WWII Submarine Flag & Wheel of the U.S.S. Spadefish
GUEST: These are pieces that were in different parts of the house that we just assembled. They were from my father's ship that he was on, which was the submarine USS Spadefish.
APPRAISER: Well, it's quite a collection, I got to say. We have here a photo. This is your father, right?
GUEST: Yes, it is.
APPRAISER: Here we see him in his summer uniform. There he is in his winter uniform. And what technical service was he in, in the Navy?
GUEST: He was fire control first class on the sub.
APPRAISER: So, and then, here we have his logbook, fire control log. And sailors had a lot of time back then, so he had a little time to do some drawing on the cover. There's his submarine. There's some of the engagements they were in, and he put his initials there. It's a neat little book.
GUEST: Yes, it is.
APPRAISER: And then, we have this ship's wheel. Now, was this something your father brought home?
GUEST: No, it isn't. My father passed away in the early '60s, and in the late '60s, my sister was perusing the hobbies magazine, and there was an advertisement for the ship's wheel off the USS Spadefish. So, we went forth and purchased this. We paid $150 for it.
APPRAISER: Okay. Well, it's a great piece, and there's no question that it's a submarine wheel. And I'd love to do a little bit more research on it, but the story sounds right. Now, what about this last piece?
GUEST: The flag was brought back by my father. It was in a cedar chest for a long period of time. And I don't know the specific indication of each of the symbols, other than the Spadefish, which was the name of the submarine.
APPRAISER: Well, it's a great flag, and you got to remember that the submariners were a special class of sailor. They were almost all very, very young. It was very, very dangerous work for obvious reasons. And these flags were generally issued postwar, right as they're getting out of service, as souvenirs. Here we have the Spadefish symbol. And a lot of these caricatures were drawn up and designed by Disney. They did a lot of U.S. Navy. They did a lot of Air Force patches and symbols. This could have been a Disney one. It certainly looks like one, but it would require a little bit more research. Again, we have here the engagements that it was in. These would represent merchant vessels or civilian vessels. Down here would represent military vessels and military engagements, with aircraft or ships. And then, this represents the presidential unit citation that would have been awarded to the entire sub, and as such, the sailors would have been allowed to wear the ribbon on their uniform. And these should reflect battle stars. So, it's a great piece. You've got a little bit of moth damage, but not bad for being stored so long. In terms of value, at auction, conservatively, the flag alone... we're talking about $2,000 to $3,000.
GUEST: Wow... okay.
APPRAISER: Possibly more. And in terms of the ship's wheel, with a little bit of research tying it in, same kind of thing. A couple thousand dollars with upside potential.
GUEST: Okay, interesting.
APPRAISER: The logbook is great, but of course, it really discusses kind of day-to-day activities.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: It really kind of ties into this collection. It would go with the group. So, all together, easily, $4,000 to $5,000 with great upside potential.
GUEST: Okay. It's fantastic.
APPRAISER: You should be proud of your father's service.
GUEST: I am. That I truly am.
APPRAISER: Well, thank you.
$4,000 - $5,000 Auction
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Understanding Our Appraisals
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