13-Star Naval Ensign with Anchor, Circa 1877

This is a striking 38-star American flag. The flag dates to 1876-1890, when Colorado (represented by the large star in the center of the flag’s canton) joined the Union as the 38th s...

The stars of this extremely rare, Civil War-era flag are arranged in what is sometimes called the "Great Flower" pattern, a large star made out of smaller stars -- named as such beca...

This is a 39-star unofficial American flag, handmade and printed on cotton. The flag dates to 1889 and has a unique history, thanks to its rare star-count. The flag’s canton is prin...

Presented is an 1866 issue of “Ensign & Bridgeman’s Rail Road Map of the United States, showing Depots & Stations.” First published in 1856, this is the third edition, following anot...

This is F. V. Hayden's Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and Portions of Adjacent Territory, an unmatched geological record for its time. Published by the Department of the Interior in 1877, the Atlas of Colorado consists of twenty double elephant sized sheets, divided into two series. The first series, four sheets, embrace the entire area on a scale of twelve miles to an inch, and include Triangulations, Drainage, an Economic Map, and a General Geological map...

Presented is an original patriotic sash from the late 19th century, featuring 13 stars against a bright blue field. This sash features appliqued silver stars on a blue canton, red an...

An unusual English nineteenth century leather and brass single drawer hand held Naval signals telescope with a lens cap, sliding eyepiece cover and panel insert into the leather show...

FREDERICK CHAPMAN: ‘Naval Architecture War Vessels’, circa 1770, , 50 engraved plates of various sizes depicting naval diagrams (numbered I-XXVI), four signed ‘F. Ringheim’and one ea...

13 Star American parade flag in an extremely rare design, with “protection to home industries” slogan on a fanciful, scrolling streamer, made for the 1888 presidential campaign of Benjamin Harrison; formerly in the collection of Richard pierce. 1888 Benjamin Harrison campaign flag, printed on cotton, with 13 large stars in a 3-2-3-2-3 pattern, upon which a whimsical, scrolling streamer is superimposed that features the slogan: “Protection to Home Industries.” There are numerous styles of both documented and undocumented, red, white, and blue bandanas and handkerchiefs, made for Harrison’s campaign in this year, as well as from the subsequent one, in 1892. Most bear variations of text to support the “Protection for American Industries” platform of the Republican Party. America was in the midst of the industrial age and there was a great deal of public interest, both in protecting growth and discouraging both imported goods and immigration. The constant stream of immigrants posed great challenges for a working families, competing for scarce jobs, in work environments that were already often far from ideal. In post-Civil War America, many of the working men were Civil War veterans. Bandanas abound from Harrison’s Campaigns, but flags do not. This example, along with three others, were once part of an 1888 patriotic quilt that was disassembled by a dealer and sold piecemeal to collectors. I eventually acquired all four. Fifteen to twenty years ago, these were the only four known copies. A couple of others have since surfaced, but the total count known still stands closer to 5 than 10. The use of 13 stars is seen in the flags of various candidates in the 19th century. Among these are Abraham Lincoln (1860 campaign), Henry Clay (1844 campaign), John Fremont (1856), and Benjamin Harrison’s grandfather, William Henry Harrison...

American painted polished steel and brass single ship anchor lantern with original Fresnel lense, hoisting ring, protective cage, and original oil burner. Late 19th century Signed W...

Antique map titled 'Azie in de 12de, 13de en 14de eeuw.' (Asia in the 12th, 13th and 14th century). Historic map of Asia. This original antique map origi...

13 hand sewn stars in a circular version of what is known as the 3rd Maryland pattern, with an especially large center star, a flag with especially tiny scale among those with pieced-and-sewn construction, exceptionally rare, made circa 1890: 13 star flags have been flown throughout our nation’s history for a variety of purposes. They were hoisted at patriotic events, including Lafayette’s visit in 1824-25, the celebration of the centennial of American independence in 1876, and the sesquicentennial in 1926. They were displayed during the Civil War, to reference past struggles for American liberty and victory over oppression, and were used by 19th century politicians while campaigning for the same reason. As the number of stars grew with the addition of new states, it became more and more difficult to fit their full complement on a small flag. The stars would, by necessity, have to become smaller, which made it more and more difficult to view them from a distance as individual objects. The fear was that too many of them close together would become as one white mass and distort the ability to identify American ships on the open seas. Keeping the count low allowed for better visibility. For this reason the U.S. Navy flew 13 star flags on small boats. Some private ship owners mirrored this practice and flew 13 star flags during the same period as the Navy. Flag experts disagree about the precisely when the Navy began to revert to 13 stars and other low counts. Some feel that the use of 13 star flags never stopped, which seems to be supported by depictions of ships in period artwork. This was, of course, the original number of stars on the first American national flag, by way of the First Flag Act of 1777, and equal to the number of original colonies that became states. Any American flag that has previously been official remains so according to the flag acts, so it remains perfectly acceptable to fly 13 star flags today by way of congressional law. Since there was no official star configuration until the 20th century (1912 specifically, beginning with the 48 star count), the stars on 13 star flags may appear in any one of a host of configurations. Some of these are more rare and desirable than others. The stars of this particular flag are arranged in what has come to be known as the "3rd Maryland Pattern." This configuration, whether oval or circular, is appreciated both for its visual appeal and the scarcity of its use. a circular wreath of 12 with a single star in the center. The name comes from a flag that resides at the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis, long thought to have been present with General Daniel Morgan at the Battle of Cowpens in 1781. According to legend, the flag was supposed to have been carried by Color Sergeant William Batchelor of the 3rd Maryland Light Infantry and was donated to the State of Maryland by Batchelor's descendants. The story was disproved in the 1970's, however, following an examination by the late flag expert Grace Rogers Cooper of the Smithsonian, who discovered that the Cowpens flag was, at the earliest, of Mexican War...