Paul Myers on Early BSA Non-khaki Badges

Posted on June 13th, 2007 in Adult Position Badges,BSA Info,Insignia,Podcasts by Roy

This will be a first for us, and pretty much the hobby, as we’re publishing a “podcast” of an interview we recently did with Paul Myers discussing the different uniform cloth the BSA used and the badges that match them.

Some background

Paul is a leading authorty on BSA insignia as he has been a collector and researcher of this area for over forty years (boy he sure looks young!). He has published many articles and books on BSA memorabilia. His most recent is a full-color edition of Collecting Boy Rank badges. Paul has received numerous awards and recognitions for his contributions to the hobby.

Why a podcast? Well a picture they say is worth a 1,000 words so what is a moving picture and sound worth? That is, we think we can show and say more to explain things in our hobby that we could never write to paper (or computer file).

Our position within the hobby gives us access to leading collectors and authorities in the hobby. We think showcasing them and sharing their hard developed knowledge will benefit all. We’ll see how well this works. The files are huge (maybe some of our younger readers can give me some pointers here) but we think worthwhile. Please let us know what you think.

We hooked up with Paul recently at the Calumet Council TOR over the Memorial Day weekend. In this podcast, Paul talks about how in the 1920s through the 1940s the BSA made uniforms in many different types of material other than cotton khaki. These include serge, gabardine, wool and a material I’ve been wondering about ‘melton’. The uniforms were made in these materials and listed in the equipment catalogs. The question on my mind, and Paul’s as well, is “Do badges exist in these materials to match?”

[display_podcast]

4 Responses to 'Paul Myers on Early BSA Non-khaki Badges'

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  1. on June 26th, 2007 at 9:12 pm

    […] can watch the video podcast here.  The video podcast is a great way to show the differences between the various types and colors of […]

  2. JEROME POWELL said,

    on July 11th, 2007 at 1:07 am

    This was awesome! How often could I sit down in my office in hot July in Wyoming and learn firsthand of the many varieties of BSA insignia and uniforming during our program’s infancy. Thanks to Paul Myers and also Roy More.


  3. on January 3rd, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    […] Shirt and the Scout Mackinaw coat. It also lists the types of cloth available including Melton (see my video with Paul Myers about some of these early types of cloth), two weights of Serge, Whipcord, and Gabardine. On the back it indicates that a leader could get […]

  4. Chris Bernier said,

    on March 5th, 2020 at 9:52 am

    I would like to find a copy of his collecting ranks book in color. If anyone has a copy they would be willing to sell me please contact me at circleofone555@hotmail.com Thanks
    Chris “Montawagon” Bernier
    Maine Mobile Scouting Museum.

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