The Vietnam Experience

By Bill Kunkel

If nothing else, the Vietnam "war" was an astonishing educational experience for America. We learned that every generation was not prepared to march off to war, simply because it was "their turn." We learned that it is impossible to wage a symbolic war on domestic poverty while simultaneously fighting a real war in a foreign country. The Domino Theory lost considerable credibility (though it still has its proponents-along with those who insist "we" never lost the Vietnam War, it was the South Vietnamese who got whupped!).

Perhaps we even learned that not everything we thought we learned from the Vietnam experience was true.

The moral and strategic ambiguity that permeated our years of involvement in Southeast Asia is certainly reflected in the collectibles that have survived the conflict. For example, while Nazi war items are among the most highly-prized military collectibles, a look at any auction site makes it immediately obvious that there are not a lot of Viet Cong weapons on the trading block. The reason for this is pretty obvious: the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were poorly financed. And, unlike the Nazis, they didn't spend a lot of time in research and development producing sleek-looking weapons and Darth Vader-chic black leather hats and raincoats-the sort of items which makes Nazi memorabilia compelling even to those who despise what these objects represent.

As a result, most of the Vietnam era armament in the collectibles pipeline is U.S. issued. So are most of the medals, uniforms, propaganda, photo albums, and other objects associated with that event. Let's look at the range of Vietnam war-related objects, from all four sides in the conflict – the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), Viet Cong (VC), the South Vietnamese (ARVN), and the United States.

Special Forces (SF) patches were popular even during the war itself. While all Vietnam vets suffered from negative stereotyping, SF veterans were all perceived as potential Rambos, guys who'd been transformed into killing machines, ticking psychological timed grenades whose pin could be pulled at any time. This air of danger, and their overtly militaristic imagery employed on the patches, attracted all segments of society, even those who openly opposed our involvement in Vietnam. (Ironically, members of the so-called counter culture often dressed in Army Surplus gear, and second-hand Army jackets and Navy-style pea coats were especially popular items).

The men and women who served, however, produced a more interesting type of collectible in the various Zippo lighters inscribed with a library of military insignia and logos. Many individual units had special issue lighters produced bearing their name and group icon, from Seals to SeaBees.

After the war, however, Zippo actually produced a special set of lighters in conjunction with the unveiling of the memorial wall on, which is inscribed the name of all the Americans who died in Viet Nam. Called The Vietnam Collectors Set, it consists of two Zippo Windproof Lighters containing black matte reproductions of the wall. The issue was limited to 5,000 sets, but the sets are still surprisingly affordable.

Another post-Vietnam collectible item is the sheet of 50 U.S. stamps honoring the veterans of that conflict. Issued in 1979, these stamps serve as both a respectful and appropriately somber tribute to those men and women.

Speaking of the women who served, their various medals and insignia are rarer and, often, more valuable for it. We found an especially attractive enamel pin with the words Army, Navy, and Air Force inscribed around the edges, and the word Vietnam in the center.

One of the more unique Vietnam-related items we found was an autographed photo of Tom Hanks from the Vietnam sequence of Forrest Gump and an actual Safe Contact Pass which was printed by the U.S. and distributed (usually via helicopter drop) throughout the country. The hope was that starving and/or desperate VC or NVA regulars would take the pass, walk up to U.S. troops and surrender. Some have serial numbers, some don't. Propaganda was used extensively by the U.S. in Vietnam, and quite a bit of it survives.

As explained earlier, there aren't a lot of high profile weapons or uniforms of NVA or VC origin, but one auction search revealed a "tattered and torn" 1969 VC flag, and, our best find, an NVA jungle-style pith helmet with PAVN star-in-wreath medal on the front.

The final category of items that might be included under this category, would be mementos from the protest movement that evolved during the late-'60s in opposition to the "war" in Vietnam. Not much here, unless you know a way to authenticate the point at which the draft card was torn in half, or a crude protest sign was assembled. While some souvenirs of the movement undoubtedly survive, there doesn't seem to be much interest in buying or selling them.

"Peacenik" collectibles are largely limited to individuals who achieved an appropriately high profile within the resistance. People like "protest" singer Phil Ochs, and politicos Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman, both now deceased, left behind an active lifetime of mementos. Hoffman's book, titled Steal This Book turns up regularly at auction, as do autographs, photos, and magazine appearances by famous protesters.

The Vietnam experience left the county divided, embittered and wary of further military involvement, and the array of collectibles it left behind reflects that divisiveness and diversity.

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The preceding material was written by Bill Kunkel. These are the opinions of the author, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.