Good deal on a meatball flag?

[Der Texaner]

I'm surprised this flag went as cheap as it did. I have every reason to believe it is original. 3 ties, instead of just two. Multi-piece construction with some staining. Any opinions on its value, and aren't these considered army? Thanks in advance.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...:B:BCA:US:1123

Joel

[MikeB]

Good Deal on a flag....

Hi Joel-
This is a standard Japanese hinomaru or what we might call the Japanese national flag. It is virtually impossible to date these to any specific timeframe, so it could be a WW2 vintage flag or a much later one. These are pretty prolific in numbers and I have seen them sell anywhere from $20.00-$50.00 Unless a particular hinomaru flag had a really good story and proof of that story associated with it, I would not spend more than $50.00 (and that's a bit high in my book,) for one. Hope this helps. MikeB