Aviationtag recently auctioned a collection of rare plane skin tags. 14 tags were auctioned off on eBay over the course of two weeks. Several of the pieces sold for more than €1,000 ($1,128) each, giving a total amount raised for charity of €8365.24 ($9,436.74).

While it may not be displayed front and center, many aviation companies participate in charitable endeavors. British Airways, for example, has a charity called Flying Start which is a partnership with the UK charity Comic Relief. Meanwhile, Boeing has been known to deliver aid to countries in need onboard new aircraft deliveries. Recently, Aviationtag has been raising money for local causes by auctioning hard-to-find parts of aircraft skin.

Thousands raised for charity

Over the past couple of weeks, Aviationtag has been auctioning 14 hard-to-find tags made from the skin of retired aircraft on its eBay page. These ranged from Boeing 747 skin with printed letters to a Beechcraft serial number plate.

All in all, €8365.24 was raised for the Balthasar Children's & Young Adults' Hospice in Olpe, near Cologne. The bids were spread across the items as follows,

  1. Eva Air Boeing 747 (3 colors) - 69 bids - €1,710 ($1,928.83)
  2. Eva Air Boeing 747 (red letter E) - 82 bids - €1,710 ($1,928.83)
  3. Eva Air Boeing 747 (door print) - 91 bids - €1,600 ($1,804.85)
  4. Beechcraft N6NA (serial plate) - 79 bids - €633 ($714.01)
  5. Beechcraft N6NA (3 colors) - 25 bids - €403.99 ($455.69)
  6. TAP A330 (red/white) - 16 bids - €351 ($395.92)
  7. Beechcraft N6NA (3 colors) - 23 bids - €306.51 ($345.73)
  8. Boeing 747 Christmas edition - 33 bids - €300 ($338.39)
  9. SAS A340 (2 colors) - 27 bids - €258 ($291.02)
  10. TAP A330 (black/white) - 61 bids - €251 ($283.12)
  11. Boeing 747 Christmas edition - 31 bids - €231 ($260.56)
  12. Boeing 747 Christmas edition - 39 bids - €218 ($245.90)
  13. Boeing 747 Christmas edition - 32 bids - €207 ($233.49)
  14. Boeing 747 Christmas edition - 26 bids - €201 ($226.72)

You can see each of the tags in the gallery below in order of the highest to the lowest sale price (note: The Christmas edition is identical, so only shown once). All Photos: Aviationtag

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The tags in order of sale price (highest to lowest). Note: The Christmas edition is only shown once. All photos: Aviationtag

An expensive piece of plane

The three Eva Air Boeing 747 tags collectively accounted for 60% of the total amount raised for charity. These come from a range that was launched in October 2021. The company created 15,000 tags from the fuselage of B-16411, Eva Air's last Boeing 747. Most of these came in one or two solid colors. The three in the auction stand out as they have text printed on them. While there may be 1,000 plain green tags, there will only be one tag with the letter E in red on a background of white and green.

Scrapped In California: You Could Own Part Of Eva Air's Last 747

The second auction in the space of a year

This is the second auction that Aviationtag has held in the space of a year. Back in 2021, the company auctioned off several more tags, including from the first Airbus A380 to be scrapped. These also had letters printed on them. Through this auction, €8560.49 was raised for the victims of Germany's catastrophic flooding. Aviationtag chose a different cause this time around.

Aviationtag, Airbus A380, Skin
Last year the company auctioned Airbus A380 skin parts. Photo: Aviationtag/Public Doman

The latest amount raised will go to the Balthasar Children's & Young Adults' Hospice. The hospice provides support to families when a child or young adult is diagnosed with a terminal condition.

Did you bid on any of the parts in the auction? Let us know what you think and why in the comments below!