how do you collect ?............Vietnam Items ?

[kammo man]

thats a shame .................a real shame .

oh well , its still fun to collect , at least you dont have to spell to do that .

[NKOMO]

Originally Posted by juoneen

Colleting during the war time was the best way as nothing was faked then.

That is why some of us are already collecting items from OEF and OIF. Very sound advice.

[NKOMO]

Originally Posted by kammo man

I feel its important to care and treasure the items as best as possible ....and I am always reading Archs problems with his humidity !!!............gulp !

?

O,
It is the end of March and we are already having to change both dehumidifiers twice a day. The small one gets rid of a gallon to two gallons a day. The big one downstairs gets rid of 2 to 3 gallons a day. Got love Kentucky in the Spring and Summer.

[bolo]

I just go by close examination and if it has the look & feel and compare it to what Ive seen up close in Vietnam War museums / collections

certain items like Vietnam jungle workshop made ordnance & small arms are hard to fake

a VC made rifle or copy of a M1911 pistol , vc grenades, etc

I notice most small arms that were brought back show signs of jungle use, darkening of the metal , pitting, jungle rot on the stocks, etc, smells, aging

lots of it you can tell just by handling it up close and looking at the materials, the stitching, etc

Ive never actually bought Vietnam war trophy / souvineers directly from a VN vet

but Ive had Vietnam Vets lie to me and telling me it's the same one they used in Vietnam , etc just to make a sale at the gun show

[filupe]

A most interesting discussion ...

Mike and thefallenbuddha bring up some good points although I find myself aligning to thefallenbuddha's argument more.

To me, collecting gives me a 'sense' of history. An artifact can pique my interest so much that I may get empassioned to find out who wore it, why, when, the circumstances surrounding the event etc. etc. It leads me to learn about history. Years ago, I found a well used 3rd pattern jungle jacket with a 25th ID at a local surplus store, fast forward years later and I now have a sizeable Vietnam collection (tho' not compared to most here) and many, many books on the subject of not only the artifacts, but the history as well.

Back in my early collecting stage I asked myself, "Well, I've got all this stuff - but what does it all really mean?" - so I joined the military. There's been good times and bad times ... sometimes so bad that I almost swore I'd sell off all my stuff as soon as I got home. Fortunately (or not) that aspect of it fades very quickly.

However, when I read in a book that, 'Pvt. X carried out an ambush', then, I might be able to surmise that after a hard day in the field, perhaps digging in, perhaps patrolling, Pvt. X had to sit through an hour or more of ambush orders and then prepare to patrol out with extra stores and ammo; prepare the ambush site; set up trips and Claymores under overwatch; then settle in and remain awake behind whatever weapon in the shoulder, not being able to talk, cough, fart, eat or smoke for fear of compromise. Then if the ambush is sprung, the fear, adrenaline and apprehension as to whether anyone is still alive in the engagement zone .. and finally the uncertainly during the withdrawal phase, trying not to get lost or separated in the dark, in an area where the enemy now knows your presence...

Those simple words come alive for me because I have experienced it, maybe not in exactly the same circumstances but similar enough. And perhaps, in someone's definition, I have experienced 'history'.

Some collect artifacts, some collect the stories ... the passion by which we do does not matter so much as the fact that we do in the first place.

[Jack_Frost]

Originally Posted by kammo man

Do you collect items direct from the Vet with a letter saying they were used In-country .

Or

do you use time and tested methods to determine if they are old to establish if they are original.

What is your methods used ?

owen

Hi Kammo,

Got most of my gear from the United States. I love the Military shows they have, I don't care what anyone says, but the best shows in the world are in the USA.

[kammo man]

For US Vietnam used stuff no doubt .
But U suspect Ebay has bit into shows ........thought shows bring out the best everytime .