Is it an issue, a variation, a fake, or a mistake?

There is an auction for a flap from Wahunsenakah Lodge on eBay right now that would puzzle most collectors not closely familiar with the patches from this Lodge. The patch up for bid is a lodge flap that was issued for the 1998 SR-7A conclave, and if you look in the Blue Book you'd see that that issue is classified as the S-8.

OAimages.com values the S-8 between $2.69 and $14.89 with an average value of $7.16. Even though the flap is ten years old it's considered a fairly common item and an easy find for your collection if you need it. So why is this auction showing a current high bid of over $100 with over 4 days left to go?

A comparison of the flap picture in the auction and the picture at oaimages.com or at kecoughtan.com would show one very small, but significant difference. The FDL (fleur d'lis) that is embroidered into the patch up for auction is black. The one in the picture from oaimages.com and kecoughtan.com is light green, so that the FDL is "ghosted" into the background:

I'm not sure how many of the S-8 flaps with black FDL's exist, nor how they came to be in circulation. More than a few OA flaps have been duplicated by Asian patchmakers and sold on eBay but this hardly appears to be the case here. The most obvious explanation would be a manufacturer's error.

I am fortunate to have one of these in my own Wahunsenakah collection, but it was sheer luck and not because I sought it. I always considered it just an error item.

Some would argue that this flap should be listed in the Blue Book as a variation, e.g. S-8b. I am not sure that I can agree with that since I don't know the history of the flap.

If the Lodge received some flaps with black FDL's and sent them back to the manufacturer as misprints and received credit or replacements with green FDL's they probably never intended the black FDL versions to reach the public. Similarly they may have been samples that the Lodge returned with a revision request to the manufacturer, and somehow the samples got out. Are they still an "official" Lodge 333 issue?

Regardless, it appears that for collectors who seek one of every Wahunsenakah Lodge flap this has already become a highly sought after patch. If you have information about the history or scarcity of it, please share it with me!

Kecoughtan emblems reach new price highs

Recently many rare Kecoughtan Lodge emblems have been auctioned on eBay, and the final prices realized for several of these auctions are far higher than I expected.

Consider these items that went for several times the previous average values according to the pricing database in the members area of oaimages.com:

463s17 - Ordeal flap, 7mm W's - 11 bids, sold for 152.50 (5/14/06)
Prior average price was 12.38, prior high price was 18.70


463s15 - thin rounded 30mm sides, Vigil - 12 bids, sold for 168.15 (5/14/06)
463s15 - thin rounded 30mm sides, Vigil - 5 bids, sold for 86.00 (5/16/06)
Prior average price was 22.00, prior high price was 25.30


463s14 - thin rounded 30mm sides, Brotherhood - 12 bids, sold for 168.15 (5/14/06)
Prior average price was 20.00, prior high price was 23.00


These patches sold for prices more in line with previous auctions:

463s9 - 1987 SE-8 Conclave Host - 11 bids, sold for 115.15 (5/7/06)
Prior average price was 66.08, prior high price was 132.42


463s1 (black backing) - 4 bids, sold for 410.05 (5/8/06)
Prior average price was 408.67, prior high price was 489.90


463s16 - 1989 Jambo - 11 bids, sold for 52.11 (5/14/06)
Prior average price was 45.96, prior high price was 63.87


463c1 - acorn shaped chenille - 6 bids, sold for 179.50 (5/16/06)
Prior average price was 114.75, prior high price was 166.17


These rare white background anniversary flaps were bought at bargain prices by their lucky winners compared to prior auctions:

463s5 - 25th anniv white bg flap with black W's - 13 bids, sold for 113.15 (5/7/06)
Prior average price was 140.50, prior high price was 230.00


463s4.5 - 25th anniv white bg flap with white W's, no border stitching around acorns or flags - 11 bids, sold for 118.15 (5/7/06)
Prior average price was 205.92, prior high price was 311.63


463s4 - 25th anniv white bg flap with white W's, with border stitching around acorns and flags - 7 bids, sold for 113.15 (5/7/06)
Prior average price was 158.00, prior high price was 258.17


In the spirit to join the bidding frenzy? There's a number of Lodge 463 items on eBay right now, including the two different 40th anniversary flaps, the 1990 NOAC flap celebrating the 75th anniversary of the OA, and one of the yellow-bordered honor flaps.

Crude fake of 463X15 purchased from eBay

In February I saw a Kecoughtan patch on eBay that I have never seen before, nor have seen since. The patch is very crude reproduction of the Kecoughtan X15 oval patch that was issued in 1991 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Lodge. The item was listed by ebay seller "rdgchf" and the description included a picture and simply said "Fake. This is the only one I have. No other information available. FREE SHIPPING." The patch cost me a total of $5.50. I asked the seller via email if there were any more and his reply was "The individual that I got it from told me there were only two of it made. No further information available."

According to eBay, "rdgchf" is no longer a registered user, though he was listing and selling fake patches as recently as mid-May.

I've added this patch to the list of fakes on the Unauthorized Issues page of the web site.