siege1863 Posted January 1, 2008 Share #1 Posted January 1, 2008 What a way to end the year! This arrived today. I would have to consider this to be one of the scarcest (which does not equate to valuable) homefront pieces I have ever seen. How many can there still be? It was found many years ago in an old house in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania. The seller was doing remodeling and spotted the flag in the attic. He displayed it in his own home all these years, then recently decided to do some housecleaning. He stated he was going to throw it away, but thought someone might want it. The flag is nailed to on old broom handle, which measures 34" long, while the flag measures 15" x 17". It is stained and tattered but one can still make out most of the pencil drawings. Among them is a two-masted wooden sailing ship; the head of a pirate; the words “Piarat Captain” (mis-spelled); navy cutlasses; a skull and cross bones; and a number of “Good Luck” symbols. The boy also drew an American flag with an eagle topper; what may be an American eagle (Army?) patch; and crossed rifles surmounted by an eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch. An even greater surprise was to find in the lower right corner: “Drawn By Geo. Williams.” Wouldn’t I love to know more about little George! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siege1863 Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share #2 Posted January 1, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siege1863 Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share #3 Posted January 1, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baker Posted January 1, 2008 Share #4 Posted January 1, 2008 I like it. Looks like it's seen some action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_pickrall Posted January 1, 2008 Share #5 Posted January 1, 2008 That is an interesting piece. I fought many backyard wars in the late 40's and early 50's but I do not remember any of my buddies ever having a flag anything like this. This is a real WAG but I think that flag dates to pre WW2 and changed from a pirate Flag to a US military flag after the war started. Does the broom handle have threads on the end? It seems to in the pic but I couldn't be sure. If it is threaded it is probably for a push broom. A normal household straw broom was nailed or stapeled to a square cut wood handle. You might check the handle closely with a magnifying glass to see if there is any sign of an embossed maker mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siege1863 Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share #6 Posted January 1, 2008 Craig--- You may be right about the age. Unfortunately, there are no markings on the handle. The rounded finished end has a hole where it could be hung from a nail or hook. The other end, where there may have been threading, has been removed using a hatchet or similar tool. You can see several chop marks and where the wood is splintered. One thing that suggests the flag may have been used pre-war is the grouping of good luck "charms." There is a four-leaf clover, a Lincoln cent, a horse shoe, and what appears to be one style of the swastika! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted January 1, 2008 Share #7 Posted January 1, 2008 I like how he misspelled pirate, but was able to spell captain correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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