gunpaq 1 #1 April 13, 2014 Found a little bit of history on Ebay. A seller is listing diamond wings and badge awarded to Bill Ottley in the 1970's. http://www.ebay.com/itm/261451741168?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649www.geronimoskydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pms07 3 #2 April 13, 2014 WHO was a good friend and, from a personal perspective, it's sad to see his skydiving memorabilia being sold on ebay. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rougarou 0 #3 April 13, 2014 This scum bag has other Ottley awards too: http://www.ebay.com/usr/skiff-farm?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 Just don't seem right to be profiting from another man's awards of accomplishment... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #4 April 13, 2014 RougarouThis scum bag has other Ottley awards too: http://www.ebay.com/usr/skiff-farm?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 Just don't seem right to be profiting from another man's awards of accomplishment... Well...says he got them in an estate sale. Rather unfortunate no one close to Bill thought enough of them to donate to the museum or see they found a better home. He's asking 500 bucks...I'd be surprised if they go for a tenth that. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #5 April 14, 2014 airtwardo ***This scum bag has other Ottley awards too: http://www.ebay.com/usr/skiff-farm?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 Just don't seem right to be profiting from another man's awards of accomplishment... Well...says he got them in an estate sale. Rather unfortunate no one close to Bill thought enough of them to donate to the museum or see they found a better home. He's asking 500 bucks...I'd be surprised if they go for a tenth that. The dude is going to take the gold wings to a jewel appraiser. One Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #6 April 14, 2014 Krip ******This scum bag has other Ottley awards too: http://www.ebay.com/usr/skiff-farm?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 Just don't seem right to be profiting from another man's awards of accomplishment... Well...says he got them in an estate sale. Rather unfortunate no one close to Bill thought enough of them to donate to the museum or see they found a better home. He's asking 500 bucks...I'd be surprised if they go for a tenth that. The dude is going to take the gold wings to a jewel appraiser. What a donkey"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoobrothertom 5 #7 April 14, 2014 Anybody want to log in and suggest he donate Bill's stuff to the Skydiving Museum? I'm at work and can't remember my darn ebay password! ____________________________________ I'm back in the USA!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pms07 3 #8 April 14, 2014 Well, I don't know the person selling and have no reason to call them names, assuming the items were acquired at an estate sale and all this is above board. I have no reason to think otherwise. My comment was more of a personal nature regarding a close friend and important symbols of his life accomplishments. I will try to contact the seller and see if he's interested in donating to the museum...maybe for a reduced price. Either way, not worth losing sleep over... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #9 April 14, 2014 Krip ******This scum bag has other Ottley awards too: http://www.ebay.com/usr/skiff-farm?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 Just don't seem right to be profiting from another man's awards of accomplishment... Well...says he got them in an estate sale. Rather unfortunate no one close to Bill thought enough of them to donate to the museum or see they found a better home. He's asking 500 bucks...I'd be surprised if they go for a tenth that. The dude is going to take the gold wings to a jewel appraiser. I sent the Ebay link to an old skydiving buddy that knew Bill well...he called me up shocked saying he was looking for HIS diamond wings - he 'didn't know' they were 10K gold! Plated pot metal more like. That said...a guy I use to jump with in the 70s (D377?) had a pair of wings cast from gold...used it as a lapel pin. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obelixtim 100 #10 April 14, 2014 Sad to see Bills stuff up for sale like this. Good idea to ask him to donate them to the museum, but I suspect he will at least want compensation. Might be better to wait till the auction is about to close, and if he has no bids, for someone to put in a low bid and see where it goes from there. Then it could be donated to the museum, which is where it should be anyway. Just don't get into a bidding war with someone with the same idea.....My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #11 April 14, 2014 pms07 Well, I don't know the person selling and have no reason to call them names, assuming the items were acquired at an estate sale and all this is above board. I have no reason to think otherwise. My comment was more of a personal nature regarding a close friend and important symbols of his life accomplishments. I will try to contact the seller and see if he's interested in donating to the museum...maybe for a reduced price. Either way, not worth losing sleep over... Agree 100%! Perhaps there is a lesson there though... In the last few years I've lost both my folks & my father in law, going through all the things people leave behind is hard. The 'survivors' don't always realize or understand the value of the things others may collect / earn / save. I bet lots of things just get chucked in a box and sold off or donated...that probably deserve better. Heck a few years back someone posted an estate sale 'find' that hit me a little weird...it was a presentation baton we gave to Steve Snyder following a reenactment with him at an airshow, of the 1st baton pass 40 years to the day after. An engraved brass plaque set in the handle...it was the last skydive Steve ever made. Don't know what ever happened to it but I suggested it be donated to the museum, it WAS a fellow skydiver posting, so I hope it ends up there eventually. After going through a couple households full of 'things' I got to thinking...I told my better half that when I go tits up, she's to contact a couple friends whose names I gave her - to go through the man cave and let them take care of 'liquidating' my treasures. I let the guys know I'd done that and trust them to take care it in a way that I would. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogers 0 #12 April 14, 2014 airtwardo I sent the Ebay link to an old skydiving buddy that knew Bill well...he called me up shocked saying he was looking for HIS diamond wings - he 'didn't know' they were 10K gold! Plated pot metal more like. [;) The official description is "gold colored", i.e. there is no real gold in them. They're "Gold Wings" in name only. The diamonds I'm sure are fake too, or at least industrial diamonds. USPA sells them for $15, so how much precious metal value can they have? Zip. Ther value is in what they symbolize, not how much precious metal they contain. But it costs a ton of money to earn Gold Wings: $25 per jump X 1,000 jumps = $25,000! Minimum. [inline USPA_Wings.JPG] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogers 0 #13 April 14, 2014 This sale brings up a good question, though: What do we with our skydiving treasures that our heirs won't give a darn about? Like our log books for example. To us, they are priceless treasures that bring back fond memories of amazing events and good friends. To our children and grandchildren, they mean nothing... I don't want my log books thrown out in the trash. I know, when you're dead, you won't know or have the ability to care. But somehow it just doesn't seem right. Like throwing out the family photos. It's part of the history of your life. You expect the people you loved to honor that. Crazy idea: How about a large wall sized bookshelf in the National Skydiving Museum. When you die, have your old logbooks sent to the museum for placement on the shelves. Visitors can pass by the bookshelf, pull logbooks out at random, flip through the entries, and see the kind of skydiving that particular person enjoyed, and the names involved. Kind of a collective memory of good skydiving times, from all over the country, from all times, for all time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #14 April 14, 2014 Quote To our children and grandchildren, they mean nothing... A few years back 'Chuteless' was thinning out the inventory...he offered a bunch of his personal memorabilia to interested parties on this site and then sent it off. I can see the logic in that, he's pretty much done jumping as an active participant & what better way to keep things like that preserved than to give them to sky brothers that understand. I was quite honored to revive a box of various items from Bill...among the treasures was a jumpsuit worn on several well publicized jumps, a logbook, a dozen VERY interesting photographs from 'back in the day', as well as the barograph he wore when he broke the high altitude record at that time. Bill & I keep in touch quite a bit with PM's both here & on FB...turns out his lovely daughter has recently taken an interest in the sport! She 'understands' the intrinsic value of the personal items collected through time, by a true pioneer like her dad. It was my pleasure to send her that jumpsuit, which she tells me she plans on wearing when reaching solo status....as well as the lookbook I was holding, that without question is now where is should be. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdkalou 0 #15 April 14, 2014 Hate to say it, but if the wings are .999 pure gold, and gold is currently $1,328/ounce, that would put the market price of the wings (the gold) at any coin shop in the market place at $505. Looks like the seller might have done a little home work but could of saved himself some time and trouble and just have taken them to a coin, or metals store. You can sell them right there with no paper trail, taxes, etc. etc. Now if the wings are "plated with gold," different story. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #16 April 14, 2014 jdkalouHate to say it, but if the wings are .999 pure gold, and gold is currently $1,328/ounce, that would put the market price of the wings (the gold) at any coin shop in the market place at $505. Looks like the seller might have done a little home work but could of saved himself some time and trouble and just have taken them to a coin, or metals store. You can sell them right there with no paper trail, taxes, etc. etc. Now if the wings are "plated with gold," different story. The only problem is usually gold jewelry will have a far better finish on the back side than what we see on the wings shown online. The front is polished.. but the back looks like the stuff that gets plated and it should be less rough. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aregel-10k-Gold-Flower-Pin-Vintage-Brooch-/171301054935?pt=US_Fine_Jewelry&hash=item27e256a9d7 OR http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-10k-black-hills-gold-brooch-pin-with-original-box-2-6-grams-/121316076136?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c3f006a68 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #17 April 14, 2014 jdkalouHate to say it, but if the wings are .999 pure gold, and gold is currently $1,328/ounce, that would put the market price of the wings (the gold) at any coin shop in the market place at $505. Looks like the seller might have done a little home work but could of saved himself some time and trouble and just have taken them to a coin, or metals store. You can sell them right there with no paper trail, taxes, etc. etc. Now if the wings are "plated with gold," different story. Well...they DO say 10k on the back. But it sure looks kinda plated to me... MINE are all polished & shiny front & back - but they sure didn't COST what spot on gold is! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunpaq 1 #18 April 15, 2014 Reply from seller after emailing him and suggesting donating the Ottley items to The Skydiving Museum or USPA: Dear gunpaq, I would love to if I could afford it. This is a business for me and at this point I don't need a tax write off. Thanks for looking.www.geronimoskydiving.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #19 April 15, 2014 Hi I can see a phony whale making the wings with the diamonds into a Lapel pin, or a money clip, to show off to the ladies in the "club". That's worth something to them.The pic on Ebay of the wings looks kind tarnished, But I don't do gold. Damn shame One Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guru312 0 #20 April 15, 2014 gunpaqFound a little bit of history on Ebay. A seller is listing diamond wings and badge awarded to Bill Ottley in the 1970's. ... This thread is strangely interesting. I knew WHO for many years. A very smart and a very likeable quite unusual guy. Some time in the early 1970s...or maybe some other time..I visited the Air and Space Museum DC. The was a 3 or 4 person "formation" displayed hanging from the ceiling. One of the figures was wearing Bill Ottley's jumpsuit and wearing his gear with a name tag. I was thinking that maybe the "estate sale" included the gear donated to the museum for the skydiving display. Unless Bill had some phenomenal bad luck financially he could afford wings made out of rhodium if that's what he wanted. Pure gold would have been easily be within his means. Bill Ottley played a very big role in the formation and growth of organized sport parachuting. And he was a Pelican.Guru312 I am not DB Cooper Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #21 April 15, 2014 Guru312***Found a little bit of history on Ebay. A seller is listing diamond wings and badge awarded to Bill Ottley in the 1970's. ... This thread is strangely interesting. I knew WHO for many years. A very smart and a very likeable quite unusual guy. Some time in the early 1970s...or maybe some other time..I visited the Air and Space Museum DC. The was a 3 or 4 person "formation" displayed hanging from the ceiling. One of the figures was wearing Bill Ottley's jumpsuit and wearing his gear with a name tag. I was thinking that maybe the "estate sale" included the gear donated to the museum for the skydiving display. Unless Bill had some phenomenal bad luck financially he could afford wings made out of rhodium if that's what he wanted. Pure gold would have been easily be within his means. Bill Ottley played a very big role in the formation and growth of organized sport parachuting. And he was a Pelican. That display was hanging in the San Diego air museum a few years ago...Jerry Bird, Mike Johnston, Dick Fortenberry and, of course, Bill Ottley. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
love2drop 0 #22 April 18, 2014 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/03/AR2005120301211.html "His professional honors include the Federation Aeronautique Internationale Air Sport Medal and the Parachute Industry Man of the Year Award in 1984." "He leaves no immediate survivors." Probably why his awards are being sold and not with family. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #23 April 18, 2014 Been following the course on FB - 'Oldschool Skydiving' Someone has made a bid...500.00? Seems this isn't the first time this seller has offered such memorabilia - - someone said he tried selling some diamond wings a year or so back claiming they were solid gold and real diamonds... ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #24 April 19, 2014 airtwardo Been following the course on FB - 'Oldschool Skydiving' Someone has made a bid...500.00? Seems this isn't the first time this seller has offered such memorabilia - - someone said he tried selling some diamond wings a year or so back claiming they were solid gold and real diamonds... Hi T Who knows maybe some person in a high tax bracket, is willing to pay the 500, donate it to a museum and get some of the money back on their tax'sOr the buyer will wear it as a babe magnet. One Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darkwing 4 #25 April 19, 2014 Ottley was a babe magnet. When I introduced my (then) wife to him, she keenly observed "nice testicle Ottley" as his was peaking out from his shorts. This was in Tahlequah. He was only slightly mortified. -- Jeff My Skydiving History Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
