If it seems as if the whole country is getting involved in Scouting’s 100th Anniversary, OK, maybe it is. Two great “birthday presents” for Scouting appear this year—a Scout stamp and an official Scout coin.
As a result of a bill sponsored by U. S. Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, the U. S. Mint will initially produce 350,000 silver-dollar coins to commemorate the centennial. The mint turns out only two commemorative coins each year. A $10 surcharge on each coin will raise $3.5 million for the BSA Foundation, which will support extending Scouting in hard-to-serve areas.
The obverse (heads side) design of the coin depicts a Cub Scout in the foreground with a Boy Scout and female Venturer in the background saluting. The Venturer represents how BSA has evolved over the past century to serve all the youth of America, including girls. The reverse (tails) design features the BSA emblem and these inscriptions: United States of America, Boy Scouts of America, Be Prepared, E Pluribus Unum, and One Dollar. The coin is due out March 23. Get it from the U.S. Mint at catalog.usmint.gov.
The new 44-cent postage stamp, the “Celebrate Scouting” stamp, will be issued at the centennial jamboree in July at Fort AP Hill, Va. The stamp, designed by California artist Craig Frazier, depicts a modern Scout standing on a rocky summit, silhouetted against the shadow of a classic Scout peering through binoculars.
As any serious philatelist knows, the centennial stamp won’t mark the first time Scouting has been honored this way. Other stamps have appeared in the past, most notably for the 40th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries of the BSA.
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