LOT #43032 |
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50 Star U.S. Flag, The South Tower Flag, World Trade Center, NY 9/11/01....
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Sold on Nov 13, 2023 for:
$52,500.00
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Description
50 Star U.S. Flag, The South Tower Flag, World Trade Center, NY 9/11/01. On September 18th, 2001, David Bliss was a volunteer with the Fire Department New York (FDNY) during the recovery phase of the clean-up at the World Trade Center (WTC). While sifting through the rubble of the South Tower, Bliss discovered what he thought were fragments of clothing from one of the victims of the September 11th terrorist attack. As he dug further, he realized he had found the smoldering remains of 2.5 feet by 5 feet cotton United States flag. From the amount of office equipment found in the same area, it was believed that the flag uncovered had decorated one of the offices of the WTC. The fires threatening the flag were extinguished and the flag was unearthed. The protocols for such debris field recoveries were still formative, and Bliss simply retained the flag.Like other traumatic events in American history, 9/11 stimulated spontaneous and widespread flag display across the nation. Any flag associated with the events of 9/11 came to engender great public interest when exhibited, and this one was no exception when it was displayed in 2002 at Disney's Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida and again later at The Presidio of San Francisco in 2003.
U.S., state, and international flags were among the 9/11 artifacts retrieved. Most recovered flags went to public institutions, including the Smithsonian, the New York State Museum, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It is estimated that hundreds of flags had been in World Trade Center buildings, due both to the large number of government offices there and the American tradition of flag ownership by private individuals. However, only a handful survived the fires and ultimate collapse of the Twin Towers.
Another post 9/11 flag phenomenon was the emergence of associated flags. Although not recovered from the World Trade Center or the Pentagon, these flags have been associated with the events of 9/11; the most famous among them was the flag hoisted over rubble by New York City firemen who had borrowed it from a nearby yacht anchored along the Hudson River.
The public interest in authentic 9/11 flags mirrors traditional American attachment to historic flag relics in the past. WTC flags fall into broad groups:
Debris Field Flags recovered from the WTC debris fields;
Freshkills Landfill Flags recovered from the 9/11 processing site on Staten Island;
WTC Associated flags are flags transported to the site by NYPD or FDNY generally while recovering the remains of the fallen;
9/11 Commemorative or Memorial flag are those flags taken to the site by grieving relative of those lost.
Of these categories, by far the most significant and evocative are the small handful of flags such as this one, recovered from the smoldering debris field in the days after the attack. It has been displayed and is offered here to honor the victims of 9/11 and the first responders, many of whom lost their lives or health in an effort to save them.
Condition: Scattered loss, has been linen backed. Appears to be fire damage.
Exhibition History:
Second Presidio Exhibit, 2003 - Gallery VI
World Trade Center United States Flag, South Tower Flag
University of California - Santa Cruz
Board of Councilors Meeting, Rare Flags Exhibit
Santa Cruz, CA
7 June 2012
Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 138-139.
Provenance:
In an unidentified office in South Tower, World Trade Center, NY, 11 September 2001.
David Bliss, 2001.
EpCot Center, of Disney World, Orlando, Florida, 2002/03.
Acquired by private treaty by the Zaricor Flag Collection in June 2003. From the Zaricor Flag Collection.
View all of [The Zaricor Flag Collection ]
Auction Info
2023 November 13 - 14 Americana & Political Signature Auction Signature® Auction #6276 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
November, 2023
13th-14th
Monday-Tuesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 5
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,779
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $300,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $300,000 and $3,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $3,000,000 per lot.
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