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Heirloom Flag Question.

286 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Maura
My mom came up from Florida to visit my new homestead a couple of weeks ago, she loved my farm and animals and we had a great visit.

She sent me a thank you package that made me so proud!

My great uncle Boyd Dickinson served in the army in WWI in Germany, he never married and went to work on the family farm after the war, he had a great affinity for animals and nature.

When he passed away in the mid-sixties my great aunt Sarah sent for the flag that is given to veterans, and she kept it on a shelf until her passing, it was then passed to my mom and now to me. It is not in a flag case or anything, just folded up in a box. Along with the flag, I received his army cap, army photo and the funeral program and the flag insert from Valley Forge Flags. She also included a lovely note with a biography of my uncle, how he fell in love with a German girl and had his heart broken, etc.....

I would hate to sit this flag on a shelf for another 20-30 years, but I don't want to fly it, because it will get ruined, it is quite large, 5.5 X 9 I think.
My idea is to hang it from a dowel on the big wall leading up the stairway in my home, it would be nice there too as the wall-paper is original in this part of the house (lovely, and dating to before 1920) I want to keep the paper for the time being, it is rather worn in places, so the flag would camouflage it nicely.

I am also considering making a shadow box for the memorabilia to showcase the provenance of the flag.

Now my question, should I Scotchguard the flag or treat it in any way- it is mint, but of course the white has yellowed a bit over the years. I would hate for it to get ruined by my good intentions, or by my inaction. Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing?
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Contact the nearest large museum in your area. I would be concerned about taking advice from anyone other than an absolute expert. My father received a flag that was very important to his uncle and my mother is very careful with heirlooms of any kind so she took it to the museum and had it treated to preserve it then refolded and she had a lovely glass & oak case made to display it and it does look quite lovely. It's far nicer if you can display it in some way instead of leaving it on a shelf.
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