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This
is
a medallion that was given out by The Excelsior Shoe Company to boys that
purchased the official Boy Scout Shoe. It was an advertising gimmick. You
have to remember that Boy Scouts was all the rage at the time: like
Pokemon or Beanie Babies. And everyone wanted to cash in. Revenues for the
use of the name were important to getting the Boy Scouts funds to start.
After Minute Tapioca Pudding, Excelsior was one of the first to sign up.
The hole in the top was to allow it to be tied to the shoe.
There were 3 versions.
1) One with the rider dated July, 1910. The Boy Scouts were
incorporated in Feb of 1910 in Washington, DC. Their headquarters was
established in New York.
2) One with good luck symbols on the back. A reverse swastika which was a
popular Victorian era good luck symbol and a favorite symbol of Lord
Baden-Powell's. Also dated July, 1910.
3) The third has the good luck symbols and no date. It states
"Membership emblem of the Boy Scouts Club".
Excelsior's 1911 ad reads:
World
Famous
"Scouts"
Now
on Sale!
Now's
your chance to get the "Boy Scout" shoe, boys -- that world
famous shoe about which you have read so much in magazines. It's making
just as big a hit in this town as it has made in the big cities. Boys are
"wild" about them--- say they never saw anything like them for
baseball, running jumping, and all outdoor sports.
The
"Boy Scout" Shoe
Toughest,
lightest, most sensible, everyday shoe made. Uppers are soft as gloves.
Soles wear two to three times as long as ordinary soles. No Linings.
Coolest and most healthful boy's shoe ever invented.
Colors
Olive, Tan and Black
Tell
your pa that "Boy Scouts" outwear two to three pairs of ordinary
shoes.
Good-Luck
charm
FREE
with
each pair of genuine
BOY SCOUT SHOES
Little Boy's 10-13 1/2 $2
Boy's 1- 5 1/2 $2.50
Big Boy's and Men's 6 - 10 $3
The
Excelsior Shoe Co., Portsmouth, Ohio
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