Figure 1.-- A reader writes, "In my previous postings, I said that I never remember wearing my overseas cap with my Boy Scout uniform. Here is the exception. Obviously a photo op. I also said that my short pants uniform was my first ever new Boy Scout uniform. Here you see me wearing the Troop Mothers Organization hand me downs. The second class patch and hat are much darker than the rest of the well used uniform. Most people don't realize how much economic expectations have changed. Hand me downs were definitely the rule in our troop and surrounding troops. However, you'll note that the pants are sharply creased, the shoes well shined, and the gig line straight. I think this this was 1963."

The Boy Scouts and later the Cubs became an important national institution. Large numbers of boys wanted to join and participate. For most middle-class families this was not a problem. But for many families buying a uniform was a streach for family budgets. And the boys wanted the uniforms, the whole idea was very popular. Troops varied on uniform rules. Some just insisted on uniform shirts while others were adament about full turn out. Selling or authorizing the sale of oficial items was an important source of revenue for the BSA. This of course was especially true during the Depression of the 1930s. One solution to this problem was hand-me-downs. This worked well if your older brother was a Cub or Scout. And to broaden this approach, many troops organized used uniform shops to sell uniforms and modest prices. A reader writes, "In my previous postings, I said that I never remember wearing my overseas cap with my Boy Scout uniform. Here is the exception. Obviously a photo op. I also said that my short pants uniform was my first ever new Boy Scout uniform. Here you see me wearing the Troop Mothers Organization hand me downs. The second class patch and hat are much darker than the rest of the well used uniform. Most people don't realize how much economic expectations have changed. Hand me downs were definitely the rule in our troop and surrounding troops. However, you'll note that the pants are sharply creased, the shoes well shined, and the gig line straight. I think this this was 1963."