opinions needed on this Japanese Badge

[TonyM]

Friend of mine picked this up and he wants some opinions on it. He thinks it is a youth flying badge ?? thanks for any help .

[TonyM]

1

[Nick Komiya]

Dated 1942, it is a watch fob/key chain commemorating graduation(?) of the 26th class of engine mechanics from the Army Flight Mechanics' School
These were a standard design item, which you could order from a badge shop for various occasions. Magazine ad below shows how they were sold.
The ad describes them simply as "medals".

[TonyM]

Thanks for all the information, i will pass it onto my friend.

[TonyM]

Does anyone have an idea to its value?

[Nick Komiya]

I thought they were not worth much, but now see one has sold in an auction in Japan for an excess of 300 Euros, though it was different in that it had a name engraved in it.

[JapanX]

The price for these rare and interesting jettons could vary from $200 and up to $500 (sometimes even more).

Some of them are real giants

[JapanX]

This one costed me dearly ...

Obverse

[JapanX]

Details

[JapanX]

Reverse

[JapanX]

Jetton has the following dimensions

Width 70 mm
Height 65 mm


Issued for 4th graduation class of Air Signal School of Shōnen Hikōhei (army's youth fight enlisted trainee programme, a.k.a. "boy pilots) in 1941.

More info about this program is here

http://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/少年飛行兵

Some info in english



from

[JapanX]

One of my recent acquisitions (about 250 bucks, if I remember correctly)

89th graduation class of Navy artillery school in Yokosuka.

Beautiful jetton in silver

[JapanX]

Very rare jetton of 5th graduation class of aircraft weaponry specialists

[JapanX]

Potential cavaliers of the last one

[JapanX]