Bloodstained flag given $5m antiques valuation

An antiques valuation of $5m has been given to a flag.

A bloodstained flag found under the body of a soldier who perished at Custer's Last Stand has been given an antiques valuation of $5 million (£3.2 million).

The 32-inch by 26-inch flag, which bears 13 red and white stripes and 35 gold stars in a double circular pattern is the only one known to have survived the battle and is set to go on sale at Sotheby's in New York on December 10th.

It was recovered from the battlefield at Little Bighorn in Montana, where Lieutenant Colonel George A Custer and 268 members of the US 7th Cavalry were cut down by Native American warriors on June 28th, 1876.

"This is an incredible relic of American history and very evocative and was found by a burial party after the battle, lying under one of the men from the 7th cavalry," said Selby Kiffer, a specialist at Sotheby's.

An antiques valuation of £80,000 was recently given to a rare 17th century map of Canada discovered in an attic in Aberdeenshire.

Posted by Keith Leicester

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