Vietnam militaria has been my primary collecting focus since I entered the hobby and Special Forces berets rank high on my list of items I will never grow tired of collecting. With all the variations of flashes (shield shaped beret insignia), makers, and DI’s (Distinctive Insignia), one could easily spend their lifetime collecting green berets alone! I will be sharing berets from my collection in a series of articles. Some are dolled up, some are named, most are just honest Vietnam era berets from the various Groups and time periods.
1968 Government Beret w/ Machine Embroidered 5th Group Flash
This is one of the first berets I acquired and it remains one of my favorites. The nomenclature is virtually gone, but if you hold the beret at the right angle, you can see remnants of a DSA-68 code. The 5th SFGA flash has darkened from sweat and soil, and the “D-22″ marked DI has an arrow broken off, giving the beret much character. I particularly enjoy the build up of green verdigris following the outline of the harp. The beret has a great drape and is perfectly salty!
FANK Beret with Quilted Flash & Embroidered Liner
It’s been my experience that berets with fancy embroidered liners of tigers, dragons, shell bursts, etc seldom appear to have seen much use. This is not the case with this beret. The lining is nice and salty and shows notable use, yet it does not detract from the beautiful embroidery work. The FANK / UITG flash is equally beautiful (and used). It is the hand embroidered, quilted variety that some claim to be the 1st variation, with the later versions being embroidered on twill. I haven’t confirmed this distinction.
1967 Dated JFK Special Warfare Center Beret
This is another beret I’ve had in the collection for a long time. When I purchased the beret, I was pleased to discover the vet had painted the leather tab inside the beret white and printed his name and Social Security number over the white. I was able to research the veteran and learn he had a lengthy career in Special Forces with multiple tours in SEA (South East Asia). The beret is 1967 dated and government contract through Dorothy Mills, Canada. It has a machine embroidered JFK Special Warfare flash and DI.
Posted in Militaria Articles by Era, Special Forces & MACV-SOG, Vietnam War Militaria | 2 Comments »
Over the last 15 years, Vietnam militaria has become an increasingly popular collectible, with strong collector communities in unlikely places, such as Poland, France, Japan, Australia and Italy. There are still bargains to be had because many sellers are not aware that this era of militaria is steadily rising in price and collectibility. Some popular collecting areas for Vietnam militaria include:
1. Camouflage: The Vietnam War produced some of the most interesting camo patterns with collector names like cloud, tiger stripe, ERDL (leaf pattern), beo gam, duck hunter, pinks, ARVN, and lizard. Tiger Stripe remains the most popular pattern among collectors because there are many variants; elite forces were seen wearing tiger stripes, and many of the variants are still readily obtainable. A tiger stripe shirt in a common pattern and a small size will bring between $80-100, where as a clean shirt in “Golden tiger” pattern in a decent size will command $500 or more.
2. Headgear: Soldiers during the Vietnam War wore a variety of headgear, including: the M1 helmet, sun helmets, berets (in cloth and wool), bush hats and boonies, billed caps, and even bandages and do-rags like a swashbuckler. Many caps were “theater-made,” meaning they were manufactured in Vietnam or a surrounding country like Thailand or Japan. Theater-made items are particularly desirable to collectors and you can identify them by their construction, vent grommets, and markings. A complete Vietnam era infantry M1 helmet with a cloth camouflage cover sells for around $30, whereas the airborne M1-C helmet sells for more than $100. A tiger stripe boonie will bring $250 or more depending on the type or provenance.
3. Uniforms and Insignia: Fatigues worn in Vietnam were often adorned with attractive insignia. The value of a uniform depends on several factors, including the unit the vet served in (Army typically sells better than other units), the era or pattern of the uniform (earlier pattern jungle fatigues are scarcer and in higher demand than latter patterns), and the insignia on the uniform (theater-made name/Army tapes and shoulder sleeve insignia, or a pocket patch are desirable). Be very careful collecting Vietnam insignia, though, because it has become a minefield filled with fakes. In fact, handmade insignia is being made today in Vietnam to emulate original wartime insignia and deceive buyers! A badged Air Force green jungle jacket with theater-made insignia sells for less than $30, whereas a green Special Forces jungle jacket in any pattern with theater-made insignia will sell in the hundreds if it has firm provenance.
4. Knives: Soldiers carried a variety of both issued and privately purchased knives in Vietnam. They have serious crossover appeal to both militaria and knife collectors, which contributes to the high prices some types are bringing today. Collectible makers and types include: Gerber MKII, EK, Randall, CISO SOG knives and bolos, Western, Garcia, Buck, and Marbles. A clean, Vietnam-era pilot’s survival knife with sharpening stone ranges between $60-120, whereas a clean CISO SOG knife with provenance from the vet will sell for $2,000 and more.
5. Field Gear: United States involvement in the Vietnam War spanned longer than a decade and considerable development was made in the equipment soldiers used. Many Vietnam collectors enjoy acquiring field gear variations; particularly experimental or limited-issue pieces. Most Vietnam field gear is relatively affordable, but certain pieces like rucksacks (indigenous, lightweight, jungle, etc.) have increased in value largely due to interest in Vietnam historical reenactment. A one-quart plastic canteen in a canvas cover sells for less than $10, whereas a complete lightweight ruck (w/ tubular aluminum frame) sells for around $250.
Posted in Vietnam War Militaria | No Comments »
This year’s 2009 Kansas City military collectibles show did not disappoint. I met several new collectors and dealers, visited with friends I don’t see often, ate some ridiculously delicious barbecue, sold several items, and even bought a few things for the collection. The gloomy economy seemed to spare this show because most of the dealers I spoke with were either buying well, selling well, or both.
The Internet is a powerful tool for researching and acquiring military collectibles, but it cannot compare to the tactile experience of being at show, holding the objects in your hand and having face to face dialog with dealers.
Vietnam militaria has always been my primary collecting interest, but it does not surface as often as militaria from other eras, particularly WWII. I was elated to find two nice pieces of Vietnam headgear at the show this year.
The first item is a wonderful 1962 dated Fleur Di Lis green beret w/ an early, unmarked “skull harp” DI (distinctive insignia) and a red 7th Group flash made from red satin. Judging by the early date and the unique flash, I would not be surprised if this was beret was actually worn by an early advisor in Vietnam. The other piece of headgear I purchased at the show was a Vietnam bush hat in an interesting variation of “pinks” camouflage. Bush hats are still a great value and fun to collect considering all the unique camouflage patterns they come in.
Posted in Rally Point News, Vietnam War Militaria | 3 Comments »
I came across images on my hard drive of some tiger stripe boonies I’ve sold in recent years and decided to share them:
Gold Tiger Stripe Boonie
This boonie was made from a light, poplin material. The crown was partially lined in black with tiny, non-functional vent grommets. It had a size stamp inside marked “M – 6 3/4″. I wish I could remember why I had to sell this beauty because it looked great with my gold tiger set…
CISO Tiger Stripe Boonie
I consider this the quintessential tiger stripe boonie for tiger stripe and Special Forces collectors. It is commonly seen being worn by Special Forces and indigenous personnel in Vietnam. The boonie’s crown has a low profile and is partially lined in black with a small (1/2″) silk size tag marked “S”, “M”, or “L”. Author Richard Johnson describes this tiger stripe camouflage pattern as “John Wayne Dense” or “JWD” in his book Tiger Patterns.
Late War Tiger Stripe Boonie
I’ve handled and owned a few of this style boonie and they all were constructed with thick black nylon thread. The crown is partially lined in raw silk and they resemble the above CISO boonie in many ways. These boonies are also found to all have a size stamp/code. This one is marked, “A-S” and “T079″. I also own one marked “A-L”. The thick nylon thread has led many collectors to believe these are not wartime manufacture, but a recent consensus among advanced collectors on the usmilitariaforum.com concluded that these are not only legit, but also late war due to the “T079″ stamp being similar to stamps in some late war pattern tiger stripe shirts and trousers (with black buttons).
Salty Short Brimmed Tiger Stripe Boonie
This one is an honest, tailor-made tiger boonie, with a short brim and evidence of clutch-back insignia once being affixed to the front. The top of the crown reveals tiny holes from a seam line, indicated this boonie was made from another garment, which is common for tailor-made boonies (and current fakes so watch out!). As I look at these images, I am missing this one…
Floppy Brimmed Tiger Stripe Boonie
This was the first tiger stripe boonie I ever owned and it was unique in that it had a sweat band made from tiger material as opposed to being partially lined like most patterns.
Posted in Recently Sold Militaria, Special Forces & MACV-SOG, Vietnam War Militaria, Vietnam War Militaria | 4 Comments »
Until recently, little was known or published about MACV-SOG, an elite US Special Forces reconnaissance unit in Vietnam. SOG was under joint command by 5th Special Forces Group and CIA with an objective to recon and disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail by running cross-border operations into denied areas, primarily Laos and Cambodia. SOG recon teams were small, typically 6 to 8 men. They had a 1-0 (pronounced “One Zero”) who was the team leader, a 1-1 assistant team leader, and a 1-2 radioman. The remaining personnel were typically indigenous mercenaries. Depending on region, they could be Chinese Nungs, Montagnards, Cambodes, or Vietnamese.
The 1-0 was a leader with innate skill coupled with experience. Rank was irrelevant on SOG teams. Being “good in the woods” is what ultimately determined survival or failure. 1-0’s commanded respect from all of the Special Forces community. The 1-0 jacket was a symbol worn at camp to distinguish themselves from other SOG personnel. The 1-0 jacket was awarded to 1-0’s after completion of the Recon Team Leader course at Long Than. Initially, they were intended to be worn in the field. Photographic evidence verifies this. However, the nylon material was noisy in the brush, so 1-0’s eventually opted to wear them in camp only. Often times, jackets were modified with direct embroidery bearing the wearers name and SOG related themes like recon team names, “shell burst” skulls, etc.
There were three patterns of 1-0 jacket. The first pattern (shown here) is a pull over with a removable hood. There are two front slash pockets, single snap cuffs, and a rear “map pocket” in the lower back with a snap closure. There is a small oilskin tag marked “M” inside the hood and collar to denote size (medium). The second and third patterns are not pullover and do not have a removable hood. SOG was a relatively small unit, so these jackets are extremely rare and often overlooked as being a simple windbreaker.
Posted in Special Forces & MACV-SOG, Vietnam War Militaria | 7 Comments »
![Early "Skull Harp" DI on a red satin flash](http://rallypointmilitaria.com/wp-content/gallery/7th-group-beret-w-satin-flash/7thberet2.jpg "Early "Skull Harp" DI on a red satin flash")
