The 2010 Boy Scout National Jamboree Fort A.P. Hill, VA. 100 Anniversary - Page 1
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The Jamboree returned to Ft. A P Hill south of Washington, D.C. The
Jamboree location was not on the patches. The word had gone out that
this would be the last Jamboree at Ft. A P Hill. Attendance is reported at about 50,000 (Wikipedia), elsewhere it’s quoted 43-45,000 (OA website). I’ve commented that attendance figures seem to be fluid. Being the 100th Anniversary probably brought out more attendance than usual. Barack Obama was President, he did not attend but sent an inspirational recorded video message.  The Jamboree theme was Celebrating the Adventure, Continuing the Journey, it was on the back of hats and elsewhere. A BSA 2010 logo was available but not used on official Jamboree patches. |
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| Participants received two embroidered patches. There were patches for youth, another for adult leaders, one for staff and another for members of the military. There was a special patch of the basic Jamboree design for VIP’s that visited. Scouts received one neckerchiefs, and a Scout Guide to the Jamboree. A triangle shaped patch was available for purchase by day-visitors at the trading Posts. |
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| Variations in the youth pocket patch |
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| Youth Type 1. 3” round. Center is embroidered. Larger Tenderfoot logo. The 2 in 2010 is on gold bkg. There is a “wave” in the second red stripe of the flag. This is the only variety of the pocket patch that has a “wave” in the red stripe. Only 3 red stripes. The 3” patch is Made in the USA. |
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| Youth Type 2, 2 7/8” round. Center is sublimated, not embroidered. The 2 in 2010 is on the red bkg. There is no wave in the second red stripe of the flag. 4 red stripes, in some varieties the top red strip is smaller or larger. The 2 7/8” badge is Made in China. |
| Getting "picky" with the 2 7/8" patch |
 There is a variation in the 2 7/8” youth patch made in China. The background is sublimated (printed), but the Tenderfoot logo appears slightly bigger with more red behind it. The amount of red above the Fleur de Leis varies from just a small line to a 1/2” stripe. The size of the Fleur de Leis is different but so minor that its hard to notice unless you have two side by side. |
| Getting "picky" with the 3" youth patch |
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 This is the artwork for the 2010 patch. It’s most similar to the 3 1/2” adult leader patch. All red behind 2010. No “wave” in the flag. This is probably the design that was given the embroidery companies to work from. Somehow in shrinking the patch to 3” (or 2 7/8”) the bottom gold area went lower and the positioning of 2010 changed. I can’t explain where the “wave” came from, it seems to only be on patches made in the USA. What’s Sublimation? Sublimation was a new process about 2010. A design is “printed” on a polyester background material. The colors are permanently embedded into the fabric and said to be impervious to the suns rays, or laundering. My research indicates that patches with sublimation were made in China. The adult leader, staff and Visitor patches all have sublimation. The 2 7/8” youth patch has sublimation. The youth patches were needed in large volume and National BSA probably split the order between overseas and domestic manufacturers. I don’t believe domestic manufacturers used sublimation, at least in 2010. |
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| (above 3rd image from left)- The round 6" embroidered patch, surfaced in 2023. I have been unable to document it's authenticity. One sold on eBay very reasonably which also makes me question it's authenticity. |
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The design of the subcamp patches is printed on the back of the
neckerchief to form a 100. Map neckerchief The idea was Scouts would
collect the subcamp patches and sew them on the neckerchief, few
did. |
 A trend started at the 2010 Jamboree of making special patches for National Jamboree top leadership. At later Jamborees this would be taken to extremes, but it started in 2010. |
 3 1/2” round printed canvas/polyester. I bought this patch, when it arrived I realized that it had been attached (glued) to something. There were several pieces of Jamboree equipment that have the logo either sewn in, sewn on, or glued. This 3 1/2” emblem might be off a duffel bag. Further research will identify the different emblems used on Jamboree gear. |
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 With the 100th Anniversary there was probably more gear in the Jamboree catalog than in previous years. I was struck that the trend I observed in 2005 of “optional” shirts continued. The OA Service Corp wore blue fishing shirts. There have always been T shirts, but there were different colored polo shirts as well as short sleeve “outdoor” shirts. The Jamboree jacket didn’t have the backpatch. |
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 The Activity Areas were: Canoe Slalom, Canoe Spring, Fishing, Kayak Fun, Snorkel Search, Discovery Scuba, Racing Shell Fun, Raft Encounter, Conservation, The Outdoor Adventure, Merit Badge Midway, National Exhibits, Brownsea Island Camp, Technology Quest, K2BSA, and American Indian Village. The participation theme from previous Jamborees was used. Scouts could earn six segments to be worn around the Jamboree patch. A scoreboard was published in Jamboree Today and in the Scout Guide. Staff members at the different activity areas applied a stamp to the scorecard indicating participation. |
 Recognition was available for Scoutmasters whose youth fully participation in the activities. |
| Something NEW in BSA patches in 2010 CUT edge patches |
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| Starting in 2010 many official Jamboree issue patches had a cut edge rather than a rolled edge border. The “rolled edge” had been used for years. In the past, after embroidery the patch was run though a machine that “whipped” a border around the edges. In theory this was to prevent the edges from unraveling, although there are few examples of cut edge patches actually unraveling. About 2010 some embroidery companies decided that with modern embroidery and plastic backing the rolled edge border was unnecessary. |
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| Patches made by “approved” suppliers had a special backing and sometimes labels on patches. These backings were on patches made domestically as well as overseas. Many official Jamboree patches were made in China, they usually have a Made in China sticker. |
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| Paul Myers Goshen,
Indiana gimogash@comcast.net |