Identifying Chanco X2 varieties

One of the challenges facing collectors who seek to add multiple varieties of Scout emblems to their collection is being able to identify which variety you are looking at. Patches that have slight color variations are especially difficult to positively identify unless you have samples to compare them to.

Recently I imposed upon my friend Mike McCaughan for assistance to determine if my two Chanco X2 keyhole shaped patches were in fact the X2a and X2b varieties. The Blue Book lists them like this:

X2a DYL C GRN DYL 120 mm key; BRN Native American; 10 mm fletchings
X2b YEL C GRN YEL  120 mm key; RBR Native American; 8 mm fletchings

The primary differences listed are the brown vs. reddish brown color of the Native American featured on the patch and the size of the arrow fletchings. The X2a also has a darker yellow border. While the two patches I own appeared to have visible thread color differences they looked more alike the longer I examined them and I could make the colors virtually identical depending upon the angle of the light they were in. I won't even tell you how frustrating it is to try to measure arrow fletchings to the millimeter!

Mike kindly loaned me his Chanco X2a and X2b patches which I carefully labeled as soon as they arrived. I compared them to my own and was glad to confirm that each of my versions matched his. In case you ever wonder which variety you are looking at, I've scanned them side by side, front and back, and added them to the kecoughtan.com web site on the Chanco emblems page so you can use the photos to help identify your patch.

Reproduction Chanco neckerchief patches on eBay

This month several Chanco neckerchief patches have been available for auction on eBay. The seller advertises them as "jacket patches" but collectors in the know will quickly recognize them as a Chanco P3 ("P" indicating the patch is shaped like a slice of pie, and "3" indicating the third issue of this variety from Chanco Lodge). There are three pie shaped Chanco patches. All have essentially the same design and all were made to be sewn to a dark yellow cloth neckerchief. The P1 has no fleur d'lis, while the P2 adds one. The P3 has the same design as the P2 but is a "computer designed" version so the details are more precise.

I was offered a chance to buy a Chanco P3 patch and promised by the seller it was authentic. He sent me a photo of the item and I studied it closely and believed it was authentic. Since I didn't have a P3 in my collection I requested assistance from three other longtime Virginia OA collectors (one a former member of Chanco lodge) to validate its authenticity after it arrived.

Before I had a chance to send them pictures I noticed an auction for another Chanco P3 from the same seller. Already beginning to doubt my purchase I asked him how many he had and where they came from. The seller advised me he thought he had six but wasn't sure, and he bought the patches at a sports show in Milwaukee mixed in among a group of 50 mostly military items for a fixed price, and believed them all to be authentic.

After examining samples of the patch and comparing it to known authentic versions we have all concluded that the recent eBay versions are reproductions and not a variation of the original P3 patches. OAimages.com does not have adequate data to provide a value for the Chanco 483 P3, but one from the collection of Jeff Godby sold for $255 in January of this year. One of the reproductions just sold for $76 and an auction for another one is currently at $46.59. It is quite likely that the bidders believe these to be authentic items since the patches are nearly identical to the originals and the auction description says:

YOU ARE BIDDING ON A PERFECT CONDITION
Chanco Lodge 483 Jacket patch
100% REFUND IF NOT SATISFIED WITH PATCH

I decided to request a refund for my reproduction 483 P3 which the seller graciously agreed to send as soon as he receives the patch. For those of you contemplating bidding on this item, know that it is not an authentic issue of Chanco Lodge and there may be hundreds more where these came from. Since the design is so incredibly close to the original I suspect the reproductions were made from the punch patterns used to fill the original order by the lodge in the late 1990's.

Throughout this article are pictures of the front and back of both an authentic Chanco Lodge P3 and the reproduction found on eBay recently, as well as closeups to help you discern the differences if you happen to encounter one at a trade-o-ree or conclave.  Click on each to see larger versions.

The details that differentiate the reproductions from the original are extremely subtle and without direct comparison with an authentic issue are virtually impossible to discern. The solid embroidered green background of the original is almost perfectly horizontal while the background stitching of the reproduction is slightly angled. The reproduction patch is also slightly smaller than the original, but only by a few millimeters, so you would be hard pressed to notice the difference without a direct comparison. Below is a photograph of the newer patch on top of a known authentic 483 P3.

Michael McCaughan provided the above photo and reports that the brown thread colors on the newer patch are noticeably darker than those of the original. 

One of the tell-tale details on the front of the patch that will help you differentiate it from an authentic Chanco P3 is the detail in the end of the arrow. On an authentic version the arrow shaft blends with the fletching, while on the reproduction the details are much more precise and the shaft is quite defined.

Robert Rudd kindly emailed me to point out that the curves on the FDL's are quite different. On the fake version the tips point upwards, while on the authentic version the tips point to the side.

Perhaps the most easily spotted difference on the front of the patch is the way that the numbers 4 and 8 are embroidered in the text spanning the top. 

On the authentic version the horizontal bar in the number 4 crosses OVER the vertical line, while on the reproduction the bar crosses UNDER the vertical line. You'll also notice the number 8 has a difference as well. The line crossing at the center goes from top left to bottom right on the original, and from top right to bottom left on the fake.


Perhaps the most obvious difference is on the reverse of the patch, where the white bands in the brave's hair are significantly wider on the new patch compared to the original.

I hope this will help you spot this new patch and avoid disappointment.  If you have any additional details please share them in the comments below or feel free to email me directly.


My sincere thanks to DeWitt Holland, Larry Johnson, and Michael McCaughan for their photographs and kind assistance in researching this emblem.

The 1995 Year of Service OA patch

Not long ago I got to wondering about a particular activity patch in my collection and decided to spend some time researching its origins. It came to my collection as part of a group of Kecoughtan event patches I acquired. It's not rare or valuable by any stretch, but I learned it holds a very special significance not only for lodges 463, 483, and 333, but represents a unique beginning that even Arrowmen of today will appreciate.

1995 was a year between NOAC events. The National OA committee implemented a program called the Year of Service and encouraged every lodge to perform a service project approved by their Scout Executive to earn special recognition. A special patch was available for Arrowmen participating in the service project.

The April-June 1995 edition of the OA National Bulletin featured an article  encouraging Lodges to participate in the program, with details and a picture of the patch.

The National OA Committee also encouraged Lodges to apply for matching grants to help fund their service projects. A front page story in the January-March 1995 edition of the OA National Bulletin advised that 152 lodges submitted requests. While $25K was originally set aside to fund the approved projects, the Committee selected 19 Lodges to receive a total of $58,111 in matching grants for their projects. The only Virginia lodge to receive matching funds was Shenandoah 258, which was granted $4K to assist with building a handicapped campsite.

As part of the Year of Service Kecoughtan and Chanco Lodges shared a joint service project on the weekend of Nov. 4, 1995. In the September 1995 Chanco Courier Lodge Chief John Belmonte  invited Arrowmen from his Lodge to attend the joint service project to be held with Kecoughtan Lodge to rebuild the chapel at Camp Chickahominy.

The October, 1995 Kecoughtan Kryer also encouraged members to attend, cautioning that only 60 patches would be available for the project participants.

The April 1996 edition of the Duck Calls newsletter reports the project was completed March 1-3, 1996 at the Winter Ordeal of the new Wahunsenakah Lodge that was formed by the merger of Kecoughtan 463 and Chanco 483 on January 1, 1996.

According to Duck Calls a highlight of the weekend was snow and an attendance of over 200 brothers. Former Chanco member Dewitt Holland remembers that he served on the kitchen staff and all the boys were moved into the dining hall for the night in anticipation of the arriving winter storm. Seeking quiet, he elected to sleep outside and awoke under a tent sagging under two inches of snow.

The patch is not listed in the activity emblems catalog for either lodge in collecting resources like the Blue Book, but represents a significant service event as Arrowmen from southeastern Virginia began their project as members of Chanco and Kecoughtan Lodges and completed it as brothers in the new Wahunsenakah Lodge 333.

The National Significance

As part of the Year of Service the National Committee also launched the Philmont OA Trail Crew project. 270 Arrowmen from across the country were selected to spend 14 days at Philmont during the summer helping construct a new trail.

This new initiative was an important seed for future high-profile service efforts by the OA, first at other BSA national high adventure areas and later on public land throughout the US. The ambitious ArrowCorps5 in 2008 was the largest service project conducted by the BSA since World War II, involving over 3,600 Arrowmen in 5 national forests across the country. Today the seed planted back in 1995 continues to grow as the National Committee plans SummitCorps for summer, 2011 at the New River Gorge National River Area in West Virginia.

The lesson I learned after completing my research: don't judge a patch by the monetary value you find on a price list or its nondescript generic design. The fun in patch collecting is learning and appreciating the unique background behind the emblem. 

Second Chanco YC1 chenille prototype surfaces

 In October of 2005 I wrote on this web site about my pursuit of information about the elusive Chanco Lodge chenille prototype patch.

My multiyear search for this previously mythical patch finally struck gold when I asked longtime Chanco Lodge member DeWitt Holland about it. Not only did DeWitt know of it, he designed it, ordered it, and had the only known example of it.

DeWitt provided me with color photos of the front and reverse of the chenille, along with a copy of the original order form sent to Standard Pennant Company of Big Run, PA, as well as the order confirmation from SPC dated 10/28/93. Both documents indicate a quantity of one patch.

At the January 1994 meeting the Chanco Lodge Executive Committee discussed the prototype chenille, and as DeWitt relates:

It was voted down as being too expensive to produce and the majority of the members thought it was just a fund raiser. It's cost would have been $30.00 each and the lodge had never produced anything that cost anywhere near that much.

Fast forward to March, 2010. Collector John Ortt of Virginia Beach (who you may recognize as organizer of the annual Williamsburg Trade-O-Ree) acquires a Chanco YC1 prototype from fellow Virginia collector Josh Batten, only to discover it's not the one from DeWitt's collection pictured on this web site.

Comparing the reverse of the two patches reveals differing labels, though both share the same handwritten operator number: 3/19. DeWitt's YC1 has a clean felt back while John's has the word "Sample" written in ink in the center and a strip of masking tape marked "#94."

After conversations with both DeWitt and Josh, John discovered that his Chanco YC1 was a sample originally kept on file by Standard Pennant Company. As John relates:

Standard Pennant apparently ALWAYS makes a sample for their own archival purposes whenever they have a new patch order. My patch is actually the sample from the company.

A similar file sample from SPC led to the discovery last fall of a previously unknown prototype C-3 chenille patch for Kecoughtan Lodge.

That patch was purchased from SPC in a lot of samples by Conley Williams in 1995. No word yet on whether the 483 YC1 chenille prototype sample was part of that group.

You may wonder if John was disappointed with the new addition to his collection after learning it wasn't the only one in existence. "I'm still very happy with the patch; no problem with it being a sample and the SECOND one known," he says.

Personally, I am grateful to know that the second 483YC1 is in the hands of someone who recognizes the special nature and history of this item and that it is staying in Virginia. That's a much more rightful place than a file cabinet in Pennsylvania!

Chanco Lodge's first activity patch

Former Chanco Lodge Chief Ben Vincent supplied me with an excellent picture of Lodge 483's first activity patch, issued for the 1957 Jamestown Pilgrimage. I didn't have this emblem listed on the 483 Activity Emblems page since I used an early edition of the Blue Book as my original reference and it is not listed there (it is included in Blue Book VI). Ben spotted the omission and kindly notified me and sent along the needed picture of the patch.

In the History of Chanco Lodge 483 WWW, published in 1972, Jack Oliver, who assembled the first Chanco Lodge patch collection for display, describes this patch as "representing Chanco Lodge's trip to Jamestown to put on the Chanco Story," a pageant performed by the Lodge that told the story of how the young Indian brave Chanco saved the Jamestown colonists from a surprise attack in 1622. The entire script of the pageant is included in the History of Chanco Lodge 483 WWW document.

In The Chanco Chronicles 1952-1992 by Ben Vincent this patch is described on page 4 thusly:

"During the early 1950's, Chanco Lodge began its slow but steady growth. An early activity that proved to be popular was a pilgrimage to the Chanco Lodge Memorial located in the courthouse square at Surry, Virginia. The first pilgrimage was held on August 8, 1954. ...

Another memorable event was the performance by the Chanco Lodge dance team at the 1957 Jamestown Festival held at the Jamestown Island Historical Area. A commemorative patch was issued in honor of this event. At later lodge functions, home movies of this performance have been replayed."

I sent an email to Ben asking for information about the event this patch was issued for, and he kindly provided the following additional details:

Chanco Lodge was invited by the APVA (Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, I think!) to participate in the 1957 Jamestown Festival. This event was commemorating the 350th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in 1607. The play, “Chanco, the Real American” by Herbert Cobb was presented. If you will look more closely at the script of the play in the earlier “History of Chanco Lodge,”,you will see various places where it calls for the dancers to perform. I loosely used the term dance team performance for what was indeed a far bigger undertaking. There were several dance team performances, all part of the larger pageant. We used to show old home movies of this performance at later fellowships/ordeals, etc. We always referred to them as the dance team performing at Jamestown.

I did mention the pageant in the Chronicles. It is found on Page 5 in the section on Camp Waters. This play was put on there for several years. It was also performed on a few other occasions at schools and at Scout Expos.

Please note that the pilgrimages to the Chanco Lodge Memorial located in the Surry County Courthouse Square, are different events than the Pilgrimage to Jamestown in 1957."

In the list of Chanco emblems that DeWitt Holland sent to me entitled Chanco Lodge Issues 1952-1995 there are two versions listed of this patch, with the difference described as "2 Varietys, Leader's or Boy's, Yellow or Blue behind arrow." I am trying to locate a photo of the leader version for inclusion on this web site - let me know if you have one to share!

Chanco Courier online archive debuts

Not very long ago DeWitt Holland kindly sent me a copy of The Chanco Chronicles 1952-1992, which was published by Lodge 483 in celebration of their 40th anniversary. It is an impressive document indeed, with fascinating details about the formation of the Lodge and the camps where Old Dominion Area Council Scouts spent many summers. I read the entire document at one sitting and eagerly scanned it and created a PDF version to post online to share with others who might be interested. Before posting it I wanted to find the author, Ben Vincent for his permission.

Some internet sleuthing led me to find Ben in West Virginia and several emails later I not only had his permission to publish The Chanco Chronicles, but also an update that included the history of the Lodge covering the final years until its merger with Kecoughtan Lodge in January of 1996.

I mentioned to Ben that I was interested in finding more information to share about Chanco Lodge, including any newsletters he might have since I only had copies of two. Ben responded with every newsletter that he was able to locate in his research for The Chanco Chronicles, a total of 84 issues in all.

These 84 issues are all now online in PDF format for you to read in a new Chanco Courier online archive that represents nearly 500 pages of news spanning 4 decades. I hope that you will enjoy reading them as much as I did while preparing them.

The archive includes links to each issue as well as pictures of newsletter mastheads throughout the years and a list of Arrowmen who served as editor. As someone who served in that role for my Lodge I have a keen appreciation for the amount of work that goes into a newsletter, but only now understand the role of Lodge historian that an editor fulfills for the many potential readers in the future.

Chanco activity patch pictures completed!

Ben Vincent surprised me with a picture of the Chanco Lodge 1975 Fall Fellowship patch which was the last one that I needed to complete pictures of all known Chanco Lodge activity patches. You'll find the photo linked (along with all the rest) on the Chanco Lodge Activity Issues page. The events are cataloged using the issue numbers in the 6th edition of the Blue Book Standard Order of the Arrow Insignia Guide.

You'll note that the patch includes lettering referring to a 60th Anniversary, but Chanco Lodge was founded in 1952. The anniversary refers to the Order of the Arrow, which was founded in 1915. The turtle you see on the Chanco patch references one of the symbols adopted by the first OA Lodge, Unami 1 of Philadelphia. PA.

Many thanks to all of the fine Arrowmen who have helped me complete this set of activity patch images.

The Chanco Chronicles 1952-1992 now online

DeWitt Holland recently sent me a copy of The Chanco Chronicles - History of Chanco Lodge 483, 1952-1992, which was issued on the occasion of the Lodge's 40th anniversary. Written by former Lodge Chief (1974-1975) Ben Vincent, this 27 page document provides a wealth of historical information not only about the Lodge but also Camp Waters and Siouan Scout Reservation.

Some internet sleuthing helped me find Ben (now in West Virginia and a member of Lodge 550), and he kindly granted permission to publish his document on my web site, which he has visited before.

The Chanco Chronicles is a fascinating read, and spans the entire history of the lodge with the exception of the last 3 years before the merger with Kecoughtan 463 to form Wahunsenakah Lodge 333.

Black bordered Chanco flap mystery

My friend Tim Ewing has a black bordered flap from Chanco Lodge. This item is quite a mystery, because there is no listing in any emblem reference of Lodge 483 ever producing a flap with a black border. I've consulted DeWitt Holland, who knows more about Chanco issues than anyone else I know, to see if he might be aware of a prototype or sample Chanco flap, and his reply was: "I AM 100 PERCENT SURE CHANCO LODGE NEVER MADE ANY FLAP WITH A BLACK BORDER."

The patch appears to be the same design as a Chanco S1 flap, as there is no FDL and it has a cloth back. There are imperfections in the green background embroidery just to the left of the word "Lodge" and directly above the brave's head where the twill base material is evident. These areas are also evident on the back of the patch.



Michael McCaughan, an avid collector of Virginia OA items, speculates that the patch may have been rebordered as a sample by the manufacturer. That theory may explain why some trace of yellow is visible under the black threads. A permanent marker would probably bleed into nearby areas beyond the merrowed edge.

Do you have information or theories about this patch? If so please post your comments here.

Chanco Emblem Issues Reference online

DeWitt Holland, a longtime member of Chanco Lodge and designer of many of it's patches, provided me with a copy of Chanco Lodge 483 Issues 1952-1991, the emblem reference guide that was distributed to attendees of the 1992 Section SE-8 Conclave that was hosted by Lodge 483 at Camp Siouan.

The booklet features photocopied pages with typewritten details and photographs of each patch issued by Chanco Lodge, and has been updated to include emblems released until the merger with Kecoughtan Lodge at the end of 1995.

Compiled by DeWitt Holland, Tom Queen, Ron Godby, and Ray Johnson, this document is now available online in PDF format, and while it may seem primitive by today's standards, it remains a priceless reference for collectors of Lodge 483 memorabilia. Every lodge flap, neckerchief patch, activity patch, and more issued during Chanco's 43 years of existence are included.

Chanco Lodge 483 History booklet posted

Junior Harrell, a former member of Chanco Lodge in the 70's who now owns and operates the Broad Creek Fishing Center on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, kindly provided me with original copies of the Chanco Lodge Bylaws from 1971 and the Chanco Lodge 483 History booklet which was published in 1972 on the occasion of the Lodge's 20th anniversary.

Both are now available in PDF format following the links above. The Lodge History booklet includes information about Chanco Lodge officers, Vigil Honor Recipients, and Lay Advisors from the inception of the Lodge through 1972. I am actively seeking this data for the years 1973-1996 when the Lodge merged so that I can compile lists similar to those which are linked from the Kecoughtan Lodge History page. Please let me know if you can help!

The elusive Chanco chenille prototype

I originally created my web site to document the emblems and history of Kecoughtan Lodge, and expanded it to include Chanco Lodge when it merged with Kecoughtan to form Wahunsenakah Lodge in January of 1996.

One item that has always seemed to escape my research efforts is the mythical Chanco Lodge prototype chenille issue, also known as the 483 YC1. I first learned of this patch in the Blue Book listings for Chanco Lodge, but no Virginia collector I have ever queried about this item had ever seen one, or knew anything about it.

Turns out I was asking the wrong Virginia OA collectors. I recently asked DeWitt Holland, a longtime Chanco Lodge member, about this patch to find out if it really existed, and was thrilled to find out that not only does it exist, but DeWitt designed it and holds the only example in his personal collection.

DeWitt kindly sent me color pictures of the front and back of the 483 chenille prototype, as well as the historical background, along with the original order form and order confirmation. DeWitt explains why the patch was never produced:

There is only one prototype chenille. I did design the chenille. It was made in December of 1993. It was voted on at the January 1994 Lodge Executive Committee meeting. It was voted down as being too expensive to produce and the majority of the members thought it was just a fund raiser. Its cost would have been $30.00 each and the lodge had never produced anything that cost anywhere near that much. It has 6 colors and a 2 layer yellow felt background. It measures 3 3/4 by 3 3/4 inches.

The 483 chenille was manufactured by the Standard Pennant Company of Big Run, PA, which has been making chenille emblems since 1919 and is well known in collecting circles for many Scout items. It features the standard Chanco Lodge totems (deer and Indian brave):



The reverse of the chenille has a Standard Pennant Company label (SPC Type 11) with a handwritten number which would seem to indicate that more than one exists.



However, the Standard Pennant Company web site explains the notation:

While technology has enabled us to automate part of our production, many of our chenille items are still "handmade" by experienced personnel that consistently reproduce every required detail. All operators identify their own letters with pride. (Check for the operator number on the back.)

While not considered an "official" Lodge issue the 483YC1 is definitely a beautiful patch with a fascinating heritage and I expect I am not the only Virginia OA collector who wishes that it had been produced and sold by Chanco Lodge. One has to wonder how many Lodges in 2005 would pass up the opportunity to sell a patch because they didn't want to issue it only to raise money.

UPDATE: Be sure to check out the later article from March, 2010 about the discovery of a second example of the Chanco YC1.

The last patches of Chanco Lodge 483

DeWitt Holland, former member of Chanco Lodge, recently provided me with fascinating information about several Chanco Lodge activity patches. Mr. Holland designed all of Chanco's activity patches from 1990 until it merged with Kecoughtan Lodge 463 to form Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 on January 1, 1996. Below are his comments about the final patches issued by Chanco Lodge. They provide unique insight into the deep devotion of the Chanco Arrowmen for their Lodge and its traditions, and their emotions as the merger neared.

The Dream of Heaven patch

The Spring 1994 patch was designed when the Lodge first found out about a possible merger with Kecoughtan Lodge 463 so we were contemplating what would happen when Chanco Lodge died. It is called the "Dream of Heaven" patch and its meaning is as follows. The patch depicts the Indian Chanco sleeping under the stars with the deer looking on beside a smoldering fire. He is dreaming of what the Algonquin Indians believed it would be like when they died. They believed they would go to a place where food would be plentiful and they would enjoy singing and dancing and they would be very happy. It is arguably the best looking multi colored fully embroidered Chanco Lodge patch ever made.

The Angry Indians patch

The Fall 1994 patch was designed when the lodge first found out about a definite merger with Kecoughtan Lodge 463 so we were quite angry campers. It's meaning is as follows. The patch depicts the gathering of Indians on a warpath around a raging fire.

Final Chanco activity patches

Three different patches of Chanco Lodge 483 were issued the final year of its existence, 1995. They were issued for the Spring Induction, Fall Induction and Christmas Banquet. Complete sets were limited to attendees only. The top one was the Christmas Banquet patch. The bottom left is the Spring Induction patch, the bottom right is the Fall Induction patch. This patch set tells the historical story of how Chanco the young Indian boy saved the Jamestown colonists from being massacred in 1622.

I personally designed these patches back in 1995. A printed explanation of each patches meaning was given out to purchasers back in 1995. It is not very often you can tell the history and the origin of the lodges totem through a set of patches. These were very meaningful to each member who was able to get a set.