, Indiana for this years National Police Collectors Show. This is a culmination of some of the biggest collectors in the country and will be an awesome place to meet other collectors and locate some hard to find patches and badges. Setup starts on the 19th from 12pm – 4pm for table holders. Prizes will be given out for the most unique display, best badge display, patch display and more. If you are an enthusiast this is definitely something you will want to check out. If you have questions reach out to the host Matt Morgan: npcs2016@yahoo.com
Why Patches?
Police and aviation patches have become a hallmark of this country and the institutions that protect it. From the early days of golden stars in the wild west, that differentiated the good guys from the bad guys to the more modern stitched patches that represent the different ranks and academies.
Police patches have become a popular thing to to collect because the stitch work and variation between different locations has made a wide range of different types of patches. Coming in different shapes, patterns and colors each one varies quite a bit and makes for a great looking collection once you have over 25.
As I have mentioned before, most of the patches represent different eras and are nostalgic to people who lived through certain time periods. The police patches additionally are like passport stamps, and you can collect a patch from each of the 50 states, some of which are harder to locate and make for a great addition to the collection.
In a funny way its similar to those kids and their pokemon, except in this case we are talking about collectibles that have roots in history, and not some mythical creature represented by a card. Collectibles are collectibles however, but I prefer something with a bit more meaning.
