orion5
03-19-2013, 16:07
I enjoyed looking through these Zippo pics [LINK] (http://twistedsifter.com/2013/02/soldiers-engraved-zippo-lighters-from-vietnam-war/), for the pure simplicity of what was expressed...some touching, some hilarious.
American Bradford Edwards has lived in Vietnam for more than 15 years and, by his own estimate, has examined more than 100,000 Zippos in the back alleys of Ho Chi Minh City. He says they're all fakes in the markets these days. But his collection of 282 original Vietnam War Zippos was featured in a 2010 book by Sherry Buchanan, "Vietnam Zippos: American Soldiers' Engravings and Stories 1965-1973".
In June 2012, Edwards decided to part ways with his collection of Zippos, and it fetched $35,250 at auction. Some excerpts from the Cowan's Auctions site (http://www.cowanauctions.com/auctions/item.aspx?ItemId=101136):
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"Lot of 282 Vietnam War-era Zippo lighters featuring personalized and anonymous engravings chosen by U.S. soldiers, sailors, and airmen during deployment. The collection has been compiled individually by American artist Bradford Edwards over several years in the 1990s, on-site in Vietnam."
"Edwards....explains that he is fascinated with the lighters as window in the minds and experiences of the men experiencing a certain place and time."
"Edwards was careful not to target specific sentiments or designs in the engravings, but simply to seek out authenticity and let the objects speak for themselves. As such, the lighters capture a wide range of feelings and opinions about the war, from the obscenity-laden anti-army mottoes of the unwilling draftees, to the simple love notes of the homesick, to the 8 Special Forces emblazoned lighters, conspicuously absent of any further embellishment."
"Together, the lighters tell a story of the war that cannot be found anywhere else. They are a record of soldiers’ feelings not meant for anyone but themselves, printed on a throwaway tool, capturing the spirit of the war in a way more authentic than any film, more personal than any history book, and more representative than any single soldier’s account."
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I wonder......for the post-9/11 wars, what "throwaway tool" will collectors seek to capture the experiences of our latest generation of soldiers....?
American Bradford Edwards has lived in Vietnam for more than 15 years and, by his own estimate, has examined more than 100,000 Zippos in the back alleys of Ho Chi Minh City. He says they're all fakes in the markets these days. But his collection of 282 original Vietnam War Zippos was featured in a 2010 book by Sherry Buchanan, "Vietnam Zippos: American Soldiers' Engravings and Stories 1965-1973".
In June 2012, Edwards decided to part ways with his collection of Zippos, and it fetched $35,250 at auction. Some excerpts from the Cowan's Auctions site (http://www.cowanauctions.com/auctions/item.aspx?ItemId=101136):
------------
"Lot of 282 Vietnam War-era Zippo lighters featuring personalized and anonymous engravings chosen by U.S. soldiers, sailors, and airmen during deployment. The collection has been compiled individually by American artist Bradford Edwards over several years in the 1990s, on-site in Vietnam."
"Edwards....explains that he is fascinated with the lighters as window in the minds and experiences of the men experiencing a certain place and time."
"Edwards was careful not to target specific sentiments or designs in the engravings, but simply to seek out authenticity and let the objects speak for themselves. As such, the lighters capture a wide range of feelings and opinions about the war, from the obscenity-laden anti-army mottoes of the unwilling draftees, to the simple love notes of the homesick, to the 8 Special Forces emblazoned lighters, conspicuously absent of any further embellishment."
"Together, the lighters tell a story of the war that cannot be found anywhere else. They are a record of soldiers’ feelings not meant for anyone but themselves, printed on a throwaway tool, capturing the spirit of the war in a way more authentic than any film, more personal than any history book, and more representative than any single soldier’s account."
------------
I wonder......for the post-9/11 wars, what "throwaway tool" will collectors seek to capture the experiences of our latest generation of soldiers....?