[kittyboy]

Originally Posted by NAVA1974

The patch on your 48 star flag is original to the flag itself and is a reinforcement at a location that gets the most wear. There is probably a similar red patch at the bottom, correct?

Yes I noticed that as I folded it away. Thanks

Does anyone know where I could go to get identity of this which I found with my dads war items. Also have a cloth belt with Japanese symbols written on it

[alankay]

I have in my possession a 47 star flag. The star pattern is 878888 starting from the top. it is 8'x15' does anyone have any new information on this flag?

[NAVA1974]

Originally Posted by alankay

I have in my possession a 47 star flag. The star pattern is 878888 starting from the top. it is 8'x15' does anyone have any new information on this flag?

Hello alankay,

Welcome to the USA Flag Forum.

47 star flags were made over a period of a couple of years just prior to the admission of New Mexico and Arizona. It was well known that those two territories would be admitted to the Union but there were certain "formailities" that did not fall in place for both states until 1912.

The US Flag law, of course, states that new stars were not to be added to the flag until the July 4th following the state's official admission to the union, but flagmakers have been ignoring that minor detail ever since 1818. Only when the US went from 48 to 49 and then from 49 to 50 states did anyone really pay attention to the July 4th date when there were formal flag-raising cermonies at Fort McHenry in Baltimore on the nights of July 3/4 1959 and July 3/4 1960.

Most people assume that 47s were only made between the formal admissions of New Mexico on January 6, 1912, and Arizona on February 14, 1912. However both 47 star and 48 star flags were mass produced for months if not years prior to 1912. All of the 47 star flags I have seen are relatiavely large wool bunting flags, like yours or smaller. Printed 48-star flags with staggered rows of stars are actually quite common and are absolutely known to pre-date 1912. For example, the 1910 calendar/postcard below shows a little girl holding a pair of staggered-row 48-star flags. I also have this postcard posmarked 1910 - proof the flags were made well in advance of the "formal" admission of NM and AZ.
Calendar1910.jpg

So 47 star flags are not "rare" but they are relatively scarce and popular with some collectors.

Can you post a pic of your flag?

Nick A
Columbia Maryland

[alankay]

Yes I will. Thank you for your response, you gave me more information than I had.

[alankay]

I know its been awhile. I still have the47 star flag and will get a pic of it on here soon. I do apologize for disappearing but as a worker for uncle sam it happens sometimes.

[AmericaHurrah]

All 5 didn't come in on different days. The Dakotas territory came as 2 separate states on Nov. 2nd. And I am not sure that there was any intentional delay between New Mexico and Arizona.

In any event, we used to think that there were hardly any 47 star flags. Now I would guess that I have seen perhaps 40 or more. I always own several at any given time, enough so that they don'e excite me like they used to.

Jeff Bridgman