Yesterday while sorting three boxes that were labeled "collection" I came across these two. Now for 99.9% of you this is not cause for excitement. But for my fellow lodge brother Nathan Kohler these two obscure event patches were 2/3 of his final lodge needs. I mailed both patches to him after working out a quick deal. He has agreed...Read More
Back in 2013 I interviewed Deryl for my podcast Scouting Hot Finds Radio. That became a 2-part series that told the history of his Scouting Collectors Society and the Y2K TOR. This morning I built a post on my website that has both of those episodes served up and ready for you to listen to. How strange that we are...Read More
With all the Corona crap affecting the country I recently saw on Facebook where John Pleasants was proposing to host an online video zoom to facilitate some virtual trades and a sense of connection. It's a great idea and I may even try and take part if my family schedule allows. But it also got me thinking about my...Read More
I have not been able to really display my collection since 2014. That was the year that while hosting the Dixie Fellowship I worked with Darrin Thomas (with help from Russell Smart) to put together a really impressive weekend museum at camp for the conclave. I spent $1k on frames and untold hours. My video on this project is probably...Read More
I have seen more traffic on the Patch-L list serve than I have in years. That is to say 5-10 emails some days when honestly that many per week prior to this was the norm. On Facebook in the Scout Patch Collectors we have had 1,793 posts this month which is a 9% increase. So far this month 10,529 of...Read More
First up this is a great opportunity to organize your collections. Scott Wheeler in Michigan has been doing just that and sharing posts online of his progress. Maybe you have a niche collection where everything is thrown in a ziplock bag. Scott's theory is get it out, create a checklist and share that to see if others can help out...Read More
Yesterday I was on a conference call regarding summer camp for over an hour. At this point with it still a couple of months away we are planning on holding camp but also talking about what precautions we can take to improve hygiene and advanced medical screening. When life does go back to normal it may look a little different...Read More
In my new office I have talked to my wife about setting up a room for the kids to have a classroom. My 4th grader especially is hoping to have a pretty normal stream of online assignments. My 10th grader is enjoying not waking up early and doesn't quite know what to expect with high school classes so far. I...Read More
There has been a great thread on the Patch-L listserve where people are naming and thanking those who influenced them in the hobby. Now mind you they are talking about people who have mostly passed away but the kindness and willingness to help others get started are not forgotten. My takeaway is how many Scouts and Scouters can you help...Read More
I am going to try and make lemonade from lemons. Having the Charlotte TOR bounce around on the calendar because of Easter has been a problem every year. So maybe with the postponement we find an early fall date that can settle in as the best option going forward. I was also going to miss the Dixie Fellowship for about...Read More
Here is a view I am a little more proud of. This is the heart of the operation where all the online action happens. From this main work room all the eBay listing, shipping and Best Hobby Pages magic happens. It's still a work in progress but today we managed to mostly get caught up on shipping which means things...Read More
By all activities they include Scout meetings held at the church and sadly that includes the upcoming Charlotte Trade-O-Ree in two weeks. I spoke with the Cubmaster last night on the phone and we have decided to postpone the event until after the summer. I cant give you a date yet because we have to get back on the church...Read More
I'm using my Scout contacts to help me get things moved over. Later this week a Scout leader is going to help me build some shelves and a countertop work space. Then this weekend I've got some Eagle Scouts who are going to help me load the Uhaul. I'd much rather hire folks like this then pick up some day...Read More
I've seen people sharing pictures online of their trips to TORs over the last few weekends. The typical photo is of their "haul" but others have shared pictures of the venues and sometimes even a group photo of people who attended. Most of this action is over on the Scout Patch Collectors Facebook group. I have been in regular contact...Read More
Many of you would laugh out loud at the scene yesterday. My daughter is on spring break so I enlisted her help in moving boxes from my old warehouse space to the new. Several times she would look inside the box and say "dad nobody is ever going to want this crap why don't you throw it in the dumpster"....Read More