Memorabilia Monday: Honk if you love the Boy Scouts of America

1957 Michigan National Jamboree plate

Living in Texas, I see this “Scouting Teaches Values” license plate on the highway at least once a week. You’ll find similar plates on vehicles in Utah, Oklahoma, Florida, Arkansas, Ohio, Colorado, and many more states.

But, as I found out today, BSA-themed license plates are nothing new. In fact, for David Miura of the Pacific Skyline Council, these plates represent the confluence of two collecting hobbies: BSA memorabilia and license plates.

He sent a photo of the plate seen above, which was a limited-edition release at the time of the 1957 National Scout Jamboree.

Here’s what he wrote:

I have been collecting Boy Scout council shoulder patches and automobile license plates since I was a kid, and this 1957 Michigan National Jamboree plate is the perfect crossover of my two hobbies. 150 plates were mounted on special Plymouth vehicles that were loaned to the BSA for staff and VIP use at the Jamboree site at Valley Forge, Pa. Some of the cars were also used to transport the contingent from Tall Pine Council of Flint, Mich.

I’ve displayed this plate and my Boy Scout-themed license plate collection at both the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA) national convention and the International Scouting Collectors Association( ISCA) NOAC trade-o-ree and have received positive response from both collecting communities.

Thanks for letting me share.

Pretty sweet! Thanks for sharing, David.

As for the rest of you, send me a photo of your favorite piece of Scouting memorabilia. Find out how after the jump.

  • Take a high-res .jpg image of your favorite Scouting item.
  • Just select one to send me (I know that picking one could be hard, but please try!).
  • The file must be less than 2 MB in size.
  • E-mail it to me with the subject line “Memorabilia” to onscouting@scouting.org.
  • Include your name, position, and council.
  • Tell me why this item is special to you.

  • About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
    Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.