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Vintage Finch Bird Pin

$120 current bid
7 Bids
FMV: $195

Description of the Item:

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4 Watchers

Includes:

  • One handcrafted Finch Pin


The history:

  • "After Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans Yoneguma and Kiyoka Takahashi and their three young sons were incarcerated at the Poston III internment camp for three and a half years. While there, the Takahashis participated in a bird carving class where they learned the art of carving and painting bird pins using meager materials scrounged from scraps left-over wood that was used to build the camp. From the beginning, the couple excelled at the craft. Upon their release, unable to find work due to the continuing xenophobic attitudes against those of Japanese ancestry, the Takahashis started a home-based business making and selling handcrafted bird pins. For 40 years the Takahashis perfected their craft. Immediately popular, the couple sold every bird pin they made, earning enough income to purchase their own home, pay for their healthcare, save for a comfortable retirement, and send all of their children to college.

Donated By Val & Bob Diedrich