Trafalgar Flag Can Bring You The Past

[Australis]

The only surviving Union Jack from the Battle of Trafalgar has sold at auction in London for nearly $700,000 after being found tucked away in a drawer in a Sydney home.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/22/2720736.htm

It's a cool story. Look at it. You can see the bullet holes.

But the thing that fascinated me was something said during a TV news story: it still smells faintly of battle smoke.

Think of that. Hold it to your face, take a deep breath... and you are directly in touch with the Battle of Trafalgar.

Wow.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Wow indeed. What an amazing artifact. It's always incredible to be able to touch something of great age and feel the weight of history.

It's a shame that it couldn't go to a Museum, but this collector sounds like someone who cares about history and will allow it to be at least in the custody of a Museum, either here or in the UK.

 

[Australis]

The buyer has said it will remain in the UK, but no mention of where. Hope its the British Museum. I might have said on the 'Victory' at one point, but after there was a fire there a year or three ago, maybe not.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Maybe it will go on tour.

 

[Roshi]

Yeah, and it should make a stop in France!

 

[Joshua Howard]

I have a mild-grade obsession with old patriotic items like flags and coins. This is incredibly cool.

 

[M'Sharak]

The only surviving Union Jack from the Battle of Trafalgar has sold at auction in London for nearly $700,000 after being found tucked away in a drawer in a Sydney home.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/22/2720736.htm

It's a cool story. Look at it. You can see the bullet holes.

Aside from those holes, it appears to be in surprisingly good condition, and the provenance would seem to be quite solid and verifiable. Wow, indeed.

 

[Australis]

Yeah, and it should make a stop in France!

That's wicked!

Funny too.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's tempting fate.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I was in awe of the news story of the find, even more so that it fetched a decent price at auction. I hope too that it does go on display or on tour.

Yeah, and it should make a stop in France!

They have the H-Bomb, you know.

 

[auntiehill]

That IS pretty cool. I'm surprised it didn't sell for more.

With any luck, the buyer will loan it to a museum for awhile.

 

[Bluesteel]

I just hope it doesn't go to America. I wouldn't mind if it stayed in Australia or went to New Zealand,Canada or the UK.

No offense to you Americans but you guys haven't taken part if the whole "Queen and country" for about two hundred years and the fact that most of you guys are Germans.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

How exactly can you authenticate whether an old dirty holey flag is actually a flag from that battle?

IMO it could simply be and old dirty holey flag that someone is claiming is special.

 

[Shaytan]

Yeah, and it should make a stop in France!

Don't tempt them now that they don't welcome us at Waterloo International anymore

 

[RJDiogenes]

I just hope it doesn't go to America. I wouldn't mind if it stayed in Australia or went to New Zealand,Canada or the UK.

No offense to you Americans but you guys haven't taken part if the whole "Queen and country" for about two hundred years and the fact that most of you guys are Germans.

Well, we got King Tut....

 

[Australis]

How exactly can you authenticate whether an old dirty holey flag is actually a flag from that battle?

IMO it could simply be and old dirty holey flag that someone is claiming is special.

It's incumbent on the sellers and the auction house to prove its authenticity beyond doubt. This must have been done.

Believe, or not.

 

[Brolan]

The buyer has said it will remain in the UK, but no mention of where. Hope its the British Museum. I might have said on the 'Victory' at one point, but after there was a fire there a year or three ago, maybe not.

Is there a vistor center or museum near Victory? That would make good spot.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

How exactly can you authenticate whether an old dirty holey flag is actually a flag from that battle?

IMO it could simply be and old dirty holey flag that someone is claiming is special.

It's incumbent on the sellers and the auction house to prove its authenticity beyond doubt. This must have been done.

Well that's my point, how can it possibly be authenticated. Surely that would be impossible.

 

[Australis]

^ They have guys who specialise in just this kind of stuff, plus thre's probably family letters, certificates, and so on, that he was who he said he was, and they are who they say they are.

Seriously, dude, don't be such a downer. I know things have to be right, and there's always a possibility of fakery, but an auction house can be completely ruined if a single fake is proven to have got through. It would have been checked six ways from Sunday.

 

[Skywalker]

No offense to you Americans but you guys haven't taken part if the whole "Queen and country" for about two hundred years and the fact that most of you guys are Germans.

So is your royal family.