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Vietnam Captured Binoculars (Graphic Content)


KingsMountainTigers
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KingsMountainTigers

Hi everyone,

 

I've been on the forum for a while but have never made any posts. I figured this would be a good subject for my first post. This item is one of most well documented Vietnam Bringbacks I own. I bought it from the veteran himself and he was nice enough to make a whole writeup on how he acquired the binoculars. Out of respect for his privacy, I will not be including his name. He was a forward observer for the 1st Cav Division. He removed these Nikon binoculars from the leader of 300 NVA who ambushed their sister company. Below is the writeup he provided me, the binoculars, some other items he gave me, and a couple picture of him, as well as the officer he removed the binoculars from.

 

 

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Great grouping! I think the reality of where a lot of these wartime souvenirs actually came from gets diluted and lost over the years. I guess it's easier for some people to have items in their collection that they believe came off a shelf in a looted warehouse rather than plucked off the bloody body of a fallen enemy soldier.

Thanks for the reality reminder.

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KingsMountainTigers

Thanks for the comments. Here's some closeups of the binoculars. They're pretty beat up. I found it interesting for him to be wearing Nikon's, but they were a popular brand at the time.

 

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Very cool binoculars that look like Nikon's "8X30D IF-RC" model. Sometimes called the "Trailblazer" or "Safari".

 

However, according to Nikon this model was introduced in 1979.

 

Might be worth checking into.

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Nikon showed an exhibit at the Nikon Museum in Japan featuring all of their binocular models through the years. Nikon, unlike many modern companies, has done a fairly good job of documenting its history and maintaining an archive of its products. I found this picture online showing these 8X30 binoculars in that exhibit.

 

Photo sourced from an online blog: https://richardhaw.com/2018/09/17/report-nikon-binoculars/

 

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KingsMountainTigers

That's weird they appear to date after the war. I didn't pay a crazy amount for them. I'm surprised the vet wrote me all that history for something he acquired after the war. He had a rifle, hat, and other items he captured but he wanted to keep those. Thanks for the input on Nikon's history.

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No problem.

 

Could be a simple mix-up when he sold the binoculars.

 

The binoculars Nikon based their 8X30D IF-RC on was the Zeiss Dialyt 8X30 B/GA, which was introduced around 1967. However, the Zeiss model would have been VERY expensive in 1967 compared to other 8X30 binoculars of the time. If you look at pictures of these two binocular models, the similarities are obvious.

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No problem.

 

Could be a simple mix-up when he sold the binoculars. 

 

The binoculars Nikon based their 8X30D IF-RC on was the Zeiss Dialyt 8X30 B/GA, which was introduced around 1967. However, the Zeiss model would have been VERY expensive in 1967 compared to other 8X30 binoculars of the time. If you look at pictures of these two binocular models, the similarities are obvious.

I concur, I’ve seen this happen with items a long the same line. I bought a few nice Vietnam pieces from a vet and there was a boonie offered in the mix that was post war but the vet was just mistaken about having worn it during Vietnam. It happens. B

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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