gwb123 Posted November 27, 2014 Share #1 Posted November 27, 2014 Super rare patch from the Vietnam War. Also one of the strangest ones I've ever seen as far as construction. The central design of the tiger's head is silk screened and then lightly stitched to the base cloth. The lettering is done by hand, and the back is covered with white cloth to cover and protect the reverse threads. Border is done by hand guided sewing machine. This matches examples shown of Rhade and Koho patches shown on the RADIX CD version of Sutherland's Special Forces of the United States Army 1952-1982. The Koho are a Montagnard tribe in the Dar Lac province of Vietnam. Operations began as early as 1967. It measures about 3.25 inches from top to bottom. You will go a long time before you see another one like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share #2 Posted November 27, 2014 A couple of close ups... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintageproductions Posted November 27, 2014 Share #3 Posted November 27, 2014 This variant is the hardest to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share #4 Posted November 30, 2014 Due to the inquiries about this patch, I am placing it out on eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmith275 Posted November 30, 2014 Share #5 Posted November 30, 2014 Hey guys, I found one of these (the Rhade version, but exact construction as this Koho) at the last ASMIC in Denver some years back. It was with a bunch of other USSF insignia from Vietnam. The price was so low (like a bargain bag) at the time I thought, "Wow, these are great repos!" Had I seen them being sold as originals, I would have believed several of them were. Most we're unmistakably Asian made so I thought they would make excellent stand ins. However since then, I have had a couple top experts convince me with strong evidence and reference material that two of the pieces were originals (most notably a Taiwanese made RT Mamba). Most I still believe are just well done nice repos. I have never seen either of these Rhade or Koho variants in a reference book or photo before. Can you please share some insight as to what you see or know that convinces you this is an original piece? Thanks! It would be amazing if we have discovered two lost siblings! Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted December 1, 2014 Share #6 Posted December 1, 2014 Here it is: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261681587360?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&fromMakeTrack=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted December 1, 2014 As noted on the the eBay listing: "This matches examples shown of Rhade and Koho patches shown on the RADIX CD version of Sutherland's Special Forces of the United States Army 1952-1982." This is available, as are many other Special Forces references, from the website: http://www.specialforcesbooks.com/Products.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David D Posted December 1, 2014 Share #8 Posted December 1, 2014 Very nice patch. -Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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