Comments on: Blue Book Guidelines for Restrictions and Quantities Issued http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/2007/02/07/blue-book-guidelines-for-restrictions-and-quantities-issued/ Collecting New York State OA, one patch at a time. Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:49:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: nyoatrader http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/2007/02/07/blue-book-guidelines-for-restrictions-and-quantities-issued/#comment-7059 nyoatrader Thu, 08 Feb 2007 18:27:23 +0000 http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/?p=672#comment-7059 John, Agreed, 100 patches can mean a lot of different things. If 100 patches issued for a 3-5 person NOAC or Jambo contingent where all but a handful are traded at the event, it can mean the issue is somewhat readily available in the collecting community. If the same 100 are issued to a 50 person contingent, the collecting community may only see a handful of them. Even in the home lodge, it may disappear quickly and be a 'rare' item although more will exist within the lodge. As you point out a 100 patch issue in a lodge with 300+ active members may sell out in a very short time span and be rare within the lodge and not see the light of day in the collecting community for years. For collectors, what does this mean. Well if you are just collecting an old style number set or one from each active lodge; it means very little. You will just get one of the 'common' issues. If you collect everything from the lodge, it means you have a tough issue to track down. Now if a lodge issues too many <em>'tough' </em>issues making it impossible for any reasonable person to <strong>"ever"</strong> collect a lodge set; it may stop people from collecting that lodge. Since many lodges use their patches to balance the budget; it can have a knock-on effect to lodge financing. As people no longer buy or reduce the number of patches they buy from the lodge finances and cash flow suffer. Now thats the subject of another post ;-) Bill John,

Agreed, 100 patches can mean a lot of different things.

If 100 patches issued for a 3-5 person NOAC or Jambo contingent where all but a handful are traded at the event, it can mean the issue is somewhat readily available in the collecting community.

If the same 100 are issued to a 50 person contingent, the collecting community may only see a handful of them. Even in the home lodge, it may disappear quickly and be a ‘rare’ item although more will exist within the lodge.

As you point out a 100 patch issue in a lodge with 300+ active members may sell out in a very short time span and be rare within the lodge and not see the light of day in the collecting community for years.

For collectors, what does this mean. Well if you are just collecting an old style number set or one from each active lodge; it means very little. You will just get one of the ‘common’ issues.

If you collect everything from the lodge, it means you have a tough issue to track down.

Now if a lodge issues too many ‘tough’ issues making it impossible for any reasonable person to “ever” collect a lodge set; it may stop people from collecting that lodge.

Since many lodges use their patches to balance the budget; it can have a knock-on effect to lodge financing. As people no longer buy or reduce the number of patches they buy from the lodge finances and cash flow suffer.

Now thats the subject of another post ;-)

Bill

]]> By: John http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/2007/02/07/blue-book-guidelines-for-restrictions-and-quantities-issued/#comment-7047 John Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:02:01 +0000 http://www.nyoatrader.com/blog/?p=672#comment-7047 I may also write about this in my blog... especially since Brandon is a lodge brother I have known since he first got into the OA. I have only seen one lodge in my own experience where the lodge keeps accurate records of quantities ordered, Catawba 459. Their trading post adviser has been "on the job" for decades and has been meticulous about this. Another reason goes back to the old Bill Price books. They would list which lodges had restricted flaps. Traders used that as if it were Gospel truth. It wasn't as many lodges were also starting to issue unrestricted flaps at that time, which didn't get mentioned in the book. Also, what does "100 made" really mean? Is it rare? Common? When our lodge makes 800 of an issue, it will sell out within hours and become a "rare" patch. Another lodge in our section might make 400 of their patch, only to still have them in their trading post years later. Without being put into context, the number issued is meaningless information. As you hint, the whole line of reasoning behind this gets rather complicated. But on the whole I think this is the right decision. I may also write about this in my blog… especially since Brandon is a lodge brother I have known since he first got into the OA.

I have only seen one lodge in my own experience where the lodge keeps accurate records of quantities ordered, Catawba 459. Their trading post adviser has been “on the job” for decades and has been meticulous about this.

Another reason goes back to the old Bill Price books. They would list which lodges had restricted flaps. Traders used that as if it were Gospel truth. It wasn’t as many lodges were also starting to issue unrestricted flaps at that time, which didn’t get mentioned in the book.

Also, what does “100 made” really mean? Is it rare? Common?
When our lodge makes 800 of an issue, it will sell out within hours and become a “rare” patch. Another lodge in our section might make 400 of their patch, only to still have them in their trading post years later. Without being put into context, the number issued is meaningless information.

As you hint, the whole line of reasoning behind this gets rather complicated. But on the whole I think this is the right decision.

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