This week I released episode #95 of the podcast which features an interview with Mitch Reis. Some of you may have already purchased the 5th Edition of his awesome reference book on dating badges, uniforms and insignia. The last edition came out in 2009 so there was a ton of catching up to do. As you'll hear in the interview getting that decade caught up and documented was a huge challenge for Mitch .

Over the last decade I have really diversified my collecting interests (Insignia, merit badges, Senior Scouting) from my start as an OA focused thread head. So now I'm much more curious about identifying all the odd ball stuff I've been throwing in bins over the years. I even read the pages about Cub Scout issues because I just finished 5 years as a den leader and I can actually speak the language of "adventures" and "belt loops".

I think reference books like the one Mitch has published (including websites, PDF checklists etc) are REALLY important to our hobby. I hear adult collectors complain that kids only trade for what's cool looking. They turn their nose up at the cartoon characters and silly stuff that the younger Scouts go for. But I think if we make the knowledge of the hobby accessible in print and on the web then the next generation can keep maturing. I know when I was 16 if a patch didn't have a Carolina Parakeet on it (my lodge totem) then I wasn't interested. But I kept going to TORs and kept expanding my focus. So there is hope for the future of the hobby!

This week on eBay I'm running 413 auctions with a few dozen ending every night of the week. I am shaking things up by listing a wide variety including camp neckerchiefs, event patches and OA.