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In the past few years, there have been HUNDREDS of spurious Civil War Confederate flags produced by a small company in Tennessee. The flags are only meant as display items and are clearly reproductions when viewed by true experts, but in the eyes of the novice--they are DANGEROUS. The flags are patterned after authentic examples and often made of old scraps of fabric and are also heavily machine washed to simulate age and wear. The odds of you finding an authentic Confederate battleflag are very slim--there simply are not that many around--and original exampes cost in the mid and upper tens of thousands of dollars. Even the far more common First National patterns are not found very often--and a normal authentic piece will be in the low tens of thousands of dollars. Don't be fooled by the appearance or even the associated "story" that comes with a flag--have it authenticated and if you wish to gamble, try to get a return priveledge from the seller. Don't be ripped off if you can help it, but don't sit on the edge of your chair hoping to buy $100 bills for a quarter, either.
Guide created: 03/05/09 (updated 10/01/09)
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