Boy Scout Postcards
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1st Activity

(02)  First Activity Cards: 1913 — 1916.  (30 designs - 3 printings)

The BSA published a series of 30 numbered black and white postcards showing scouting activities.  Each is clearly marked at the top "Official Boy Scout Postcard."   The photographs used to produce the cards were contributed from all over the country.  Notable are several that show Dan Beard who introduced Scouting to the Culver Military Academy during the summers of 1911 and 1912.

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Card #2 - Dan Beard in center
Card #2 - Dan Beard in center - Culver pennant at left.

Schlesinger Brothers and Company of New York City did the printing by photo offset.  Their postcards are all easily recognized by their distinctive logo in the form of a stag's head on the upper left of the back of the cards.

Schlesinger Brothers and Co. Logo

The company produced three printings of the cards: the order in which they first appeared is unknown.

Type I cards have a blank back with no series number.

Type II cards are marked in the lower left corner of the back: "Series No. 252 Auth. by Nat. Head. Boy Scouts of America."  The series number was assigned by Schlesinger Brothers and had nothing to do with the Boy Scouts of America.

SERIES 252file

Type III cards are marked "SERIES 252" in approximately the same position as the markings for Type II.

T. Fridy of Lancaster, PA. reprinted card #2 in the form of a "real photo" on Kodak paper.  It does not have a Schlesinger Brothers back and the chance of confusing it with an original card is minimal.

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