Boy Scout Category Analysis – 2010 Jamboree Spike

Thursday, September 23, 2010

We've all seen the big spike in the Boy Scout category after the wave of 2010 Jamboree patches hit the auction boards.  With this blog post I attempt to answer the question - How Big Was It?  Taken as a total the 8 weeks after the Jamboree saw $1.59 million dollars in sales in the category.  I can't break down how much of that was strictly 2010 Jambo stuff. However, anecdotally in the Hot Finds Newsletter I noticed the big sellers laid out for the first several weeks after the event.  I had a tough time finding much vintage or OA items to highlight in those issues.  Check out this post-Jamboree issue for an example of that, eBay Scouting Hot Finds Weekend Rewind August 8.

90 Days Total Sales in the Boy Scout Category

90 Days Total Sales in the Boy Scout Category

90 Days of Total Sold Listings in the Boy Scout Category

90 Days of Total Sold Listings in the Boy Scout Category

So what was the top of the spike?  The week of August 16th saw a total of $330 thousand  in memorabilia sell.  That's easily 3x what the typical week in the category brings in.  You can see by the 6 month charts below that there was a three week slide in July leading up to the Jamboree.  The spike starts right at the beginning of August and runs the strongest for two weeks.  You should note that even in mid-late September the category is elevated with higher than average sales.

6 Months of Total Sales in the Boy Scout Category

6 Months of Total Sales in the Boy Scout Category

6 Months of Total Sold Listings in the Boy Scout Category

6 Months of Total Sold Listings in the Boy Scout Category

I've included a two-year snapshot for one simple reason.  I wanted to compare the 2009 NOAC and 2010 Jamboree head-to-head and see what the selling on eBay looked like.  Are you as surprised as I am?  There are some striking similarities.  In both cases the three weeks leading up to the event saw a decline.  Is July just a naturally slow month in our category?  In both cases the peak was about two weeks after the event.  However, there are a couple of stark differences.  The first is the drop off after the spike.  For the 2009 NOAC the best week was August 17 with $151 thousand in sales.  After that it quickly dropped off to the point that the next 8 weeks averaged about $100k.  The Jamboree has shown much longer staying power with the sales clearly falling but at historical highs in the weeks after the peak.  The other very obvious difference is the scale.  The peak of the Jamboree (the week of Aug 16) was more than twice that of the similar peak for the NOAC.

2 Years Total Sales in the Boy Scout Category

2 Years Total Sales in the Boy Scout Category

2 years total sold listings jambo

2 Years Total Sold Listings in the Boy Scout Category

I invite comments and observations from anybody who reads this post.  Please note that to eliminate spam I have a hard filter on all comments and they must be approved by the webmaster before they post to the blog.  I usually try and update those every day though.

Mahikan Lodge 181 S2 Kittan 364 OA BSA flap patch rare
Mahikan Lodge 181 S2 Kittan 364 OA BSA flap patch rare
Paypal   US $499.99
1935 BOY SCOUT NATIONAL JAMBOREE      CLOTH PATCH VERY RARE
1935 BOY SCOUT NATIONAL JAMBOREE CLOTH PATCH VERY RARE
Paypal   US $125.00
ULTRA RARE BSA OA NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE PATCH SET
ULTRA RARE BSA OA NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE PATCH SET
Paypal   US $5,000.00
1937 National Jamboree ORIGINAL NECKERCHIEF Mint Rare Old Boy Scout BSA Scarf
1937 National Jamboree ORIGINAL NECKERCHIEF Mint Rare Old Boy Scout BSA Scarf
Paypal   US $51.00
1937 BOY SCOUT NATIONAL JAMBOREE FELT PATCH NEVER SEWN OR WASHED VARY RARE
1937 BOY SCOUT NATIONAL JAMBOREE FELT PATCH NEVER SEWN OR WASHED VARY RARE
Paypal   US $125.00
OA Nentego Lodge 20 Real F2 2 per Life 50s Rare OA Flap
OA Nentego Lodge 20 Real F2 2 per Life 50s Rare OA Flap
Paypal   US $75.00
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Top Gun: The Top 3 Jamboree Contingent Sets

Monday, September 20, 2010

I'm using this blog to highlight some of the great pieces that were issued for the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.  So an obvious question is out of the hundreds of council and lodge sets that were issued which ones topped the charts on eBay.  Well one thing that all three of these have in common is that they all sold a couple weeks after the Jamboree (between Aug 20-29).  All three were competitive auctions although the Grand Canyon set had a minimum bid of $300 so it didn't get too many bidders up front.

Click To See What These Listings Went For
Bids eBay Item Title - Link to Auction Image Link
5 Grand Canyon Council 2010 BSA National Jamboree patches
27 2010 BSA Jamboree Housatonic Paugassett Lodge OA Flaps
22

Mid-America Council 2010 National Jamboree 12 patch set

Mid-America Council 2010 National Jamboree 12 patch set
Chicksa 202 Yocona Council 2011 Service Flap OA WWW
Chicksa 202 Yocona Council 2011 Service Flap OA WWW
Paypal   US $75.99
Mahikan Lodge 181 S2 Kittan 364 OA BSA flap patch rare
Mahikan Lodge 181 S2 Kittan 364 OA BSA flap patch rare
Paypal   US $499.99
Monaken Lodge OA Boy Scout BSA 50th Anniversary Flap Patch Juniata Mint 103
Monaken Lodge OA Boy Scout BSA 50th Anniversary Flap Patch Juniata Mint 103
Paypal   US $51.00
ULTRA RARE BSA OA NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE PATCH SET
ULTRA RARE BSA OA NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE PATCH SET
Paypal   US $5,000.00
OA Nentego Lodge 20 Real F2 2 per Life 50s Rare OA Flap
OA Nentego Lodge 20 Real F2 2 per Life 50s Rare OA Flap
Paypal   US $75.00
OA Section 7A Conference Patches from Wisconsin 1960 1964 5
OA Section 7A Conference Patches from Wisconsin 1960 1964 5
Paypal   US $89.18
CHEQUAH OA Lodge 194 R pocket patch Boy Scout BSA Order of the Arrow
CHEQUAH OA Lodge 194 R pocket patch Boy Scout BSA Order of the Arrow
Paypal   US $75.40
WAKPOMINEE OA Lodge 48 Felt A 1 unused Boy Scout BSA Order of the Arrow
WAKPOMINEE OA Lodge 48 Felt A 1 unused Boy Scout BSA Order of the Arrow
Paypal   US $99.40
OA Felt Vigil Sash Oversize Triangle Beautiful
OA Felt Vigil Sash Oversize Triangle Beautiful
Paypal   US $249.99
OA Chequah Lodge 194 YR1
OA Chequah Lodge 194 YR1
Paypal   US $66.00
OA flap lot of 60 flaps mint BSA patch collection csp
OA flap lot of 60 flaps mint BSA patch collection csp
Paypal   US $172.50
Boy Scout OA 248 Wabaningo First Flap 4531V
Boy Scout OA 248 Wabaningo First Flap 4531V
Paypal   US $109.89
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The Phenomenon that was the Patch of the Day

Monday, September 20, 2010

Ok so here is an easy trivia question.  What was the most in demand set from the 2010 National Jamboree?  Well we all know the answer to that question.  But do you have any idea how many of these sets sold or just how high were bidders willing to go to bring it home?  I've done some elementary research and you might be surprised by what I've found.  Most of the heavy action on this set was in the week after everyone returned from the event.  For starters there were 1-dozen listings on this set that sold for more than $450.  The top price that the set brought on eBay was $750 and that happened twice - once as an auction on 8/5 and as a BIN on 8/3.  How dominant was this patch holding onto the top spot.  The next closest phenomenon was the Subcamp set but the highest one of those sold for a piddly $500.  I've got some examples below to illustrate my facts in the case.

Click To See What These Listings Went For
Bids eBay Item Title - Link to Auction Image Link
1
1
ULTRA RARE BSA OA NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE PATCH SET
ULTRA RARE BSA OA NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE PATCH SET
Paypal   US $5,000.00
1997 Philmont Boy Scout Training Conferences 13 Patch Set With Loop P10055]
1997 Philmont Boy Scout Training Conferences 13 Patch Set With Loop P10055]
Paypal   US $99.99
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