Patches, patches, patches… What is this patch trading thing? We see patches exist for activities, rank, and recognitions. Why trade them, why collect them? Well, the answer is really an individual one. Patch trading at its core provides opportunities for a Scout to connect with other Scouts. It helps create connections and ultimately leads to friendships, another way to look at it is its fellowship.
I personally got into patch trading as a youth collecting local district activity patches and once I attained membership in the Order of the Arrow my collecting broadened to Order of the Arrow lodge flaps and activity patches. At Order of the Arrow functions, I noticed other Scouts trading patches during Cracker Barrels and it always intrigued me why they’d go to the level of effort to haul patches to an event (I’m now one of those people that owns a wagon to carry them in).
Personally, for me, it was always about fellowship. I was a self-described amateur collector that was still learning. I received a couple of patches from my Dad and friends that I later learned to be valuable. What I didn’t know yet was why are they valuable and do I hold the same value that others do? It’s not a simple answer. The value of a patch is influenced by many factors. There’s the rarity of the patch, in other words, is this patch hard to find, what provenance (proof of creation and quantity) exists, or was it a restricted patch limited to lodge members or a special activity like a banquet? Ultimately even with all these factors, the value is in the eye of the beholder. For example, a patch my Dad or friend gave me or I earned could be sentimental, those patches might in my heart hold more value than other valued patches, and that’s okay.
I think too many people focus on the value of a patch. Let’s also focus on other things like the history behind the patch. Everyone who trades or acquired a patch is participating in an exchange of historical information. The patch itself represents more than the cloth it’s made with. It represents Scouting, it represents activities and it represents fellowship. When you own a patch you are in fact a historian. You hold something that was created for a specific reason. I could go on and on about what a patch could represent but my favorite part about patch trading is sharing the history. Prior to lodge patches, there were totem pins first introduced in 1916 that were akin to a university pledge pin and were made by the J.E. Caldwell company. The first OA patches came shortly after around 1921 and chenille patches were introduced in 1922. As you can see this now goes back a century. There’s a lot of history in a century, and not enough space to cover it in this article. If you don’t know the history of a patch you can look to local collectors who are experts in Northwest patches and are involved with the International Scout Collectors Association (ISCA). To name a few, you can seek information from Todd Hatfield, Chris Graves, Carl Hasting, Jeff Ansley, Paul Kelly (myself) even our Gateway Region Chief Dirk Smelser is a knowledgeable resource about Southern Oregon and Northern California OA flaps. He even has two patches produced by his home lodge Lo La’Qam Geela honoring him that was released for NOAC and are likely to be popular collector items.
On the topic of resources, there’s a lot of information online, websites that provide historical information, information about the issues, and information about the values. The one site I suggest everyone start with is the International Scout Collectors Association at: https://scouttrader.org
A google search can yield many other websites including online marketplaces for selling and purchasing patches like eBay.
Knowing there are resources out there to assist you it’s not as scary or daunting as it might seem. Your collection can start anywhere, with anything, and in time if you want to start cataloging your patches or to learn more about the type, the production, and history you can find the basics online and start referring to the catalogs and checklists: https://scouttrader.org/References/index.shtml
There are many types of patches you can collect and when you start working on a collection you’ll want to use the catalogs to identify the variants and document the ones you have or need in a checklist. I’ve seen basic lists and complex spreadsheets with formulas. When you’re unable to find something in a catalog try a reverse google image search. I have personally found links to sites that may have the patch and from there you can source additional information or turn to the online collecting community. There are Facebook groups for patch collecting and if you want to collect in the Northwest I recommend the Northwest Scout Heritage and Traders Association and the Southern Willamette Valley Trade-O-Ree groups. Many of the members mentioned earlier are active members of these groups. Also at conclave, you can learn more by attending patch sessions or visiting the museum. There are sessions offered that cover many topics on patch trading including patch storage and preservation, ethics, and the ISCA code of ethics which I adhere to are:
All members of the International Scouting Collectors Association (ISCA) subscribe to a Code of Ethics to ensure fair trading practices amongst its members. All members sign a statement subscribing to this Code.
I will:
Set an example in which we all can take pride.
Consciously, fairly represent items of Scout memorabilia.
Always follow the rules of the event that apply to trading.
Extend the hand of friendship to all Collectors.
Trade or sell no patch that I know to be a fake or reproduction without disclosing the fact.
Help new collectors get started.
Impress on new collectors the importance of ethics in trading.
Currently be eligible to be registered in Scouting.
Strive for fairness in all actions consistent with the Scout Oath & Law.
As you can see ethics are a big part of trading and everyone should be ethical in their engagements. In addition to the code of ethics, always follow youth protection guidelines. Youth are to trade with youth, adults with adults, and youth can only trade with adults if a parent or guardian is present and there are two deep adult leadership. Adults should never initiate a patch trade with youth. If you do have two-deep leadership and a parent or guardian present when a youth initiates a trade, give them the better hand and a great experience. They’ll pay it forward as an adult. As a general rule, we advise doing a one-for-one patch trade, vs many to one.
If you are uncomfortable making a trade don’t do it, it’s okay to hold onto a patch without providing a reason. If you are attending NOAC be mindful that you likely will have two types of NOAC patches issued to you with an option to purchase more participant patches. The first type is the delegate patches and they are considered limited and do hold more value than the participation patches. I do recommend not trading a delegate patch for a participant patch unless you really feel it’s the best trade for you. There will be a lot of patches there, including spoofs and non-official patches. Be mindful not to have someone take advantage of you and if you’re unsure, ask a friend for their opinion or do some online research. All approved patches will have a QR code that’s scannable and will take you to the patch scan website with the patch information. Always check for this in newer patches. Older patches won’t have QR codes and it does require referencing the catalogs to identify issues. While we promote ethical practices it doesn’t always happen, and if you run into an issue please let an adult leader know. The experiences in trading at their core should be fun and ethical.
Some of you that are looking to trade patches will have an opportunity to trade patches at an upcoming lodge function, conclave, or NOAC. There are also regional Trade-O-Rees that are usually posted in the Facebook groups and collecting pages too. These events will have designated areas to conduct patch trading. You will see an incredible variety of both old and new patches, council shoulder strips, activity, and lodge patches. Usually, there’s something for every collector, and take your time, part of the fun in collecting is the hunt.
I’ll see you at Conclave and be sure to bring your patches!