Flags/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| flag rarity | 12/11/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I have a flag made by the valley forge co. The label says 100% cotton-bunting. The flag is entirely ... A: There is obviously only one flag answering to your full description (flown from the McGowan at her ... | ||
| FLAG RULES ON INTERNATIONAL TRAIN | 12/4/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: This is a question I have been arguing for years. Every year Canadian Pacific Railroad sends down a ... A: In all my protocol manuals, I've never seen any rules for trains. I guess we should reason from ... | ||
| 48 star flag in canister | 10/18/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: We found a long wooden canister that looks like a cane. On the thicker end of the cane is a bulbous ... A: I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond. For some reason I wasn't getting my emails from All ... | ||
| WWI Flag | 9/30/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I have a 48 star flag that was given to my great grandmother on the death of her son killed in ... A: I have no formal knowledge but I suspect they were given new to the widows/mothers at the time. By ... | ||
| ok to put flag holder on mailbox? | 9/9/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I read your answer about placement of flag on a house but the right side of our house has too many ... A: Hmm. I had a vision of a small mailbox and was actually joking, since a 3x5' flag would be ... | ||
| WW2 German SS Flag | 8/15/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I have a fascination for anything to do with the Second World War, and after years of searching, ... A: Look along the white part at the hoist; the manufacturer puts a stamp there plus other information. ... | ||
| 1943 48 star Mare island flag | 7/29/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I also have a 48 star, hand sewn flag with brass rivets and cord attachments, in great condition-1 ... A: Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the principal west-coast shipyard during the war; see ... | ||
| Proper Flag Protocol re: Two Flag Poles | 7/29/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: It is clear on flying the POW/MIA flag with the US flag on a single or with two flag poles and it is ... A: I posted your question and the best answer I got was this: "House Resolution H.R.1119 National ... | ||
| Proper Flag Protocol re: Two Flag Poles | 7/29/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: It is clear on flying the POW/MIA flag with the US flag on a single or with two flag poles and it is ... A: Wrong on most counts. With single or multiple poles, the POW/MIA flag has lowest priority, as it is ... | ||
| Flag with Gold Stars | 7/10/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I don't know much about this flag, my nephew acquired it somehow, possibly when he was serving in ... A: This has been the topic of much discussion on the Flags of the World mailing list, who maintain the ... | ||
| Where to put flag in yard | 7/8/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I just got a flag pole for my birthday. Now I want an expert opinion on where to place it in my ... A: Put it where you think it looks best and where the flag will be best seen from your preferred ... | ||
| American and Canadian flags on same pole. | 7/6/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: Can the Stars and Stripes be on the same flag pole as the Canadian flag? A: Strictly speaking, no. The only time a US flag should fly above a Canadian flag is if the Yanks ... | ||
| placement of multiple flags | 6/29/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: We have three flagpoles and three flags for display at our home. 1. American 2. Confederate 3. ... A: Order 1-3-2; the Confederacy is no longer a country and the flag is now only a political statement. ... | ||
| 1943 48 star flag | 6/12/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: We recently found my father's WWII things he saved in our shed. among the ribbon medals, dogtags, ... A: The flag may have been the ship's ensign. Mare Island was a shipyard NE of San Francisco. I can't ... | ||
| Confederate flag | 6/1/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I recently purchased a very old Confederate flag, someone folded the ends and put it inside a frame ... A: It is of course possible, but there's no way I can tell. If it's cotton or wool and hand-sewn, your ... | ||
| Foreign Flag Protocol | 5/13/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I know the US flag is always positioned furthest to audience Left (stage right), but is there a ... A: Yes there is: Alphabetical (in English). Note in this connection that Great Britain is displayed ... | ||
| Military Flag Protocol | 4/29/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: Is it legal to require a military member overseas to render a salute to the host nation flag during ... A: I think you conflated two things: saluting a foreign flag and pledging allegiance to it. The former ... | ||
| 1 flag pole, only foreign flag? | 4/4/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: On my way to work I pass by a 2-story office building of little notice or signage. However ... A: There is no law against flying the Mexican (or any other) flag by a private citizen, and one law ... | ||
| 48 star flag | 3/27/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: "I have a 48 star flag that is approx. 10' x 20'. On the edge it says Valley Forge Flag Company ... A: I just got the same question (down to #6 Ensign) from someone else, only that flag was 4x6'. A 10' ... | ||
| 48 star valley forge No. 9 ensign | 3/27/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I am going through my grandparents estate and this was in the bottom of the cedar chest. It is sewn ... A: Possibly, but an official US Navy ensign would not be 4x6; closer to 4x8. It might have been ... | ||
| 48 star valley forge No. 9 ensign | 3/26/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I am going through my grandparents estate and this was in the bottom of the cedar chest. It is sewn ... A: It sounds like a pretty common version of the 48-star flag. Valley Forge is an established flag ... | ||
| foreign flags in us | 3/24/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: In a near by neighborhood there is a large Mexican flag being flown with a smaller U.S. and state ... A: I need to ask you some more questions to consider this further. (1) Is the American flag being ... | ||
| 48 star flag | 3/21/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: I have a 48 star flag that is approx. 10' x 20'. On the edge it says Valley Forge Flag Company ... A: We here at AllExperts are all volunteers from our various fields, so I apologize for the delay in ... | ||
| flag question | 3/20/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I purchased a flag at an auction and I am having trouble identifying it. It is approx 19"x19" and ... A: The consensus on the Flags of the World list is that this is not strictly speaking a flag, in that ... | ||
| Spanish-American War Flag | 3/13/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: Jeff, Thanks for your time. I have an antique flag that has been handed down in my family since ... A: 45 star flags are very common. Unless there is something highly unusual about one, such as a ... | ||
| help id flag | 3/13/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I aquired a flag and I'm having some trouble researching it. It is approx. 2ft width and about 7ft. ... A: The age might be tough. The colors have turned somewhat (brick red, ecru white) so it is not nylon, ... | ||
| C.S.A. Navy Jack Confederate Flag | 3/5/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I just bought a Confederate flag from an estate sale at the home where Shelby Foote lived and wrote ... A: A flag of that vintage hardly qualifies as an antique; it's not like you had one from the days of ... | ||
| old flags | 3/1/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I have a yellow flag with a black scalloped border> I would like to know the country that it ... A: That's a tough one. I did some looking at Flags of the World (fotw.net), the most complete flag ... | ||
| Confederate flag | 2/27/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: I have a 4ft x 6ft confederate flag. It says Storm King all cotton on the edge and WPL blank 721,I ... A: My apologies for the delay in getting back to you. We here at AllExperts are all volunteers. I was ... | ||
| yacht club burgees | 2/24/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I am trying to identify some yacht club (and sailing club) burgees. I have looked on the ... A: Offhand, no. That's the site I always go to. There are so many clubs, some so small, that I don't ... | ||
| Where does the pink Union Flag come from? | 2/17/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: At London Pride, I kept on seeing pink versions of the British Flag, the Union Jack. The blue in the ... A: There is a "pink" fad in the US as well. I don't think it's a gay thing as much as a marketing thing ... | ||
| confederate flag | 2/9/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: I have a confederate battle flag that is hand stitched with zigzag stitching on the stars. What is ... A: My apologies for the delay in getting back to you. We here at AllExperts are all volunteers. I was ... | ||
| Odd Flag or Banner | 2/9/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I recently came across a Flag or Banner that I would like some info on. It measures 10" x 7' 8". ... A: AHA! I saw this one after I answered the other one. It is as I suspected; it's not a flag but just ... | ||
| Odd Flag or Banner | 2/9/2011 | Albert Kirsch |
| Q: I recently came across a Flag or Banner that I would like some info on. It measures 10" x 7' 8". ... A: Could you give me a little more info? Are the stars white on blue? What is the overall layout of the ... | ||
| 48 Star from nov11 1918 | 1/24/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: Good Evening, I have a 48 star flag that is hand written on the edge of the flag.. ON ... A: Scott. Sounds like a nice thing you have there. Probably you could expect about $350 at auction, ... | ||
| 48 star us flag | 1/23/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: i have a 48 star us flag that is in very good shape,,can U tell me if it is worth anything,,if so ... A: 48 star flags were used between 1912 and 1959, a period not so long ago. They were therefore ... | ||
| American and British flags together | 1/14/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: I was given a piece of paper by an elderly lady ages ago and it has the two flags (crossed) and two ... A: This is a woven silk image on a postcard. It dates to WWI (U.S. involvement 1917-18. I have owned ... | ||
| Congress Flag | 1/14/2011 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: I have what I think is an old US "Congress" flag. It has th union jack wwhere the stars go, but, it ... A: If you email me some images, I'd be happy to have a look. My email address is: jrbantq@ptd.net My ... | ||
| 13 star miniature silk flag | 12/25/2010 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: I found this miniature 13 star flag between the pages of an old book dated 1889. Can you tell me how ... A: This little flag is woven silk ribbon with some of the vertically running strands pulled to make ... | ||
| approximate age 48 stars | 12/19/2010 | Jeff Bridgman |
| Q: I have a Storm King 4x6 flag with the box it came in,the label on the box reads,STORM KING BUNTING ... A: I must apologize for the tardiness of my answer here in the midst of the holiday season. We at ... | ||
Albert Kirsch
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I am more-or-less expert in vexillology (the study of flags). My expertise is particularly strong in North America at the level of city and county, but if I don`t know the answer I know a dozen people who do. So if there`s a flag in the newspaper or on TV that you have trouble identifying, let me know. I`ll do my best. But PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO APPRAISE A FLAG'S VALUE: (1) I have no expertise in that area and (2) even if I did, I cannot appraise something I can't see. Take it to a museum which has a specialist in textiles and the like.
Experience
In this field, I designed the flag of Carroll County, Illinois, in 1974 (see http://www.internetni.com/~lanarklib/index.html). You can see my personal flag at http://www.nava.org/memflags.htm
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