Scout Patch Collectors

Sunday Scouting Hot Finds Newsletter April 03, 2022

Almost three years ago I joined Discord because one of the teenagers in my daughter’s troop created a server (think group) where information could be shared. I didn’t have a great experience with that as they were very intentional to only let the adult scouters access to about 10% of the content. (don’t ask!) But after listening to a podcast where the founder of Discord was interviewed I decided to give it another try (not with the troop though!). I got Brad England to invite me to Patch Land which so far as I can tell is the main server (again think group) for patch collectors on the site.

The first thing to know about Discord is that it’s hard wired for Gen Z. This is their native language so coming over from Facebook (hey I’m not a boomer) it’s hard to navigate. Upon joining Patch Land I spent time reading all the rules (there are many) trying to figure out how to work the platform. The biggest hurdle is a big YPT push where you must conduct trades in a monitored “room” instead of simply sending a message to an interested party. I understand the logic but at the same time makes it more of a challenge to just post a patch and say “who wants it”? But overall I am glad that the Gen Z crowd have built a place for them to gather and keep the flame going for this great hobby. Many of them are heavily involved with the OA, serve on camp staffs etc so these are your super dedicated Scouts.

My mom came for a visit Friday and helped me sort out my Type E merit badges. It was almost like doing a jigsaw puzzle for her. I have several hundred of these from 1946-1960 so matching them up kept her busy for a few hours until it was time to go see my son’s school play. She enjoyed telling my employees that I don’t give her a free lunch.

On eBay I have 251 live auctions with over 100 of those ending tonight. Speaking of tonight I’ll also begin selling my square merit badges with 7-day auctions getting started. I have probably 150 to sell so I’ll spread it out over the next several weeks.

It turns out you really can sell anything on eBay. Sometimes in my mind I think surely nobody would want XYZ piece of Scouting memorabilia. Usually I let my opinion as a collector sway my instincts as a reseller. Specifically here I mean the probably 500 standard issue neckerchiefs I have in all colors. The plain jane neckerchiefs that I get with every collection. For some reason I looked over on eBay and sure enough some of these sell for $6-$8 plus shipping. I should stop being a snob about some of this stuff and follow my own advice and just get it listed. In the Scout Shops across America these retail for almost $12!

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE APRIL 03, 2022 ISSUE OF THE SCOUTING HOT FINDS NEWSLETTER