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How much would this be worth?


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Okay so my troop is turning 100 years old according to our charter (we've had the same one too for all that time :p ). We're going to get a new "limited edition" neckerchief just for this occasion. How much do you think this would be worth in the Scouting community, now or in the future? Just out of curiosity. (I would never think of selling this, by the way.)

 

-Mike

 Troop 5, Wallingford, CT.

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Mike, welcome to the forum!

 

I'm no expert, but here is my unscientific observation from years of collecting:   limited editions/special editions are valued locally, but not much outside the community.

 

Example:   I have a special-edition neckerchief a SM gave me as a gift for serving as his JASM in AK (many many years ago).   It was from his previous troop in Ohio.   I still have it and value it because of who gave it to me.   Frankly, I've forgotten the details of why the troop issued it, or even what town it was from in Ohio.  

 

There are exceptions.   I have some lodge flaps from AK that are worth a little bit.   But troop-level items?   They mean more to the people in the troop on the moment of presentation.   And the folks that may follow.

 

But I've been wrong before!   I'll eagerly await the input from others.   We're not shy around here!

 

Best wishes,

 

DR77

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Interesting question, I guess it depends on what he market would demand.

 

I had a quick look on ebay and found this, world jamboree 2007 (ie world centenary) participants necker, at the time of typing the bidding is at nearly $80. Of course there are a lot more people who would want one pushing the price up, but there are a lot more of them out there pushing the price down. 

 

When my troop turn 100 in 1911 we produced a t-shirt and hoodie, no one has tried to buy mine yet!

 

One thing worth asking, has your troop got any famous alumni? That might push the price up, especially if you can get alumni to buy one.

 

Finally though..... congratulations on turning 100! There;s not many troops in the world that have that distinction :)

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As a person who collects scouting memorabilia I can assure you that the price of anything is solely dependent upon what someone is willing to pay for it

 

I have a complete collection of the BSA's Every Boy's Library, and at least one copy of every book written by Percy Keese Fitzhugh, . While they were very popular in the early years of scouting, most people have never heard of them, including those at the BSA National Museum.  Yet the legacy of these items is still around today.  This is where Pee Wee Harris got his start.  Pee Wee's buddy Roy also has a series of books as well.  Their buddy Tom Slade had a real movie about him produced back in the Silent Film era and the expression Parlor Scout originates from the Westy Martin series.  They are a treasure trove of information pertaining to the early years of Scouting in America. Until some one offers me $$ they are worth nothing.

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....One thing worth asking, has your troop got any famous alumni? That might push the price up, especially if you can get alumni to buy one.....

 

As a side point, I find this question very interesting.

I've wondered several times about the history of our young unit.  Once when cleaning out a storage area I didn't even know we had at the time, it was a shared space for the pack and the troop....anyway, came across a cork board with lots of random photos and info from a few years back.  Looked like it was probably used as a table display at recruiting event of some sort.  Not very old, but just old enough that I didn't recognize any of the scouters or scouts.  Really anything worth keeping, but it gets me to thinking....

I wish we had a better running history.... list of Cub/Scout Masters and other adults, scout rosters, perhaps a list of the major trips or events they did that year, something like that....

It would be interesting indeed to know if there was anybody famous... or even just someone you know from town that used to be in the unit that you didn't know about.

hmmm... might be an interesting research project for someone.

 

by the way, My old pack would be approx 13-1/2 years old now.  I have no idea about the troop.... I suspect maybe a bit older but not likely much... Think I'll ask what the recharter says...

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As a side point, I find this question very interesting.

I've wondered several times about the history of our young unit.  Once when cleaning out a storage area I didn't even know we had at the time, it was a shared space for the pack and the troop....anyway, came across a cork board with lots of random photos and info from a few years back.  Looked like it was probably used as a table display at recruiting event of some sort.  Not very old, but just old enough that I didn't recognize any of the scouters or scouts.  Really anything worth keeping, but it gets me to thinking....

I wish we had a better running history.... list of Cub/Scout Masters and other adults, scout rosters, perhaps a list of the major trips or events they did that year, something like that....

It would be interesting indeed to know if there was anybody famous... or even just someone you know from town that used to be in the unit that you didn't know about.

hmmm... might be an interesting research project for someone.

 

by the way, My old pack would be approx 13-1/2 years old now.  I have no idea about the troop.... I suspect maybe a bit older but not likely much... Think I'll ask what the recharter says...

 

Maybe if the unit had a real Historian rather than someone who just wore the patch for POR credit, one would have a nice record of who all those people were that made that troop what it is today.  Just thinkin'

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Welcome to the forum.  If you're wondering if you should take extra special care of your neckerchief by leaving it its packaging and never wearing it then I would suggest that the point is being missed.  Those special limited edition neckerchiefs should be worn and worn with pride - 100 years as a continuous unit is a heck of an accomplishment.  Thinking of buying extras to put away?  If you're thinking of having a few on hand to give as gifts in 10 or 20 years to some deserving Scouts in the Troop who were not around for #100, that's a great idea.  If you're looking for it as an investment, you're probably going to be better off putting that money in a savings account.

 

When it comes to collectibles, mugs are probably the least collectible.  As one collector says - they're good for drinking coffee out of or for target practice.

 

Patches are the most popular collectible and there are a lot of them.  It's easy to specialize in one kind of patch as there are so many different types of patches that can be collected - just OA flaps, just Council shoulder patches, just rank patches, just Jamboree patches, just merit badges - you get the idea.  Just as a fun aside, the rarest patch is the Invention Merit Badge from 1911-1915 though it may be unfair to call it the rarest patch as in this case it would be the rarest patch in the same way that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is the rarest bird - it was only earned by 10 Scouts and there are no known surviving specimens of this merit badge in existence - if you ever find one, you're probably going to be retiring early.

 

Unfortunately neckerchiefs are pretty far down on the list as well.  There are folks that collect them, but they aren't as numerous as patch collectors, and like many patch collectors, they seem to specialize.  Some only want neckerchiefs from summer camps, some only from Jamborees.  There may be a few out there that collect Troop special edition neckerchiefs but they may be hard to find, even on E-bay.  I suspect that your special edition neckerchief will have about the same value as the special edition neckerchief I got from my Troop back in the 1970's - sentimental value.

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you crack me up Krampus!

tumblr_lq55t6IXLl1qfjko2o1_r1_500.gif

 

 

Maybe if the unit had a real Historian rather than someone who just wore the patch for POR credit, one would have a nice record of who all those people were that made that troop what it is today.  Just thinkin'

yeah, haven't yet seen a historian in action.... 

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As a side point, I find this question very interesting.

I've wondered several times about the history of our young unit.  Once when cleaning out a storage area I didn't even know we had at the time, it was a shared space for the pack and the troop....anyway, came across a cork board with lots of random photos and info from a few years back.  Looked like it was probably used as a table display at recruiting event of some sort.  Not very old, but just old enough that I didn't recognize any of the scouters or scouts.  Really anything worth keeping, but it gets me to thinking....

I wish we had a better running history.... list of Cub/Scout Masters and other adults, scout rosters, perhaps a list of the major trips or events they did that year, something like that....

It would be interesting indeed to know if there was anybody famous... or even just someone you know from town that used to be in the unit that you didn't know about.

hmmm... might be an interesting research project for someone.

 

by the way, My old pack would be approx 13-1/2 years old now.  I have no idea about the troop.... I suspect maybe a bit older but not likely much... Think I'll ask what the recharter says...

 

Sounds like a perfect job for the troop Historian! If you have a scout that wants to take on that role, he could go through what you have, research on line, talk to former scouts, etc. As a relatively newer troop, he could make a pretty complete history. I like the idea of documenting trips with photos and recollections of the outing by the scouts. I find scouts take much more interesting photos than adults do. We tend to pose people or have everyone looking at the camera, where scouts tend to take more random pictures that better tell the story. 

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