I picked up a couple scout memorabilia pieces at the Grapevine Trade-O-Ree last weekend.They were two Order of the Arrow patches (578 S5a and S5b) which I got from a friend. The definitive guide book (The Warshield) says one has light green and the other has green foliage. We spent a lot of time trying to decide if one had lighter green than the other. The shade changes drastically with the angle you view them at, but I said what the heck, let's see when I get home.

I had two in my collection already, but I couldn't tell the difference. So I did a high resolution scan and started using the sampling tool to compare colors in the trees. That didn't work so well because the results were somewhat erratic. I scanned the backs and found that they were all completely different. No help there. Then I did what an old statistics friend of mine once said, "Just sit back and let the data talk to you."

So I made a cup of coffee and just started looking. Finally, I realized that there were other green areas, especially in the water plants in front of the duck. Sure enough, that was the ticket. You can see in the bottom one that the green there is darker than the others. My sampling tool confirmed that. Additionally, you can see that the stitching is slightly different. So I figure the top three are the S5a (LGR foliage) and the bottom is the S5b (GRN foliage). That is the only distinction that the Warshield makes. If there are any other Hasinai 578 collectors out there with different information, please let me know.

You have to admit that color differences are difficult to spot. They are nearly impossible if you don't have both varieties to compare.