GUEST: Well, it's a flag that belonged to my grandfather. It was given to him by his mother, who made the flag. And he flew it from his dormitory window at Dartmouth College during the Civil War.
APPRAISER: And this is his mother, is that right?
GUEST: This is the lady that made the flag, my great-grandmother. And that's her husband. And this is my great-grandfather.
APPRAISER: Having the silhouette of the person that made it is really quite unusual and quite rare. This was handed down to you.
GUEST: It was handed down to my mother and then to me. And I've had it for 25 years now.
APPRAISER: It's a rare flag, 31 stars. California was the 31st state that came into the Union in 1850. So that dates the flag pre-Civil War. It's all hand-stitched, made by your grand... great-grandmother. And there was an auction a few weeks ago in which stars-and-stripes flags brought unbelievable prices. So I think that the flag market has really gone up. And this has got more history to it than I think most of the flags in that auction. It's just grand. Do you have an idea of what this might be worth? With the silhouettes?
GUEST: I have not... not a clue. It's never been looked at.
APPRAISER: Well, I think, probably with the silhouettes and the family history, you've got a $15,000 to $20,000 flag here. But I think that you should take it to a textile conservator and really have it restored, because it's fraying and it needs some attention. You probably can find somebody locally through a local museum.
