I've got a great story to share in today's issue about Craigs List, nearly 100 year old Scouting collectibles, and making connections. I talked on the phone yesterday with a collector on the west coast who responded to an ad on Craigs List recently. When he went down the rabbit hole the other side was filled with treasure.
Vintage eBay Boy Scout Auctions This Weekend
Responding to the ad the first time the fellow sold him a bunch of what I like to call 3D Boy Scout items. All the gear and "stuff" that you find in many collections. But the guy said there would be more. The second round was a duffle bag full of medals and all kinds of cool Baden Powell items (some over 100 years old). The third time the seller contacted him it was time to get the binders of patches.
So what is so unusual about this collection is that there was a major part of it that had early British pieces from Scouting groups that sprouted up in the teens. Life Saving Scouts (YMCA), the Girl Guard and another early British Girl Scout unit were some of these groups that were represented in the collection. I am helping the Scouter figure out what he has and what the next step should be.
In our phone conversation he mentioned it's a good lesson in perseverance because he kept the lines of communication open with the seller and the bread crumbs eventually led to the big haul. The seller was a 3rd generation Scouter and when this Scouter brought his son along that kinda sealed the deal that this is where the veteran wanted to see his family's collection end up.
For me the final piece of this story that is cool is that by publishing this newsletter since 2009 I've been able to connect with so many people in the hobby that I've never met. The Internet makes the world a lot smaller and certainly the Hot Finds has helped me make many friends across the Scouting community.
If you are walking on the beach in Pawleys Island SC this weekend look for my crew. We are down here with my sister-in-law and her family enjoying the sun and sand. This might be the only trip we make to the beach this summer so we are making the most of it.
