World War II U.S. Serviceman's Collection
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GUEST:
I brought my father's flag when he was serving in the Pacific theater. I also brought his diary. And also his picture as a signalman.
APPRAISER:
So our flag is in pretty rough condition here.
GUEST:
This flag came from his LST number 797 through the typhoon of Okinawa. He was in four typhoons. Whether this was the flag from one of them in Okinawa, I think it was. Because it was labeled as such.
APPRAISER:
A 48-star American flag from World War II is a wonderful thing, but, honestly, not something that has a whole lot of value. But when you can connect an artifact with a specific historic event, knowing that this particular flag flew above that LST during the invasion of Okinawa, which was the largest amphibious operation in the Pacific theater during World War II, makes it a lot more significant. And the diary, the photographs, the other material that you have, that's the glue that holds all of that together. We find some wonderful stories in here. I was very impressed with his diary. It's legible.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Did he mention Ernie Pyle to you?
GUEST:
He was close to Ernie Pyle when he was gunned down.
APPRAISER:
Ernie Pyle was very popular with the guys. They absolutely loved him. He lived in the mud with them, and he told their story in their voices, and they loved him for it. And it was a real dagger through the heart when Ernie died. He talks about dodging these typhoons. These vessels look so big when they're in port. But when you're out in the middle of the ocean getting tossed around...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
...you realize that Mother Nature is a powerful entity. And a number of ships were lost...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
...to those typhoons.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
With the connection to Okinawa, we believe that a conservative auction estimate for the flag would be between $4,000 and $6,000.
GUEST:
Oh, wow. That is a shock. That is a shock. Thank you so much.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
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