Webelo to Eagle Scout Progression • 33 Original Cards • Troop 41 Trotwood, Ohio
Collector’s Note
Few Boy Scout archives survive with this level of continuity and documentation.
An extraordinary group of 33 original Boy Scouts of America cards belonging to Ronald “Ronnie” Gump of Trotwood, Ohio, documenting his Scouting journey from Cub Scout through Eagle Scout between 1953 and 1959. Included are his advancement cards, merit badge cards, and annual registration cards, all preserved together for more than six decades. Together they form a remarkable record of one young Scout’s achievements during the height of the postwar Scouting era.
Named, dated, and tied to a single individual, this archive offers exceptional appeal to collectors of Boy Scout memorabilia, Ohio history, genealogy, paper ephemera, and Americana.
This original Boy Scouts of America archive consists of 33 cards issued between 1953 and 1959 to Ronald (Ronnie) Gump of Trotwood, Ohio. The collection chronicles Ronnie’s progression from Webelos (1956) to Second Class, Star, Life, and ultimately Eagle Scout (1958) with five advancement cards, accompanied by twenty-one merit badge cards and seven annual registration cards.
Five (5) Advancement Cards Documenting Scouting Ranks
- Webelos — March 22, 1956
- Second Class Scout — March 25, 1957
- Star Scout — March 17, 1958
- Life Scout — June 2, 1958
- Eagle Scout — November 14, 1958
Particularly desirable is the original Eagle Scout card, issued only three days after Ronnie completed his final group of merit badges on November 11, 1958.
Twenty-one (21) Merit Badge Cards Documenting Badges Earned on Path to Eagle Scout
January 5, 1958
- Citizenship in the Home
- Cooking
- First Aid
- Swimming
March 17, 1958
June 2, 1958
- Bugling
- Citizenship in the Community
- Home Repairs
- Music
- Personal Fitness
- Soil Conservation
August 2, 1958
- Leatherwork
- Lifesaving
- Public Health
November 11, 1958
- Camping
- Canoeing
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Firemanship
- Fishing
- Gardening
- Nature
The progression provides a fascinating snapshot of mid-century Scouting priorities, combining outdoor skills, citizenship, conservation, public health, and personal development.
Seven (7) Certificate of Registration Cards
The seven cards dated March 1953 through 1959, feature colorful artwork on the backs reproduced from paintings created for the Boy Scouts of America by renowned illustrators and artists, Norman Rockwell and Paul Baker Remmey. Beginning on March 26, 1953, membership was registered from Cub Scout Pack 44 of Trotwood, Ohio. In
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March 26 - October 31, 1953 | Numbered Certificate C5654950 | Illustration of Norman Rockwell painting, The Scouting Trail (1939) on back
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November 1, 1953 - October 31, 1954 | Numbered Certificate C6330336 | Illustration of Paul Remmey painting, Forward on Liberty’s Team (1954) on back
- November 1, 1954 - October 31, 1955
- Cub Scout Pack 44 | Trotwood, Ohio
- Certificate #C7215714
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Illustration of Paul Remmey painting, Forward on Liberty’s Team (1954) on back
4. November 1, 1955 - October 31, 1956
- Cub Scout Pack 44 | Trotwood, Ohio
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Illustration of Paul Remmey painting, Forward on Liberty’s Team (1954) on back
5. May 25, 1956 - January 31, 1957
- Boy Scout Troop 41 | Miami Valley Council
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Illustration of Paul Remmey painting, Onward for God and My Country (roughly 1956) on back
6. January 31, 1958
- Boy Scout Troop 41 | Miami Valley Council
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Illustration of Paul Remmey painting, Onward for God and My Country (roughly 1956) on back
6. January 1959
- Boy Scout Troop 41 | Miami Valley Council
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Illustration of Paul Remmey painting, Onward for God and My Country (roughly 1956) on back
These registration cards are often discarded over time, making long runs such as this increasingly difficult to find.
Historical Note
During the 1950s, Boy Scouts of America was at the height of its influence, with millions of boys participating nationwide. Advancement cards, merit badge cards, and registration certificates served as official documentation of progress through the program.
Unlike merit badge patches, which were sewn to uniforms and often lost, these pocket-sized cards were frequently retained by Scouts and families as personal records of achievement. Complete groups documenting a Scout's advancement from Cub Scout through Eagle Scout are considerably scarcer than individual cards encountered on the market.
Overall condition of the collection ranges from good to very good vintage ephemera condition. The Advancement Cards are in very good condition overall with light age toning, and minor handling wear. The Merit Badge Cards are in generally very good condition with clean fronts with strong color and legible entries. The Certificate of Registration Cards vary in condition from good to very good, with the older cards exhibiting expected pocket and wallet wear--and moderate edge wear and age toning on some examples. Please review photographs carefully as they form part of the description.
Provenance and Research Notes
Research indicates the cards belonged to Ronald Garver Gump (1945–1973) of Montgomery County, Ohio.
The archive was acquired together with other Gump family materials, including a family genealogy volume (available in a separate listing). The cards appear to have remained within the family for decades and survive today as a single, intact group.
The collection documents Ronnie’s progression through: Cub Scout Pack 44, Trotwood, Ohio, and later, Boy Scout Troop 41, Trotwood, Ohio under the jurisdiction of the Miami Valley Council.
The preservation of the entire group provides a rare and unusually complete record of one Scout’s advancement from Cub Scout through Eagle Scout.
For more collectibles or those tied to civic life, browse our Militaria & Political collections. The Gump Family in America genealogy resource is available in a separate listing.
