[riedeselchar]

Hi...i moved into a very old house and found a flag that has 13 stars over 76. I'm thinking it is a reproduction made in 1976 but want to be sure. How can i tell???

thanks!!!

[Robin Hickman]

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Hello, Riedeselchar !

Welcome to the USA-Flag-Site forums !


QUOTE : "Hi...i moved into a very old house and found a flag that has 13 stars over 76. I'm thinking it is a reproduction made in 1976 but want to be sure. How can i tell???"

Does your old Flag look anything like THIS ??? :

BenningtonFlag(600x333).png

BenningtonFlag(600x333).jpg


If so, then it's more than likely a reproduction of the Revolutionary War Flag known as the BENNINGTON FLAG. Just how "Old" it is remains to be seen. If any part of it is made of Nylon, or Polyester, or any other "synthetic" material, then it is a post-WWII Flag.

BUT.....

Our experts here are going to want to know a few things about your Flag before they "weigh in" with their opinions and advice.

#1. How big is the Flag?
#2. What material is the Flag made of?
#3. What kind of Stars are on the Flag and how are they attached?
#4. What are all of the "identifying marks" and where are they located?
#5. Do you know anything about the Flag's "history"?
#6. Can you provide any photographs of the Flag?

The MORE information you can provide about your Flag the more likely it will be that one or more of us will be able to help you out (and faster too!).


PHOTOS are a BIG help !!!

Let us know, won't you ?

THANX !


Thank you for bringing your Flag-related question to our Forums !

Robin Hickman

[riedeselchar]

The flag i have looks just like that....it just looks old. The white looks tea stained color. The stars do not look stitched, although there is stitching on the stripes. There is a stamp on the edge that says "3x5 Style A All Cotton 1721 WPL" I can e mail you a pic if you'd like.

[Robin Hickman]

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Hi, Riedeselchar !


QUOTE : "The flag i have looks just like that....it just looks old. The white looks tea stained color. The stars do not look stitched, although there is stitching on the stripes. There is a stamp on the edge that says "3x5 Style A All Cotton 1721 WPL" I can e mail you a pic if you'd like."


I don't know what to tell you, other than I have been unsuccessful in figuring out what you have. As far as the "tea-staining" on your Flag goes, that could have been done to your Flag by anybody at any time, so I would NOT use that as a reliable indicator of your Flag's age.

I've tried "Googling" various combinations of the identifying stamp that you listed as, "3x5 Style A All Cotton 1721 WPL". The only "interesting" returns were for the search term, "1721 WPL".

The "1721 WPL" results were minimal and all appeared to be pretty much the same. Unfortunately, although they all were results regarding an "antiques auction", the accompanying photo was NOT visible. So the only thing we have to go by is the written description, which goes like THIS :

"Antiquities: Antiques & Art
Vintage 1960 US Flag Flagpole KIT Made In USA Mint
VIV297 This is a U.S. Flag and pole still in the original box post marked 1960. Manufactured by Wings Of Healing in Los Angeles, CA. It includes 2 piece 6 foot wooden blue pole with brass coupler and beautiful gold knob, bracket and holder. It is marked 3 foot by 5 foot 100% cotton style A, All Cotton 1721 WPL. Brass grommets and lanyard rope included. Also includes original brochure with important holiday display etiquette and assembly instructions. A True Collectors Item!!"


[NOTE : The "1721 WPL" that is highlighted in yellow is the search term I used.]

The price listed for that item is/was $15.00. To see for yourself, you should be able to find the Google "Cached" page HERE :

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:gMcKPKbfXpkJ:cache.tias.com/cgi-bin/search.fcgi%3Fmax%3D50%26matchAll%3D1%26noResultPa geTemplate%3DNoResultPage2.html%26resultPageTempla te%3DResultPage.html%26resultItemTemplate%3DResult Item2.txt%26resultTableTemplate%3DResultTable.txt% 26primaryServer%3D%26minPrice%3D1%26searchAll%3D%2 6searchText%3Dantique%26sysCat%3DAntiquities%26cat Id%3DAntiquities%26skip%3D0+%221721+WPL%22&cd=8&hl =en&ct=clnk&gl=us&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8

It's about 4/5 of the way down the page.


By all means take some pictures of your Bennington Flag and post them here. Maybe one of the entire Flag, and a few "close-ups" such as the stamp you described, the stars, etc.

I look forward to seeing your photos !


Robin Hickman
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[riedeselchar]

here are the pics....thanks for your input!!!

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/IMG_1045.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/IMG_1046.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...r/IMG_1041.jpg

[Peter Ansoff]

Hi!

Robin is correct -- that's a replica of the so-called Bennington Flag. The original is in a museum in Bennington, Vermont -- you can read about it here:

A60 Flag

At one time, this flag was thought to date back to the Revolutionary War era. However, textile analysis has confirmed that it could not have been manufactured in the 18th century, and probably dates to the early 1800s. Many web sites still mistakenly list it as being associated with the Revolution.

Replicas of the Bennington flag are sold by most flag dealers. They're popular, because it's a very handsome design.

Best,

Peter Ansoff

[Robin Hickman]

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Hi, riedeselchar !


Thank You for posting the pictures !


As near as I can tell, the white Stars in the blue "Union" are printed. The Flag seems to be in pretty good shape, although the Union is much more faded than the red stripes. Perhaps it hung in someone's window or on a wall that was exposed to sunlight?

I don't know enough about the "stamp" to tell you who made it. BUT, judging from the workmanship of the "header" (the white canvas strip where the stamp is located), I'd say it was probably one of the larger (better known) companies.

I wish I could have been of more assistance to you!

Robin Hickman

PS. You might want to consider getting the flag professionally cleaned and "conserved" (if that's the right term) or "preserved", and mounted in a frame and hung on the wall. You know, for "old times sake".
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[Robin Hickman]

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U P D A T E ! ! !


I think I might have found out who manufactured (or at least distributed) riedeselchar's Bennington flag!

I just bought a VINTAGE (Still in its original package!) Betsy Ross Flag on eBay, and it has the almost exact same "stamp" inked (BLUE Ink) on its header! It was either made and distributed by "Collegeville Quality Flag Products", or it was made by another company and marketed under the Collegeville brand name.

Here are four pictures of my "new" Betsy Ross Flag still in its original packaging.


Collegeville-BRFlag-Tag&Grommet.JPG :
Collegeville-BRFlag-Tag&Grommet.JPG


Collegeville-BRFlag-TAG-CloseUp.JPG :
Collegeville-BRFlag-TAG-CloseUp.JPG


Collegeville-BRFlag-TagBack-CloseUp.JPG :
Collegeville-BRFlag-TagBack-CloseUp.JPG


Collegeville-BRFlag-STAMP-CloseUp.JPG :
Collegeville-BRFlag-STAMP-CloseUp.JPG


Compare the "STAMP" on My Betsy Ross Flag with the one on riedeselchar's Bennington flag. They are almost EXACTLY the same!

I don't know if the entire 'mystery" is "solved", but at least we have a little better idea WHO made riedeselchar's flag.


Have a GREAT ("Safe & Sane") Independence Day weekend EVERYBODY !!!


Robin "Where The Heck IS Collegeville, Anyway?" Hickman
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