EXCEEDINGLY RARE 14 STAR-10 STRIPE UNITED STATES PARADE AND RALLY FLAG, ASSOCIATED WITH NATHAN BEMAN (ONE OF ETHAN ALLEN’S “GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS”).

EXCEEDINGLY RARE 14 STAR-10 STRIPE UNITED STATES PARADE AND RALLY FLAG, ASSOCIATED WITH NATHAN BEMAN (ONE OF ETHAN ALLEN’S “GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS”). One of three known United States flags displaying 14 stars, representing Vermont’s admission as the 14th state in 1791. This flag measures 20-1/4” on its hoist edge by 30-1/4” on its fly. Its field is composed of ten alternating, horizontal, white and red, 2” wide stripes commencing at the top with white and ending with red. Each is composed of strips of silk ribbon sewn together by hand. A sky-blue, silk canton, 10-3/4” square, has been sewn to the obverse side of the field in the upper staff corner, and extending part way (1/2”) into the sixth (a red) stripe. No canton appears on the reverse side. After the appliqué of the canton to the obverse side, fourteen (14) white, silk, 5-pointed, 1 1/4” diameter stars were sewn to the canton, which consists of a star in the center of the canton surrounded by a pentagon of five stars. Eight more stars (in pairs) radiate to each of the four corners of the canton. Leading edge of the flag (but not the canton) has been wrapped around a soft wooden staff, 42” long and tapering between 1/2” (at top) and 5/8” (at bottom) and glued in place so that the flag could be waved at patriotic rallies or parades. This flag was found in the attic of a home in Chateaugay, New York at a date after the house’s sale in 1961. House had been the home of Frank Beman (great-great-grandson of one of Ethan Allen’s “Green Mountain Boys” Nathan Beman (b.1757,d.1846). 1920’s era newspaper clipping from Malone, New York includes a photograph of Frank Beman with this flag, and states Nathan Beman, who was orig from Shareham, VT, later moved to and helped settle Chateaugay. It also states that the flag passed thru Nathan’s son George Beman, his children, then to its current owner (in 1921), Frank Beman. Nathan Beman assisted Ethan Allen during the surprise attack and capture of Fort Ticonderoga. It was the capture of its cannons and the eventual delivery to Dorchester Heights in Boston that allowed Washington to beat the British and win Boston in the early days of the Revolution. CONDITION: Very good. Except for the separation of the staff and that portion of the flag glued to it, this flag is in remarkable condition for its age (estimated to have been made as a gift to Nathan Beman at some time between 1795 and 1815). Flag’s colors are rich and bright, and the flag shows little use. Several vertical separations in the silk along the flag’s fly edge due to exposure when rolled on its staff. Two small oil stains are also evident on the flag’s third red stripe (from the top). 4-55274 HMM (10,000-15,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2005

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	3108	$24,150.00	EXCEEDINGLY RARE 14 STAR-10 STRIPE UNITED STATES PARADE AND RALLY FLAG, ASSOCIATED WITH NATHAN BEMAN (ONE OF ETHAN ALLEN’S “GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS”). One of three known United States flags displaying 14 stars, representing Vermont’s admission as the 14th state in 1791. This flag measures 20-1/4” on its hoist edge by 30-1/4” on its fly. Its field is composed of ten alternating, horizontal, white and red, 2” wide stripes commencing at the top with white and ending with red. Each is composed of strips of silk ribbon sewn together by hand. A sky-blue, silk canton, 10-3/4” square, has been sewn to the obverse side of the field in the upper staff corner, and extending part way (1/2”) into the sixth (a red) stripe. No canton appears on the reverse side. After the appliqué of the canton to the obverse side, fourteen (14) white, silk, 5-pointed, 1 1/4” diameter stars were sewn to the canton, which consists of a star in the center of the canton surrounded by a pentagon of five stars. Eight more stars (in pairs) radiate to each of the four corners of the canton. Leading edge of the flag (but not the canton) has been wrapped around a soft wooden staff, 42” long and tapering between 1/2” (at top) and 5/8” (at bottom) and glued in place so that the flag could be waved at patriotic rallies or parades. This flag was found in the attic of a home in Chateaugay, New York at a date after the house’s sale in 1961. House had been the home of Frank Beman (great-great-grandson of one of Ethan Allen’s “Green Mountain Boys” Nathan Beman (b.1757,d.1846). 1920’s era newspaper clipping from Malone, New York includes a photograph of Frank Beman with this flag, and states Nathan Beman, who was orig from Shareham, VT, later moved to and helped settle Chateaugay. It also states that the flag passed thru Nathan’s son George Beman, his children, then to its current owner (in 1921), Frank Beman. Nathan Beman assisted Ethan Allen during the surprise attack and capture of Fort Ticonderoga. It was the capture of its cannons and the eventual delivery to Dorchester Heights in Boston that allowed Washington to beat the British and win Boston in the early days of the Revolution. CONDITION: Very good. Except for the separation of the staff and that portion of the flag glued to it, this flag is in remarkable condition for its age (estimated to have been made as a gift to Nathan Beman at some time between 1795 and 1815). Flag’s colors are rich and bright, and the flag shows little use. Several vertical separations in the silk along the flag’s fly edge due to exposure when rolled on its staff. Two small oil stains are also evident on the flag’s third red stripe (from the top). 4-55274 HMM (10,000-15,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2005 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

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