I Won The Shaw Field Encampment! Say What?

 

I got an email today from a collecting friend in North Carolina who wondered what business did I have bidding up over $300 for a group of patches on eBay from East Carolina Council. I would have this question myself except that one of those patches wasn’t from ECC. Here is the auction and I’ll explain why I won this auction below.

 

1950s North Carolina Boy Scout Patches 1952 Camporee – Camp Charles -Pisgah Club+

 

Ok now as Paul Harvey famously said, “time for the rest of the story”

 

I was born in Sumter, SC at the hospital operated on Shaw Air Force Base. My dad is retired Air Force and I grew up just a couple of miles from the base. Heck my first real job was bagging groceries at the base commissary. Yes I was a bag boy. But back to the patch! So back in 1949 (then called Shaw Field) hosted a weekend encampment for Explorer Scouts. The patch for that event says, Pee Dee Area Council (PS. I don’t have it – big need!). So in 1950 the patch read only “Shaw Air Encampment” and I know for a fact this event was attended by Scouts from all over including Columbia (then Central Carolina Council) and obviously as confirmed by this lot eastern North Carolina. Being dated 1950 makes it one of the earliest dated activity patches for collectors of Pee Dee Area (Florence, SC) and Indian Waters (former Central Carolina – Columiba, SC).

 

I had this patch about 10+ years ago but was offered a huge stack of Camp Coker patches if I would trade it to a well known Columbia collector (Jason Shull). Since then I’ve never had another chance to get one until this week I spotted that little shield shaped blue felt patch and my heart stopped. Finally, I had a chance to replace this seminal patch in my collection. A patch that not only is a crown jewel in my Pee Dee Area collection but as mentioned before – I was born there!

 

I don’t know who the 2nd highest bidder was but I’m guessing he was not after the Shaw Field but rather the older North Carolina patches in the lot. Which by the way I do not collect and am happy to now take offers on. 😉

 

 

Comments

jason;3297 wrote: . . . including Columbia (then Central Carolina Council)

Wasn’t it Central South Carolina, or was that a predecessor council?

By ISCA87L on September 20th, 2011 at 8:31 am

Jason,

Congrats on that one. It’s certainly a tough one, especially as you mentioned that both Pee Dee and Indian Waters Council collectors are looking for that one.

The 2nd highest bidder wasn’t me, but he definitely was going after the Shaw Field patch and not the NC patches. T convinced him to bid you up for what it finished at.

Nice find.

By creg on September 20th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
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