The flying machines

Antiques are not only aesthetic but also a storehouse of information and history. They are mute witnesses to the events of their time. The word ‘antique’ does not refer to a particular genre or era. According to the Oxford dictionary, it means an object of considerable age, especially a piece of furniture or decorative art with a high value. While we get to see plenty of antique items all around us including cars, motorcycles, typewriters, lamps, cameras and pens, we seldom come across collectibles pertaining to aircraft.

The Janes Register of the World’s Greatest Aircraft is an antique collectible, priceless and valuable both monetarily and historically too. Most aviation enthusiasts are aware of the existence of this register but very few get the opportunity to actually see it. We have a proud owner of one rare register right here in Bengaluru.

Amarnath from Kacharakanahalli is an avid collector. He is a connoisseur of art and antiques. His collection includes vintage cars like   Morris Minor 1950, Austin Cambridge 1961, Fiat 1955, Plymouth 1936 , Crosley 1948 and Renault 2CV- Rear engine 1948.           
                                 
He recently procured the first Edition Proof Set of The Janes Register of the World’s Greatest Aircraft. What exactly is this register? Well, it is a collection of aircraft history over a period of nearly a century. Packed in a neat presentation case, the register consists of four trays with five rows and columns each thereby housing 100 bronze ingots coated with a very thin layer of 24 carat gold plating thinner than human hair.

Each ingot depicts the details of an aircraft. On one side, the picture of the aircraft is embossed along with the year while on the other side one gets to see its elevation and the top view. Each ingot measures 4.7 cm by 2.7 cm and is 0.5 cm thick. The four trays of blue velour neatly slide into slots inside the presentation case. The Franklin Mint, Wawa, Pennsylvania, USA was founded by Jospeh Segel in 1964.

This  private mint specialised in coins, stamps, diecast , dolls, figurines, medals, motorcycles, aircraft, jewellery, fantasy sculptures etc. They are the only manufacturers of the Jane’s Register of the World’s greatest Aircraft. The first tray houses aircraft depictions from 1903 starting with the Wright Flyer and includes the  Curtis Hydroplane 1917, Fokker E 111 -1915, Spad XIII -1917, Avro 504K -1918 and Navy Curtis NC-4 -1919 etc. The second tray is dedicated to aircraft from 1923 to 1941. This set comprises of some rare beauties like the Curtiss RC-1-1923, Ford 4AT Triotor, Hawker Hurricane-1935, Mitsubishi Karigene -1937, Messerschmitt 1939 etc. De Havilland Mosquito MkIV -1941, Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB 1941, North American Mustang P-51D-1944,Mikoyan Gurevich MiG15-1947 find place in the third tray. The fourth one displays aircraft from 1958 to 1981 including De Havilland 106 Comet4 -1959, Piper PA-25 Pawnee-1959, Lockheed Blackbird SR-71A -1965 , Grumman – F16A Tomcat -1970 and Mi-26 Helicopter -1981.

The register comprises of the classics that took part in both World Wars and is truly priceless and the whole set weighs about 18 pounds. This first edition was limited to 15,000 and is the only Proof Edition ever minted.  The Jane’s Register thus is a dedication to aircraft that has significant effect on the history of aviation. For those interested in aviation and aircraft this collection is a must see.