Revolutionary War battle flag to be sold
06/15/2012
What may be the last remaining Revolutionary War flag in private hands will be put up for sale by a Philadelphia auction house this fall.
Freeman’s Auctioneers and Appraisers will offer the battle flag of the 8th Virginia Regiment during its “Pennsylvania Sale,” scheduled for Nov. 14.
The 8th Virginia was under the command of Peter Muhlenberg, known as “the Fighting Parson,” and saw significant action during the American Revolution.
The 41-inch-by-45-inch banner is expected to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000.
Dating from the Revolutionary War, the “Grand Division” color is painted with a scrolling white ribbon and inscribed, “VIII Virg. Regt,” according to Freeman’s.
The silk flag has faded from its original salmon-red color to a golden hue as the flag descended in the Muhlenberg family line for more than 200 years, the auction house added.
