Vietnam War Collectibles

If you lived through the era of the Vietnam War, you'll never forget those times. And if you think our country is divided now, you haven't seen anything like we were back then. But the bottom line is our troops should be honored for their service and this book, Vietnam War Collectibles, helps us do just that by taking a look at the memorabilia and photographs from that troubled time.

At a recent antique show the one booth that was strictly military collectibles was always busy. When I had a chance to ask the dealer about Vietnam memorabilia, he said he couldn't keep it in stock. Every time he gets anything, it sells very quickly. In fact most of what he started the show with was gone and there were only two or three minor items left from the Vietnam era.

I'm only relating this story to explain how timely this book is. Veterans are buying items that they probably once got rid of, but are now ready to buy, if only to reexamine and hold onto a piece of their past.

Author David Doyle has assembled an amazing array of photographs of items from the Vietnam War, things as diverse as the sugar packets from the food accessory packet ($1.) to a V-100 Commando ($65K).

The identification and price guide has separate sections for the Army, Air Force and Navy/Marine Corps, as well as separate section on "war trophies" -- military items used by the NVA.

Doyle states that provenance is essential with Vietnam War items --"Many a larcenous individual has merely picked up a piece of surplus equipment, drawn Vietnam-style markings on it, and declared it to have been from a veteran's estate." Doyle reminds collectors to check the close-ups of the dates, labels and Federal Stock Numbers to make sure you are buying an authentic item as opposed to one that is "same as Vietnam-issue".

From Krause Publications:
"While the Vietnam War ended decades ago, the memories will never die. Warman's Vietnam War Collectibles helps to preserve those memories, whle providing a visual reference for historians, collectors, re-enactors and veterans alike."