Pre-Revolutionary War flag found in Southold (Bought for a few hundred dollars - worth 1 million)

Newsday ^ | July 3, 2006 | BY BILL BLEYER

[annelizly]

yeah, me either....I always end up at the yardsales that sell stuff like used shoes.

[Rabble]

"I bought George Washington's ax that he used to fell the cherry tree."

If you examine the ax closely I believe that you'll find a small sticker just below the bottom of the head, in close proximity to the handle that reads "Made in China". If this isn't the case the China statement is incised into said area. Did you mention that George owned it? Is there any cherry juice on the handle? Would you like to buy a bridge?

[Defiant]

If we lose this war it will be burned. That's what we're fighting for. And what the NY Times is fighting against.

[carumba]

that the head has been replaced twice and the handle three times. But it is George's ax.

I am glad you got the real deal. Mine was made in Japan.

[uglybiker]

I bought an old trunk once. Had an old car attached to it. ;-)

[lentulusgracchus]

Looks like a Bunker Hill flag.....

Sure as heck does -- I've got one hanging from my eaves at this very minute, about eight feet from where I'm sitting. Put it up for July 4th weekend, it rained all weekend and so I didn't put out my Betsy Ross (you're not supposed to put out a U.S. National in foul weather if you can avoid it, I read somewhere). I let the lightweight Bunker Hill poly-print carry the load this year. My cotton Continental Congress/"Grand Union" (so-called, inaccurately), if it got wet, would have been heavy enough to bend the aluminum bracket.

Experts would have to be summoned to check for original dye-colors, but there was more than one possibility in that general pattern. Butterscotch (color of the Electors of Hanover, which the Georges were) is one possibility, red's another.

[Pharmboy]

Thanks to hedgie, george and 11th VA for the pings.

We rented a house for the summer back in '96 in Southold, apparently the wrong one.

My RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list (FreepMail me if you want to be placed on or taken off this list).

[coconutt2000]

It looks more like St. George's cross.

It looks a lot like a window...

[blam]

"This never happens to me ... why ???"

Because you would have used that old rag to check the oil in your car.

[Soaring Feather]

Thanks for the ping!

Great find.

[GretchenM]

the North American Vexillological Association, a group of flag experts.

I learn new stuff on FR every day.

Doubt I'll be able to insert the bolded word into any conversations, but it's nice to know.

[GretchenM]

From the article -

Earlier this month Sotheby's in Manhattan sold four Revolutionary War regimental flags captured from Continental troops and taken to England by a British officer for $17.3 million, setting a price record for flags.

So last week Martucci upped his estimate. "I would probably say right now it would sell for between $1 and $2 million, and I wouldn't be surprised if it actually went for more," he said.

The financial value is academic for Laube, who has no plans to sell the flag he has conserved and framed and now stores in a vault.

"When I was a kid, I was always into history," he said. "We studied about Bunker Hill in seventh grade and we saw the pine tree flag. And to this day, when I look at it, it's exhilarating."

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Oldest thing we have is a percussion gun from probably the 1830s

pic of it here, in case you're interested. It's an underhammer rifle, which already makes it unusual.

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1687016&uid=408952&members=1

(if you go to the site, the Lancaster gun on the photo album is a repro my hubby uses).

I have some knitting books almost as old, though.