Custer Flag to be sold at June Auction

[chas]

Gen. George A. Custer's personal battle flag sold by Heritage Auction Galleries June 24 Wyndham Hotel Gateway Gettysburg. Elizabeth "Libbie" Custer made the silk flag and had it delivered to her husband during the battle at Dinwiddie Court House near Petersburg, Va., on March 31, 186. Custer carried it as his horse charged the Confederate breastworks. She described the flag in an April 2, 1865, letter to her parents: "It is really beautiful, like th eold one, only larger - red and blue silk with white crossed sabers on both sides, and edged with a heavy white cord." It measures 36 by 68 inches. The bearer carrying the flag was killed at Sayler's Creek and the end of the swallowtail where Libbie Custer embroided her name was shot away at one of the engagements between March 31 and April 6. According to Heritage Auction Galleries' Gary Hendershott, Custer carried the flag through the Civil War's last two weeks of action and had it at his side when he received the first flag of surrender at Appomatoxx. The flag accompanied Custer to US Army postings in the West. It survived Custer's death at the Little Bighorn because it was left at his headquarters. All four of the general's flags were found in a trunk in the Custer family farmhouse in 1956. The fourth flag, which was sold to Custer biographer Dr. Lawrence A. Frost of Monroe, MI., is the one being auctioned. Frost included a photo of it in his 1964 book The Custer Album. With the flag are Frost's drawing of the flag, showing its dimensions, and the circustances of it being found with the other flags. After Frost's death in 1990 the flag was sold and then sold in 2003 to the present owner, Thomas Minckler. The auction estimate for the flag is $1.8 million to $2.2 million. reprinted from May 2007 Civil War News.

[chas]

Unfortunately, Custer's flag did not sell in Sunday's auction. It is possible that it will sell in the post auction offers or by private treaty. If it does I will let you know the information of the sale.

[Diane Merkel]

GETTYSBURG, Pa. - A diamond-adorned sword once owned by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant brought a winning bid of more than $1.6 million in an auction of Civil War items.

Another showcase item up for bid was Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer‘s frayed battle flag, which was auctioned for $896,250. Another item of note was a "Bonnie Blue" flag carried by the 3rd Texas State Cavalry, which drew a bid of $47,800.

The silver and gold sword contains a 28-diamond monogram and is covered with intricate designs, including engraved battle scenes on its 33-inch blade.

I'm sure more articles will follow.

Article: www.onelocalnews.com/whiterockreviewer/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=126240

Here's a lengthier AP article: www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4916663.html

[George Armstrong Custer]

Thanks for the notices on this Chas and Diane. Very interesting - particularly the pre-sale estimates of $1.8 - $2.2 million and the actual sale price of $896,250. Even the lower sale price is quite a mark up on what the flag sold for just 12 years ago in 1995. At Butterfield & Butterfield's sale at San Francisco on April 4, 1995, the pre-sale estimate for the same flag was $50,000 - $80,000, and it actually sold for $165,000. So $886,250 for a $165,000 investment in just 12 years is pretty good going! Incidentally, the Butterfield catalogue description of the flag gives slightly different dimensions for the flag to those quoted by Chas, Butterfields describing it as being 32 x 67 inches. Here's the Butterfield catalogue illustration of the flag:



ciao,
GAC

[Diane Merkel]

I was wondering how the guy in Billings got it. I didn't know about the B&B auction. Interesting, since Elizabeth Lawrence was still alive then. Perhaps I've got the provenance wrong, but I thought she bought it from Larry Frost.

Good to "see" you, GAC!

Diane

[harpskiddie]

It's possible, given the fact that there are several kicking around [another thread], that these are different flags.

Gordie,
the river is deep; I can't cross over, and neither have I wings to fly..............................................

[George Armstrong Custer]

harpskiddie said:

It's possible, given the fact that there are several kicking around [another thread], that these are different flags.

Gordie,
the river is wide; I can't cross over, and neither have I wings to fly..............................................

That possibility may explain the slight divergence on the dimensions of the flag in the two auctioneers descriptions. But doesn't Libbie's correspondence only refer to her making one such flag - and late in the war - early 1865 - at that?

ciao,
GAC