The Forster Flag, one of the first American flags carried by the Minutemen, is being put up for auction next week, on the 9th of April.
The flag, which is three yards of red silk and one of around only 35 still surviving today, is believed to have been carried by the Manchester Militia Company on April 19th, 1775 – the day after Paul revere rode from Boston to deliver the news of the British invasion. It is the earliest flag to use 13 stripes signifying the 13 original colonies, making it a precursor to the American flag we know today.
The University of Texas is putting the flag up for auction through the Flag Heritage Foundation, and will use the earnings toward the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, home of the Whitney Smith Flag Research Center Collection, considered the most important archive of flag iconography in the world. However, the university wants to keep the piece and is hoping that the buyer will donate it back, or at least lend it to the Briscoe Center.
The estimated earnings are between $1 million and $3 million, although it would not be surprising if the piece sold for more.
Courtesy of CNN Money