Scout Patch Collectors

Sunday Scouting Hot Finds Newsletter July 6, 2025

This weekend I had a mom reach out to me on Facebook looking for a vintage patch from her council. Her 13-year-old son is really getting serious about patch collecting. Then in the same weekend YouTube shows me that Gary Simonsen has started a YT channel focused on his niche which is council shoulder patches. More of this please!

I believe that 90% of the on ramp for this hobby happens in person at Scouting events. That’s certainly what has happened with this young man from North Carolina. He is super active in Scouting (went to Philmont this summer) and is very involved in his lodge. That likely could describe many of you back in your teens. But what we also need is the free resources like someone sharing their knowledge in an easily accessible format like a YouTube channel.

Over the last year I have complimented Paul Myer’s websites on Jamboree issues and the digital cracker-barrel that John and Larry organize. So I was thrilled to see that Gary took the time to make an entire episode explaining how we got from RWS to CSPs in 1970s. Plus, I learned all kinds of details about the national sample set that I never knew. Now I have to keep a look out for staple holes!

On eBay right now I’ve got 203 live auctions with almost all of those being SAPs from councils around the country. For me as I get these in collections it’s impossible to take the time to individually research each one. I use the auctions format to let the cream rise to the top. If something really is special, then hopefully people will spot it and bid.

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE JULY 6, 2025 ISSUE OF THE SCOUTING HOT FINDS NEWSLETTER