The 1973 National Boy Scout Jamboree Moraine State Park, Pa.
and Farragut State Park, Idaho Page 4
| Trading Posts |
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| The Trading Posts were brimming with an amazing amount of items. Uniform and equipment and a array of souvenir items. Ash trays and bowls with the Jamboree logo, several types of T shirts, a ring, decals, stationary, a Jamboree tie, tie clips, lapel pins, pillow covers and women's scarves, a miniature rifle and bayonet, etc. There were five different belt buckles as well as a Jamboree belt. There was a bath towel with the Jamboree logo. BSA National Supply Department realized that anything with the word Jamboree would sell and with two locations and 70,000+ Scouts to market to, the Jamboree was a bonanza for selling Jamboree “things”. Although, after the Jamboree, many of the “trinkets” remained unsold. |
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| As in previous years,
staff was recognized with various gifts. Today, a cigarette lighter
seems like an odd gift, but in 1973 many adults were still smokers. Click Here for an actual 1973 Souvenirs for keepsake page. |
| Region Patches |
| The old twelve Regions consolidated in 1972 to form six regions. In most cases the new Region insignia was again limited to Scouting Professionals and region level volunteers. |
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| These are the new Region patches worn at the 1973 Jamboree. It’s interesting that the new Region patches weren’t as sought after as the old 12 Region. Region collecting diminished with the demise of the old 12 Regions. The Southeast Region issued a Jamboree badge, in later years others Regions would have Jamboree contingent patches. |
| Plain vs Plastic Backing |
| For years collectors have been trying to determine what, if anything, plain or plastic backing means. The prevailing opinion is that some manufacturers applied a plastic backing to a patch, while others did not. Patches from the 1973 Jamboree are available both ways. Again, it’s believed that different manufacturers did things differently. It is generally known that sometime in the early 1970’s some manufacturers started using plastic backs. When I scanned these new issue Region patches, probably made in early 1973, by a nationally approved supplier, all are plain back. |
 SOSSI Scouts on Stamps Society International was active at the 1973 Jamboree. SOSSI members were on Jamboree staff and manned the Stamp Collecting Merit Badge booth. |
  Both Jamboree's East and West published daily newspapers. |
| The souvenir photo book that had been a tradition since 1937 was discontinued. The book had previously been printed and distributed after the Jamboree. Its been suggested that with the Jamboree being marginally profitable the decision was made to save the cost of printing and mailing. |
 The red Scout beret was introduced in 1972, it caught on quickly with many troops. It wasn’t specific 1973 Jamboree head gear, but the red beret was widely worn at the 1973 Jamboree. It would be Jamboree regulation headgear at the 1977 Jamboree. |
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| In 1973 souvenir sets
were available. Cane emblems, Jamboree patches and a coin set. The
1937 badge is different from the original and the souvenir set has a
plastic back. The reproduction coins are easily identified. There
was no coin in 1937. It’s an interesting historic note that during this era, the National BSA seemed to take a dim view of patch trading. Yet, they realized that people would spend money on badges and trading post trinkets. Revenue to the BSA from patches and trading post sales amounted to about $1 million, at later Jamborees. |
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| A Word About 1964 and Later Jamborees |
| A word about 1964 and
later Jamborees. As a collector I have more aggressively sought
collectible papers from the earlier Jamborees. I have better
documents from 1937-50 and 53 than later Jamborees. I guess that
since I lived and attended these later Jamborees I thought I could
rely on my memories. That was a mistake. I didn’t realize until I
got to 1973 how important the souvenir booklets published 1937-1969
were. Many people reading about the later Jamborees might have been at these Jamborees. I had better get things right, but again I had less material to work with. I decided my personal recollections would be worthless. I confused the terrible weather of the 1977 Jamboree with the good weather of 1973 East, but friends helped. I took special effort to get everything right, because of these eyewitnesses, but the facts seem to be that almost all memories are antidotal. It was hot, it rained a lot, we had fun on the train, etc. I ran into this when trying to identify the original issue CSP’s that might have been used at the 1973 Jamboree. Was the Nevada purple dollar, which was developed for the 1971 World Jamboree used in 1973? I received several opinions but no confirmations. It’s a loom made badge which means 220 were made but only a handful of Nevada Scouts went to the 1971 WJ, was it used again in 1973? I consider this Jamboree website a work in process. That’s the beautiful thing about a website, mistakes can be corrected and new information added. I will add any information that will make this work more pertinent and correct any mistakes, with your help. |
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| Paul Myers Goshen,
Indiana gimogash@comcast.net |