The 34-star flag was in use from 1861-1863.

This flag is entirely made of silk and is holding up well despite its age. It meas. approx. 31.00 inches on the hoist and 39.50 inches on the fly.  The flag was recently professionally, archivally framed in an attractive gold frame which measures 44 3/4" x 37".

The entire flag is hand sewn. All of the seams are holding tight. The bars and canton are solid with no missing pieces. The color of the red bars has faded and they are not as strong as they once were. This appears to be more from age rather than use. This flag does not have the damage to the fly end that is usually encountered on an overused flag. There is also some small stress separations scattered here and there on the fabric but nothing major. In the area of the third stripe from the top there are two small spots of brown discoloration with another further down on the flag body. Along the hoist edge are four reinforced sewn holes with ties for attaching the flag to a pole.

The white 5-pointed stars are arranged in five horizontal rows. The top two rows have seven stars while the central row has six and the bottom two rows have seven. Each star is hand sewn to one side of the canton while on the opposite side the material of the canton is cut away to reveal the star. Twelve of the thirty-four stars exhibit some damage. Mostly it is confined to minor stress separations however five do have major damage. These five stars have some material loss which, if the flag is properly displayed or stored, should not get any worse.

Attached to the lower hoist corner is a very old paper label that meas. approx. 2.00 x 2.75 inches. A period ink inscription on the flag reads “THIS HAND MADE FLAG MUST HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT 1861 AS THERE ARE 34 STARS.” The opposite side of the card has the printed name “MRS. ERSKINE” but the name is too common to trace.

This flag is truly “Old Glory” at her best. This flag was well cared for and well stored over the years and comes down to us in nice condition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS,

CLICK ON ‘CONTACT US’ AT THE TOP OF ANY PAGE ON THE SITE,

THEN ON ‘LAYAWAY POLICY’.

THANK YOU!