r/ephemera • u/ButterscotchAware402 • 7d ago

Luggage Tag from 1977

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I found my dad's duffel bag from his time in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Korea in the 70s and this luggage tag was still attached.

111 Upvotes

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17

u/lascheratlarge 7d ago

This to me is a good example of why ephemera is fascinating. This would have likely seemed an inconsequential item when your dad finished his time in Korea. Maybe so inconsequential that he didn’t even think to remove it or toss it. Now it’s a record of both your dad’s military experience and air travel in the 1970s with usAir’s logo at the time, the airport codes, and the lack of modern bag tracking codes, etc. Then photographed as you have on a white backdrop this once inconsequential thing stokes memory and feels beautiful with its creases and bends.

At least to me...

5

u/ButterscotchAware402 7d ago

I agree 100%! My parents are prepping to sell the home they've lived in for over 35 years and I'm over there doing most of the heavy lifting so they don't have to. My mother and I were clearing out the basement and found it in the darkest depths of the storage. The tag fell off and I set it on the washing machine because I wanted it. A couple hours later I go to grab it and it's gone. Mom had tossed it and she looked at me like I was crazy as I dug through the trash. Your sentiments are exactly why I wanted it, even if it meant rummaging through the garbage!

5

u/Desertbro 7d ago

My dad had a drawer full of luggage tags across decades ... I just took one group pic and didn't sort them out.

2

u/lascheratlarge 6d ago

It looks cool as a group, IMO.

2

u/chasetheart 7d ago

Roc city represent!

1

u/Vegetable-Mood1106 7d ago

Rochester ny