American 39 Star Flag, circa 1889

19th Century American 39 Star Flag, circa 1889, a period printed silk parade flag with a wavy pattern of dancing stars. This was never an official flag of the United States but was m...

Antique American 38 Star Parade Flag, circa 1877, a fine woven linen small parade flag with 38 stars in a bold "Dancing Star" pattern, enacted in 1877 upon the admission of Colorado....

Antique United States Navy 48 Star Union Jack, circa 1912, a scarce early, World War I era US Navy Jack with 48 embroidered stars on a cobalt field, flown on the bow of Navy, Coast G...

Antique American Darting Gun Toggle Iron Harpoon, made by E.B. and F. Macy, New Bedford, for the Larboard Boat on the Whaling Bark Sunbeam (1856 - 1908), having an improved toggle head with acute barb (standing nearly at a right angle), and an unusual ridged cheek, with the maker's mark MACY stamped on the right cheek (the mark of E.B. & F. Macy, blacksmiths of New Bedford: 1861-1904), the ship stamp BK SB on the left cheek (for the Bark Sunbeam, and the dot punched boat mark L B (for the Larboard, or Second, or Port-side Stern whale boat); mounted on a round shank slightly kinked from use, ending in the spike end necessary for use with a darting gun, and the loop for splicing on the iron strap. An amazing artifact retaining a tremendous amount of historical documentation. The harpoon remain in very good condition with a still very sharp cutting edge and deep brown patina and no corrosion. The head is frozen, but in the absence of rust it would very likely free up with a little lubrication if so desired. The tip of the front barb has a small chip off tip. The slight kink to the shank comes from use and is considered by most to be a a good feature. The Bark SUNBEAM was built in Mattapoisett in 1856 and enjoyed a long career in the New Bedford whale fishery of 17 voyages to the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Clifford Ashley...

38 star antique American parade flag with scattered star orientation, made of silk, with generous scale and vivid colors, Colorado Statehood, 1876-1889 38 star American national p...

34 STARS IN A WHIMSICAL RENDITION OF THE GREAT STAR PATTERN, ON A CIVIL WAR PERIOD FLAG WITH A CORNFLOWER BLUE CANTON, UPDATED TO 39 STARS IN 1876 34 star American national flag with additional stars added and one of the most stunning graphic designs I have ever seen in early flag-making. The original pattern was comprised of a circle of 5 large stars, and triangular arms made of smaller stars. These are noticeable pointy and bent like the arms of a starfish. Made of cotton, the stars are hand-sewn and double-appliquéd to a fantastic, cornflower blue canton, a color common to Civil War uniforms...

This is a rare 31-star medallion printed American flag, celebrating the addition of California to the Union. The flag is printed on silk and has a spectacular “Great Star” canton pat...

This is an original 46-Star American parade flag, celebrating Oklahoma statehood. Each star on the flag's canton represents a state in the Union at the time. The official flag design would update every July 4th, to include any new states added to the Union in the past year. Oklahoma, the 46th state, entered the Union on November 16, 1907. As such, this 46–star flag was the official flag of the United States from July 4, 1908, until July 4, 1912. The silk flag has a dark blue canton with 46 white printed stars. The stars are printed in an 7-8-8-8-8-7 row configuration, or “Drum design.” The flag design is completed with 13 alternating red and white stripes, each stripe representing one of the original thirteen colonies. The land that comprises Oklahoma today was added to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Throughout the 19th century, the U.S. government relocated Indian tribes from the southeastern United States to the area, and by 1900, over 30 Indian tribes had been moved to what was originally called the Indian Territories. At the same time, ranchers in Texas began to move into the area in search of new pasture lands. Although stipulations in the Indian Relocation Act agreed that the land would forever be Indian Territory, the promise of fertile farmland trumped the government’s promise of sovereignty. On April 22, 1889, they opened the land to settlement by homesteaders, creating a land run in which settlers, called “Boomers,” were allowed to cross the Texas or Arkansas border at a particular hour to claim homesteads. Settlers who illegally crossed the border earlier to stake prime land were called “sooners,” which eventually became the state’s nickname. Wagons and the Santa Fe railroad carried cartloads of men and women to blank town sites and building plots, creating ten thousand-people communities in a matter of days. The following year, the region was further divided into Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory...