Grandfathers Burial Flag

[Brenda Schellbach]

In my clearing of my uncles home upon his passing, I have come across my Grandfathers burial flag. It is in extremely good condition. My grand father was a WWI Veteran...and he passed away in 1954. He was part of the army. The flag has 48 stars all sewn on. Next to one of the brass brads it says Annin & Co. 5X9 1/2 Ft. U.S.

Besides the sentimental value I have a couple of questions....

There is a odor to it from being place away for many years....how do you eliminate that? (Musty smell very strong)

Other is what is the value?

I never got a chance to meet my grandfather, he passed away when my father was barely 21....It is nice to have a few items of his.

[csaanv]

Hi Brenda,
Welcome to the American Flag Forum! I am not too sure how to address the odor issue other than spray it with some type of bio/eco-friendly deodorant that will not harm the flag. I have a couple of "stinky" flags that I just store in those extra large zip-lock bags. It protects the flag and keeps the odor from spreading. Maybe some of the other members can share their wisdom on this issue. Concerning your flag's value. Given the fact that 48 star flag were made for long time (1912-1959), they are still quite available and easy to come by. Unless a 48 star has some historical event attached to it, i.e. Iwo Jima, they are not as collectable say as a 46 star flag or even a 49 star flag which are more difficult to come by. They show up on ebay as low as $9.95 but the average price is about $50. One nice thing about your flag is the stars are appliqued onto your flag. This technique unfortunately has been replaced with machines that embroider the stars. Having said all of that the sentimental value is more important here. I would never let this flag leave the family as the family history attached to it is priceless!