Spitfire VA, VB and VC pilots notes - your opinions requested

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Member for

9 years 9 months

Posts: 85

Good evening,

I have been offered an original set of pilots notes for the spitfire V (orange covers with treasury tag).

The notes are slightly foxed and a few pages have come away from the tag, however it is complete.

I was wondering if you could help me out with a valuation so I can make a decision on what I offer for them. I want to be fair and honest but am unable to find any for sale to compare.

Thanks
Aircraft

Original post

Member for

14 years 11 months

Posts: 894

I can't give you any idea of its value, but facsimile copies are readily available from Crecy Publications, at £5.95.

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

Make sure you are happy they are original.....look for amendment paste in pages, initials on the amendlist, good treasury tags that are old enuff, values of Pilots Notes depend on aircraft type. As they are orange Spitty ones they can be quite expensive - around £75 upwards

Member for

16 years

Posts: 729

Another gotcha - make sure the cover has "Restricted" on the bottom and not "Reproduced from HMSO". The latter indicates a repro. I've seen a few people caught out by aged HMSO reprints.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,029

This is one of the excellent and first of the facsimile copies from the 1970's.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/Mark12074/PilotsNotesMkV0011_zpsc3f09402.jpg

This one I have always assumed was an original....but who knows.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/Mark12074/PilotsNotesMkV0012_zps6b6c427a.jpg

Mark -( no longer a Moderater :))

Member for

9 years 9 months

Posts: 85

Thanks for all of your replies.

Well, here is the result of today's visit with a nice extra on top.

The orange paper feels the same on both sets. There are no pasted amendments in the spitfire notes but this is the 5th reprint of March 44.

I would be interested to hear your opinions.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]231440[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]231441[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]231442[/ATTACH]

Attachments

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 1,558

The Gauntlet one looks fairly original the Spitfire one not so sure about ??.

I am no expert on documents others on here far more qualified.

Member for

11 years 10 months

Posts: 231

Pilot's Notes started by being included in SOME Volume Ones but around 1939 were issued separately. I've not seen the Gauntlet Vol 1 but rather doubt its handling characteristics are included.

Member for

9 years 9 months

Posts: 85

Sorry, I didn't state that the gauntlet manual is an actual manual and not pilots notes.

I guess it might be impossible to guarantee if the spitfire notes are original. They just feel right, and have the same smell to them as the other paperwork they were with. Hard to show in photos but in the hand I feel they are original. There was provenance that included evidence of at least 8 ops flown on mark v spitfires by the pilot who owned these.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,029

By a complete coincidence I received yesterday a copy of Air Pictorial for February 1974. Therein an advert for the first of these excellent facsimile Pilots Notes that were launched by Air Data Publications in in 1970/1. They would be about £7 in today's money.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/Mark12078/AirPictorialFebruary1974PilotsNotes002_zpse0909351.jpg

At that time there was little chance of any confusion with the genuine article but 40 years on these Notes have gathered patina and people could clearly be caught out. I therefore append the identifier used by this company. Air Data Publications also written small on the rear cover.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/Mark12079/PilotseNotesfacsimile1971006_zps65c003c1.jpg

In the same issue, how about these helmets at a bargain price?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/Mark12078/AirPictorialFebruary1974003_zpsedac957e.jpg

Mark