We are handling the council shoulder patch collection for long time collector Bob Walton of North Carolina. The collection is special in it’s own right. It is among the top 5 (3?) such collections in the country and arguably the deepest in some of its specific themes. It is what we call a “generational collection” as it represents over 20 years of collecting. His collection is near complete in first issue CSPs. I call these the “rookie cards” of the hobby. His collection includes virtually all of the toughest of first issues. It is one of the most extensive Eagle Scout CSP collections we have ever seen (and we’ve seen a lot.)
But I’m burying the lede here. What is the most significant message here is that we are not selling this for Bob. We are selling it for Cape Fear Council, BSA. Bob has donated this whole collection to the Scouts for the council’s restricted endowment fund! He will be helping the hobby as today’s collectors will have a chance to pick up needs that rarely come available as there are so few. He will also be helping to assure that Scouting continues going forward developing today’s youth that will become tomorrow’s leaders!
While Bob was here we shot a couple of interviews. The first part discusses his collecting history and a few of the special issues in his collection.
Attending the 1957 Jamborees
In the first part Bob mentions starting his collecting in 1981 at the BSA National Jamboree that year. This wasn’t his first jamboree. Bob attended the 1957 BSA National Jamboree AND the 1957 World Jamboree! We did a second part where we go over those experiences and what it was like to start from Valley Forge and head to England and Europe.
The 1957 World Jamboree was an “extra” jamboree (my term). The prior World Jamboree was in 1955. Normally jamborees are four years apart. What made 1957 special is it was the 50th anniversary of the founding of Scouting and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lord Baden Powell. Bob recounts seeing the young Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Phillip as they toured the entire jamboree site as well as other signatory experiences that such an event offers to the world’s youth.
Posted the other day a blog about things to collect at the upcoming Boy Scout national jamboree other than jamboree shoulder patches. Well, we keep coming across wonderful Scout collectibles from prior jamborees that are neat as heck. Here are some more of our recent ‘finds’.
Cascade Area Council for the 1950 BSA National JamboreePlaying card from North Shore Council (IL) for the 1950 BSA National Jamboree – Do A Good Turn DailyHand made neckerchief slide for the 1977 BSA National Jamboree at Moraine State Park in PA.Wooden coaster from Daniel Webster Council (NH) for the 1960 BSA National Jamboree
The hood ornament below from Old Kentucky Home Council does not specifically say jamboree on it but it was common back in the 1950s and 1960s for the cars to have these for the jamboree contingents. They exist for other councils. Also one can find license plate border pieces for cars as well.
Car hood ornament from Old Kentucky Home Council.
Technically in the category of “ephemera”, that is things that were issued during or for the jamboree that were used at the jamboree but are not patches or uniform pieces. Here is a mess hall card from the 1960 national jamboree.
1960 BSA National Jamboree general headquarters mess card
Cast metal sign, about 5 inches across used at one of the BSA national jamborees held at Valley Forge PA (1950, 1957, 1964)
Addendum 2 – 06/27/23 – Keep finding more fun items
A fun piece from Summer Trails Council out of Bay City, MI. Some eye glass wipes (sight savers) obviously handed out at the 1950 National Jamboree. Made by Dow Corning Company, headquartered in Midland, MI which is in their council.
Dow Corning Sight Savers issued to the Boy Scouts for their 1950 National JamboreeNew York Troop 61 to the 1960 National Jamboree plaster neckerchief slidePlastic coin purse from Akron Area Council given out at the 1964 National JamboreeLocally made flat metal neckerchief slide for the 1964 Boy Scouts of America national jamboree
This is an article I wrote for the current issue of ISCA’s quarterly journal. Since the publication, I have come across additional fun and interesting jamboree collecting from local councils over the years. Here’s the article with more pictures.
The 2023 Scouts/BSA National Jamboree is coming up this summer. The Scouts delayed the jamboree for two years due to Covid lock-downs. A similar situation happened in 1935 with a polio epidemic in the Washington, DC area, the host site. It will be the second national Scouts/BSA event after last year’s highly successful National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC).
At this time last year, that the jamboree would even be held was in doubt among some national leaders. The Scouts had scaled back the attendance target which affected the revenue side. Attempts to raise several millions in donations had not been productive. Sign-up was in the low thousands. Even by the time of NOAC there were nearly twice as many attendees at that event as compared to those who had signed up for the jamboree. With the fall and Scout membership on the rise, the jamboree though has exceeded its registration goals!
1937 National Jamboree trading post booklet given out to Scouts and leaders
Jamboree shoulder patches (JSPs) have become the main trading and collecting item at recent jamborees. With the exception of 1985 when hat pins were all the rage, JSPs have been the main focus for jamborees since the late 1970s. I remember having discussions with senior JSP collectors post the 1993 jamboree when we thought that would be the high point on the number of JSPs issued due to a series of council mergers across the country that year. Wrong!
In a recent Paul Myers post on Facebook, he noted that there were over 2,000 issues (JSPs and other patches) at the 2010 jamboree. The patch companies love us as they sell by the embroidered inch. For collectors, these can be fun but collecting a complete jamboree may be a mountain top collection or a fool’s errand. The designs are often quite creative but most have minimal connection to the home territory of the council they represent. Not long after the jamboree many fade in value. (But not all.)
The prevalence of all these JSPs does encourage trading. Although they can be budget busters just to keep a set for one’s home council. I do not recall the first year councils came out with a center backpatch to their JSP set but again it makes the patch companies love us. Collectors though, I am less sure. They do likely make for a nice framed set on one’s wall but they are hard to fit in a binder laid out to full design.
Nostalgia
It did not used to be this way. In the early jamborees, participants had items with much smaller production runs or items from local nationally recognized companies or even hand made items. Here are a few other ways to collect a jamboree that might be more manageable. Although with JSPs everywhere, arguably more challenging.
Some Non-JSP Jambo Collecting themes
Local Jamboree Memorabilia
This is the area that first came to mind when thinking about this article. It is little known and pursued yet create some of the most interesting discussion in our office when pieces, usually quite old now, come through our hands. There is no complete list of these. They might indicate some iconic item from the territory of the home council. They may be made by a nationally recognized company headquartered in the council. They may be hand made items that were swapped by individual scouts. They exist, I believe, for every jamboree where we had attendees even in the present. Just finding them though as JSPs crowd out folks’ attention is part of the challenge. And the fun.
Jamboree Contingent Neckerchiefs
A number of councils continue to issue Jamboree contingent neckerchiefs. These first appeared with the 1950 jamboree. Although neckerchiefs are fading from regular uniform wear in the USA, overseas Scouts often have their neckerchief as the only part of their “uniform” indicating they are Scouts. I am not aware of a compiled checklist of contingent neckerchiefs which could make for a fun challenge for collectors. These are often made in lower production quantities and less often traded than JSPs. Actually acquiring them at the jamboree can be hard as most may only have one and are expected to wear it throughout the event.
Jamboree Contingent Patches
This is a collecting theme related to JSPs but are non-shoulder wear patches. These actually were more common during the early jamborees than JSPs. Some councils still make them with arguably the backpatch centers to JSP groups, without the JSPs, being in this collecting theme.
Jamboree Region Patches
Regions are now a thing of the past. Today we have sixteen National Service Territories (NST). I do not know if any or all will be issuing patches. It is likely. They might make a more manageable collection number of pieces-wise while still having some challenge of the hunt. They could then be paired up with region patches from prior jamborees that date back to the 1950s. One could even argue that the shoulder arcs from 1935 and the shoulder flashes from 1937 could fit into this collection as each had a region designation.
Staff Patches
There used to be very few staff items for jamborees even into the 1970s. Certain armbands were issued for different staff with many organized as service troops. Starting in the late 1960s a select number of staff groups, aquatic staff and health service staff come to mind, issued patches. The OA Service troops went beyond armbands starting in 1973 adding pocket patches, pocket flaps and hat patches.
This area though has gone crazy in recent years. I remember getting in some staff patches from a person who was turned down for a staff position but had already made patches for the staff! Still, staff patches do exist and can be collected.
Jamboree ephemera
Optimized by Pegasus Imaging Corp, http://www.jpg.comOptimized by Pegasus Imaging Corp, http://www.jpg.comOptimized by Pegasus Imaging Corp, http://www.jpg.comOptimized by Pegasus Imaging Corp, http://www.jpg.comOptimized by Pegasus Imaging Corp, http://www.jpg.comJamboree ‘ephemera’ – not meant as collectibles per se but fun to collect none the less.
References:
Aldridge, Ron; Patches and Memorabilia of the Order of the Arrow at National Events, Volume 2; 1998
Hice, John; BSA National Jamboree Shoulder Insignia; 1998
Hoogeveen, Alburtus; A History of Council and Jamboree Insignia; 1981
More, Roy; Scouting History Through Memorabilia, volumes 1 and 2; 1997
Among the things we get in from estates from the 1950’s and earlier are Syroco ware items. These items look like they’re made of wood (and they are, sort of) but in reality are injection molded wood/plastic blend from the Syracuse Ornamental Company founded in 1908.
“The Syracuse Ornamental Company, known as Syroco, was an American manufacturing company based in Syracuse, New York. They were best known for their molded wood-pulp products that resembled hand-carving.
Founded in Syracuse, New York in 1890 by immigrant Adolph Holstein, the Syracuse Ornamental Company (Syroco) specialized in decorative wood carving, especially for the local residential market. Products included fireplace mantelpieces and other types of interior decoration popular in late Victorian homes. To meet increasing market demand and sales opportunities Holstein developed a material looked and felt like wood but that which could be shaped, allowing multiple pieces to be produced through a molding process. The new product, which combined wood pulp brought from the Adirondacks with flour as a binder and other materials to give it strength, was extruded and then cut to fit compression molds, which had were made from original carvings in real wood.
The process favored shallow molds with little undercutting, and this served well for the creation of a wide variety of “carved” relief work to be applied to different sorts of flat surfaces such as walls, furniture and caskets. Production of this new molded product, known as SyrocoWood, was the mainstay of the company’s production through the 1940’s. “
The Scouts must have picked up on their products in the late 1940’s to early 1950’s and continued on offering their items until early 1960’s. The jewelry box pictured above along with plaques and paperweights are quite common from estates of this era so obviously were a popular gift item.
Syroco items also obviously showed up at National Jamboree trading posts as both candy bowls and trinket boxes.
Syroco candy bowl from 1953 Boy Scout National Jamboree Syroco trinket box from the 1960 Boy Scout National Jamboree Syroco Boy Scout First Class plaque or paperweightSyroco Cub Scout plaqueSyroco Boy Scout plaque boxSyroco Boy Scout plaque box sideSyroco Boy Scout book end
Although I do not have pictures to post here, Syroco also made for the Scouts tie racks. Some are common but also include what is one of the rarest of this kind of collectible that is a tie rack with “logs” around the border.
Now all but forgotten other than by chopping contest participants, Australian Peter McLaren was a ‘rock star’ of axemanship and pioneer of chopping contests in this country. In the 1930s he was a brand representative and promoter for Plumb brand axes. (For modern day equivalent, think Michael Jordan for Nike shoes.)
One such promotions was a featured section at the 1937 Boy Scout National Jamboree. (I’ll have to look through my archives for the jambo map but as I recall it showed this area.) One memorabilia item that came from this was a staff axe engraved for the Jamboree with McLaren’s signature.
I do not know how many of these have survived. This is the only one I’ve ever had come through my hands (and quickly acquired it when I had a chance to.) I’ve not seen another on the market.
We do though get through occaisionaly both a pamphlet that he authored and a “club” patch.
It’s Throwback Thursday. In going through my files, I came across my copy of the prices realized for the Don Dennison “Sale of Sales”, one of the earliest (maybe THE earliest) published prices realized for the sale of individual Scout memorabilia. Jack Keane published this on mimeograph (for Millennials this was an era before MS Word).
“Sale of Sales” cover
Some background on Don. He was the organizer and host for the Amaquonsippi Trail in southern Illinois. He was also a passionate patch collector of Scout patches: OA, jamboree, regions, and more.
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Bruce Richardson has a great site referencing the collectibles associated with this trail. Check it out here.
Conducted in 1970, this was before there was any catalog of issues, this predated Arapaho I and II, so Don had to define the terms used in his sale listing.
So ultimately we do not know the specific issues as we define them these days but one can well infer what issue they were for many of the lodges and items as so few issues existed at this time. Remember, I do, that lodges often kept the same issue for several years! Rather than today’s practice to make a new issue every few months or faster.
Some quick observations:
The high prices realized for OA issues included:
8 R solid: $117.76
13 R Wakag (sic) (what later was turned out to be a Dovidio fake): $45
34 Ko-Nosh-I-Oni sold for more than 34 Gonlix
47 R (Hanigus): $150
Still active lodges sold for more than many merged lodges:
89 F (Kepayshowink, Mischigonong did not exist): $83.76
96 S: $90
526 F: $120
555 S: $75 (at the time, restricted to National pros)
Some of the other patches (there weren’t many offered)
Region 2 patch: $23.30
1937 NJ patch: $75
1953 NJ patch: $15
Here are the sales result pages. Note, this was an era where gas was $0.36 per gallon. New flaps cost a quarter.
Senior collector Paul Myers of Goshen, IN was at the recent Calumet Council Memorial Day Trade-o-ree. Paul is a former editor of the Trader magazine in the 1960s. In the 1990s he wrote a regular column for ASTA, the America Scout Traders Association, which merged with NSCA to form ISCA the national group today. At the TOR Paul was handing out a compilation of the articles he wrote for ASTA. It is now contained in a PDF below. It covers over 75 topics of Scouting collectibles. Not in depth necessarily but my guess is that even veteran collectors will learn something knew from going through these pages.
Posted on October 1st, 2012 in Jamborees by ramore
We just auctioned off an interesting 1937 National Jamboree poster. Why we’re bringing attention to it is that here we have a legitimate, vintage piece of nostalgia that tells a story that got respected by the hobby based upon the price realized. By “vintage nostalgia”, I mean it was not a manufactured rarity like most modern Jamboree items. It was not made to be collected. It was probably used in council offices to promote the jamboree. The pictures show CSE James West, members of the National Executive Board, multi-racial groups of workers helping to build the site and more.
Its now 75 years old. That it has even survived is pretty amazing. It may be one of the only known examples left to survive.
From our description:
National Jamboree 1937 Building Site Poster First one of these we’ve ever seen, really a fantastic piece. Measures about 24×30 inches. In really solid shape, has some wear at the creases but is still all in once piece. Needs to be framed and preserved, Gives all kinds of information about the build
That’s a common question we get. And one we just got concerning a 2010 National Jamboree patch. Note that the eagle is missing its left wing. See below.
Here was my response.
Quick answer – probably not much. Its a ‘needlebreak’ unless you can find a whole run of these (that is multiples). Its basically an error that got through quality control or more likely the patch company passed on as much inventory as they could convince a buyer to pay for even if it has a flaw.
These are not like stamps and coins with a process that creates perfect pieces every time and an inspection process that culls errors when they do crop up.
Thus, for patches, such flaws not only don’t command a premium but usually are valued at less than a correct specimen. Again, the exception if their are multiple examples of the same difference and then it becomes a variety and might be quite valuable if collectors want the variety.
At best its a curiousity piece. A piece without any bird would be more desirable from a collector’s perpsective.
Posted on October 23rd, 2011 in Fakes,Jamborees by ramore
Jason Spangler, the Santee Swapper, just sent over a link from his blog about suspicious 2011 WJ patches are that are surfacing. They’re bringing some incredible dollars but I think the points raised, slight but noticeable variations in stitch patterns and borders, makes me think these are $3 bills (which don’t exist). Anyone got more insight or knowledge?
An image from his blog points out differences between what was confirmed to be handed out and what is surfacing. These kinds of differences should NOT exist with today’s embroidery techniques.
