[jlundine]

I have a 48 star flag that I found in my attic, it is made out of linen and has printed stars and stitched stripes. It has the markings 'MARITIME E 3 X 5' printed on the hem. It is on a 12' wooden pole. Just curious how old it is, any info would be great! Thanks!

[csaanv]

Thanks for posting and for the pic. From the picture I see the grommet does not look like it is made of brass which was the usual metal of choice for grommets. Maybe you can confirm that? During WWII all brass was used for the War effort and thus civilian companies were force to use other metals, like aluminum or other alloys so that could be a clue. It is most likely a civilian made flag from that era. Being 3'x5' and having a printed canton it would not meet government or military specs. Do you have another photo that shows the entire flag?

[jlundine]

Thank you very much for the information. The metal is corroded, but appears to be either brass or copper, but I don't know for sure. I have included a close up of the grommet and a photo of the whole flag. I appreciate your interest!

[jlundine]

Here is a better picture of the grommet. Thanks again

[csaanv]

You are correct, looks like corroded brass. In any case I think you have a unique flag with the Maritime stamp. It looks like it is in great shape.

[macroft]

I have 2 x 48 star flags. One is 29'' by ~56.5" and a larger flag 55'' by 102''. I would like to know the value of these flags. The larger flag has two tears that be be easily sewn and is otherwise in good shape. The smaller flag is in pristine shape.

[csaanv]

Hi macroft, welcome to the American Flags Forum! Because so many 48 star flags were made during the period between 1912-1958 as a rule of thumb 48 star flags are not quite as collectable, valuable as say a 46 star or earlier. With that said depending what a particular flag is made of (cotton, nylon,wool bunting) or if it is government issued, along with a few other factors a collector may be interested in it. I know a lot of folks have been disappointed when they find out their "ancient" flag has little monetary value . I see dozens and dozens of 48 star flags on ebay hoping to sell for hundreds of dollars when in fact they are still quite common. Please if there is any way you could post some pictures of your flag and then we can better identify it's age and value. Or if you want to email the pictures to me and I can prep them to the correct size limit the forum allows and post them. My email address is: emmalpass@yahoo.com.

[csaanv]

Thanks macroft! As a rule of thumb, sewn stars and stripes flags sell better than printed flags and wool bunting flags are more collectable than cotton.
Small flag.jpg
Large flag.jpg