For several decades Russell Smart was on a mission. He came up with a simple enough goal. Can I get the first patch issued by the oldest lodge in every state? That rabbit hole of collecting led him to add other needs to the list but eventually he was able to get that impossible collection about 93% complete. In our interview we go back in time to talk about Order of the Arrow insignia before the flap. Russell did a lot of research during his quest to build this collection and he shares some incredible stories that all Scouting memorabilia collectors will want to hear. We talk about the Wabaningo book in 1952 that kinda set the early collecting community ablaze. However, the reason for the timing of this interview is that he is now in the process of divesting the collection and finding new homes for the great pieces in the collection. You can find his initial sale of the 100 best pieces here https://bit.ly/LegacyOAcollection.

During 2021 my goal is to publish bi-weekly with new interviews focused on the hobby of collecting Scouting memorabilia. In order to do that and improve not only the quantity of episodes but the quality I'm asking for your help. Please consider joining my Patreon group called the Scouting Hot Finds Insiders at http://www.ScoutingHotFinds.com. Members get exclusive behind the scenes content from the podcast, unboxing videos, and my business as a Scouting memorabilia dealer. Even just a pledge of $2 per month will help me hire an audio editor to make these episodes possible. If you want to see my archive of all the episodes go to my website at http://www.ScoutPatchCollectors.com. There I have a page with all the episodes linked, my Scouting Hot Finds Newsletters, Trade-O-Ree calendar and more.

At the 2019 World Scout Jamboree held in the United States Doug Schwab helped to staff the Spirit of Jamboree Museum. In this interview we talk about his experience and the book he published that documented the once in a lifetime display of Scouting memorabilia from the World Scout Jamboree. The book is a beautiful full color hard back with professional quality pictures of all the displays including the text which tells the story. During the interview Doug shares how the museum project came about with Russell Smart and Rick Bragga leading the charge. During the the interview he thanks many more members of the staff such as Sam Fairchild, Dave Miura, Bob Hannah and more (complete list on the Author's Note page of the book). The effort to assemble this museum onsite was monumental and completely lead by a team of dedicated volunteer Scouters and collectors including several from other countries making it a truly international effort. If you would like to reach out to Doug he shares in the podcast that you can do so at [email protected].

If you can help me get the podcast published every two weeks please consider becoming a Scouting Hot Finds Insider and support the project as a patron at http://www.ScoutingHotFinds.com. I am asking listeners to consider donating as little as $2 per month (which works out to $1 per episode) for me to hire an audio and video editor. My goal is to continue putting out high quality content for the Scout patch collecting hobby and this is a way that I'm asking fellow collectors to chip in to help. You can find all the previous 89 episodes of the podcast dating all the way back to 2011 when it launched at http://www.ScoutPatchCollectors.com. There you will see that I also publish an email newsletter to over 5k collectors several times per week called the Scouting Hot Finds Newsletter. I've been publishing that newsletter since 2010. I live in Charlotte, NC where I am a full time memorabilia dealer, collector, and active volunteer Scouter. You can reach me at [email protected].

The first episode of the Scouting Hot Finds Radio in almost a year should be the launching pad for a real rebirth of the podcast. I know I am guilty of saying that a few times over the last couple of years but I'm laying down roots to make this podcast sustainable. In this episode you will hear about 3 topics that I think fit with the theme of roots.

The first of those is my plans for where I'm going with the Scouting Hot Finds Radio Podcast. It first rolled out in 2011 and so I'm going into year 10 of the podcast with only 89 episodes under my belt. I have figured out a way to make the podcast sustainable on a bi-weekly basis. But that commitment opens the door to part 2 of the podcast where I announce the opening of the Scouting Hot Finds Insiders group on Patreon http://www.scoutinghotfinds.com

I have been putting out free content for the Scouting collecting community for more than a decade. Every newsletter, every podcast, every video is totally free. But to make better content on a consistent basis I'm asking for your support. By joining the SHF Insiders you have help me hire an audio editor that will make a bi-weekly schedule for the podcast doable.

I end the episode by going way back to my podcast roots. In 2006 I was a featured guest on the original podcast for our hobby, Cloth Talk. With permission from Chris Brightwell I'm rebroadcasting my interview with Tim and Ben talking about eBay in our category 15 years ago - talk about a time capsule! Look for the next episode to drop soon which will be my interview with Doug Schwab on the Spirit of the Jamboree museum at the 2019 World Scout Jamboree.

Rick Stewart has been writing a quarterly article for the ISCA Journal on the topic of Scouting museums going on four years now. During a 20+ career as a professional Scouter and more as a volunteer he can also claim to have visited the National Scout Museum at all 4 of its locations over the last several decades of moving. In this wide ranging interview we go in depth on what make a Scout museum great and how a council might go about setting one up. I have a special take on this as there are no Scout museums in my home state of South Carolina and I'd love to see that change in the next few years. You can find all the archived episodes of Scouting Hot Finds Radio on my website at http://www.scoutpatchcollectors.com.

John Smilek says this will be the year. On the 100th anniversary of the first Boy Scouts of America merit badge pamphlet being published he and other collaborators will publish a full reference guide for collecting this niche in the hobby. The guide will include thousands of pictures and a complete explanation of the different types and sub-types issued through the years. In this interview John explains the history of these utilitarian books including the answer to a good trivia question. For what merit badge was the first ever pamphlet published in 1919? The answer will surprise you. There is also a companion video of this interview located on my website at http://www.scoutpatchcollectors.com.

John Athayde and his collaborators on Patchvault.org are ready to turn back control of Order of the Arrow memorabilia listing to the people. With a background in software and a core group of collectors supporting the effort they have expanded the site from it's roots as Virginia OA specific to now include about 70 lodges. What sets this site apart is the quality of the work. Their guiding rule is that a picture is the best representation of a patch. In this interview John gives the history of the project and invites others to jump in.

John Athayde and his collaborators on Patchvault.org are ready to turn back control of Order of the Arrow memorabilia listing to the people. With a background in software and a core group of collectors supporting the effort they have expanded the site from it's roots as Virginia OA specific to now include about 70 lodges. What sets this site apart is the quality of the work. Their guiding rule is that a picture is the best representation of a patch. In this interview John gives the history of the project and invites others to jump in.

http://www.scoutpatchcollectors.com Mike Clinch is a great example of a Scouter and collector who is willing to invest hundreds of hours of his own time into building something for others. A few years ago he published an amazing two volume set of books detailing in color the merger history of all Boy Scout councils and OA lodges. Teaming up with the likes of Bill Topkis, Jeff Morley, Bob Sherman and others he is now helping to expand that work to include camps. By allowing us to visually understand the sometimes complicated merger history of BSA councils his work is like somebody sharing the answers to the homework problem. Only with his skill as a geographer the maps and charts he makes are so much better than anything I've even. Add to the mix OA section mergers and his project keeps growing. Best of all he is not profiting from any of this but rather proceeds of the printed books are donated back to Scouting. As you can tell I'm a huge fan and glad to have him on the show and let him share and get a little well deserved recognition for his hard work and unselfish service to the hobby.

http://www.scoutpatchcollectors.com Mike Clinch is a great example of a Scouter and collector who is willing to invest hundreds of hours of his own time into building something for others. A few years ago he published an amazing two volume set of books detailing in color the merger history of all Boy Scout councils and OA lodges. Teaming up with the likes of Bill Topkis, Jeff Morley, Bob Sherman and others he is now helping to expand that work to include camps. By allowing us to visually understand the sometimes complicated merger history of BSA councils his work is like somebody sharing the answers to the homework problem. Only with his skill as a geographer the maps and charts he makes are so much better than anything I've even. Add to the mix OA section mergers and his project keeps growing. Best of all he is not profiting from any of this but rather proceeds of the printed books are donated back to Scouting. As you can tell I'm a huge fan and glad to have him on the show and let him share and get a little well deserved recognition for his hard work and unselfish service to the hobby.

Scouting collectors who have spent time learning about Scouting history have an obvious way to give back to the program. Collections merit badge allows a Scout to take a patch collection and with the right coaching fulfill the requirements. Scouting Heritage teaches Scouts about our movements history while also getting them to take an active role documenting their own troop and local history. Stuart Tucker of the Mecklenburg County Council is a regular merit badge counselor for both of these badges. For going on three years now he has also used a Boy Scout Trade-O-Ree as a useful backdrop to teach these merit badges. In this interview Stuart explains how he has incorporated merit badge instruction into the Charlotte Trade-O-Ree held in April. You can also find the resource material that he shares on the show notes page at http://www.scoutpatchcollectors.com.