Nov 30, 2006 - Sale 2095

Sale 2095 - Lot 57

Price Realized: $ 60,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 40,000 - $ 60,000
LINDBERGH, CHARLES A. Small American flag carried by Lindbergh on the Spirit of St. Louis during his 1927 trans-Atlantic flight, with a Typed Note Signed by Lindbergh, "'We carried this flag from New York to Paris, May 20-21, 1927." The 48-star flag, approximately 8x11 inches, the one-line note approximately 2x8 1/2 inches; both framed together at a contemporary date, the mat foxed, but the flag and note with only minor age toning. Np, 1927

Additional Details

from the james f. prince collection, treasurer of wright aeronautical, one of only three known flags flown on the spirit of st. louis.
It is unknown how many souvenir flags such as this exist, but the number is very few. Lindbergh's primary concern in designing the plane was the enormous amount of fuel consumption required to make the non-stop flight. To ensure that the plane carried as much fuel as possible, Lindbergh restricted the personal items which he would carry on board because of the excess weight. This is the second (and final) flag from the Prince collection, the other sold at auction by Swann in November 2002 for $50,000. The only other known flag flown on the NYP flight was from the collection of Joe Hartson, a salesman at Wright Aeronautical.