Material: Bronze
Diameter: 37 mm
Description: Boy Scouts of America emblem featuring the fleur-de-lis with eagle and shield, surrounded by the Scout pledge wording: “ON MY HONOR I WILL DO MY BEST – BE PREPARED."
Reverse: Instructional inscription in block lettering: “SECRETLY TRANSFER ME TO YOUR RIGHT POCKET EACH DAY AFTER YOUR GOOD TURN HAS BEEN DONE.”
Circa: c. 1940s – 1960s
Notes:
This bronze token was issued to Boy Scouts as a daily reminder of the movement’s guiding principle of performing a “Good Turn” each day. Scouts traditionally carried the coin in their left pocket at the beginning of the day. After completing a helpful act or service, the token was moved to the right pocket, creating a simple physical ritual reinforcing the Scout Law. Good Turn tokens were widely distributed through Scout shops and troop programs and remained popular throughout the mid-20th century. They are commonly found in bronze, with less common examples struck in aluminum or brass. This token captures something central to Scouting, the idea of a daily act of service. The tradition goes back to the early movement under Robert Baden-Powell, who encouraged Scouts to perform one good deed every day without seeking recognition. So this coin was essentially a behavioral tool, a little ritual object used to build character. The Boy Scout Good Turn idea even became famous in American advertising. A Scout once helped publisher William D. Boyce in London by guiding him through heavy fog and refusing payment, explaining that a Scout does a Good Turn daily. That story is part of the founding legend of the Boy Scouts of America.