Lot 525

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Description:


Good pair of colorful certificates given to donors to the 'American Flag House and Betsy Ross Memorial Association'. Each certificate, issued in 1898, bears a fanciful image of Ross presenting the flag to George Washington with additional images of her house and her grave. The certificates bear the donors' names and measure 14 x 11 in. Each in fine, virtually untouched condition.. In 1870 William J. Canby, a grandson of Elizabeth (Betsy) Ross of Philadelphia, read a paper before the Philadelphia Historical Society. He claimed that in June, 1776, his grandmother had, in consultation with Gen. George Washington, created the original flag of the United States. He based his claims on several statements made by Betsy Ross (who had died in 1830) and her daughter, William's mother. Charles H. Weisgerber then painted the 'Birth of Our Nation's Flag,' imagining the meeting between Washington and Ross. In 1898, his brother George Canby and nephew Lloyd Balderston, expanded the story in a book and formed the Betsy Ross Memorial Association. To raise funds to purchase Ross's house (at 239 or 241 Arch St. in Philadelphia), they sold ten-cent subscriptions to the American Flag House and Memorial Association. Their campaign was part of a national mania for the American flag that had begun in the 1890s.

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April 11, 2021 8:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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$100 $499 $20
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$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
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