Introduction
Hand-painted plane nose art and matching bomber jackets, comics and posters, Disney-designed insignia, folk art, and more โ artwork from Americaโs Greatest Generation is bad*ss. WW2 nose art often includes custom bombs or other symbols from successful missions. And so did the A-2 bomber jackets that pilots and crew wore.
Owners are sometimes surprised at the value of art from World War II when there is an appraisal of a family heirloom on PBSโ Antiques Roadshow. One family on this list was surprised to learn the real meaning of a carved โpirateโ and โsurfer!โ
We know you guys are total suckers for facts and trivia about our nation and military. So weโve gathered some interesting tidbits about WW2 art from our military for you to enjoy and share with your friends and fellow service buddies!
10 Times Antiques Roadshow Proved WW2 Art Is the Bomb
1. โEโZ Goinโ Bomber Jacket
- Value: $3,000 to $4,000 at auction (2012)
- Item: A-2 jacket with custom paint
- Origin: John Burke, B-17 Radio Gunner
Check out the bombs representing Munich and Berlin missions on the back of the jacket! This bomber is literally da bomb.
2. โHadda Do Itโ Flight Jacket
- Value: $2,000 to $2,500 retail (2018)
- Item: A-2 jacket custom paint
- Origin: H. Dwayne Stratton, B-17 Pilot 490th Bomb Group
Evident in this Eighth Air Force insignia, they were one of the hardest-fighting groups in WWII.
3. WWII Aircraft Nose Art
- Value: $2,000 to $4,000 at auction (2005)
- Item: Insignia from a P-40 airplane, flight jacket patch painted on leather and photos of sharkโs teeth on plane noses
- Origin: Stanley Schirro, 26th Fighter Squadron
This aluminum cut from the cowling of a P-40 aircraft depicts a hybrid of a reindeer and a P-40 airplane. The artwork, on the other hand, is something we can all get behind (for the spectacular script font and shading, of course).
4. WWII Comic Art
- Value: $2,000 to $3,000 at auction (2014)
- Item: Comic Art
- Origin: PFC James F. Brown with Gen. Pattonโs Third Army
The artwork is undeniably bit dark and tragic, as the artist uses comics to deal with the atrocities of war.
โWhen a war poses for its picture, it leaves to the artist the selection of the attitude in which the artist may desire to draw it,โ World War I Soldier-Artist J. Andre Smith.
5. Disney Insignia WWII
- Value: $3,500 to $4,325 at auction (2012)
- Item: Cartoon art
- Origin: Disney Studios
If you can forgive their modern money-grubbing corporate practices, Disney has a fascinating history, and they even had a hand in wartime efforts.
Fun Fact! Disney artists played a huge role in WWII insignia art, all with no licensing fees!
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6. A-2 Bomber Jacket and Photo
- Value: $3,000 to $4,000 retail (2012)
- Item: A-2 bomber jacket and photo
- Origin: Eighth Air Force
A whopping 30 bombs on the jacketโs chest indicate many successful American missions.
7. World War II Folk Art
- Value: $10,000 to $15,000 at auction (2013)
- Item: Carved Figures
- Origin: Duluth, Minnesota
Pirate or Mussolini? Surfer or Stalin? Hand-carved from the Minnesota forest representing WWII world leaders, these are a Swedish immigrantโs political statement.
Keeping Art Alive: Life magazine hired 17 civilian artists to embed as WWII correspondents. And Abbott Labs paid a daily wage to more than two dozen Associated American Artists to serve as official combat artists in the field.
8. World War II Submarine Kill Flag
- Value: $2,500 to $3,000 retail (2015)
- Item: Flag with Disney-inspired vessel insignia
- Origin: USS Plaice, Balao-class submarine
In 1943, the USS Plaice conducted war patrols in the South Pacific towards the end of World War II, and the flag is a record of the shipโs service.
U.S. Army Historical Properties Section: In 1944, the Armyโs art program returned. Today, the artwork of more than a thousand soldiers, from WWI to War on Terrorism, is part of the Armyโs Historical Properties Section.
9. World War II Posters
- Value: $1,600 to $2,400 at auction (2019)
- Item: Poster Series
- Origin: Arthur Rothenberg
This series of posters, found in the artistโs motherโs closet recently, earned a letter from two brigadier generals thanking him for the artwork. This just goes to show that your dust-filled attics and skeleton-laden closets could hold some fascinating secrets and histories. Time for some spring cleaning!
Connect with local museum info for the military installation of your choice in MyBaseGuideโs community info.
10. A-2 Flight Jacket
- Value: $3,500 to $4,000 retail (2019)
- Item: A-2 flight jacket
- Origin: 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 507thโs black and orange jumping spider, with his lightning bolt and lit bomb, is one of the most distinctive and memorable of all the Airborne patches of World War II.
Conclusion
Even after surprising appraisals like those listed here, many military families consider their WW2 art priceless. Youโd be cold-hearted to get rid of such deeply historical pieces that hold massive significance to both your own family and the nation at-large.
As time marches on, WWIIโs sights and sounds disappear. But we can still see the courage exemplified by the Veterans of the war in these artifacts. OF COURSE many Americans choose to keep iconic pieces in the family to honor their loved oneโs legacy of securing global freedom. You would have to be heartless not to.
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