A powder horn engraved with scenes from the Siege of Boston (1776) during the Revolutionary War will star in an auction at Cowan’s on September 8.
The piece is consigned from the collection of Eric C Caren, the renowned collector of historical artefacts. It’s valued at $10,000-15,000.
The lot is particularly special as some believe it to feature the first recorded depiction of the stars and stripes flag.
The flag in question can be seen to the far left of the horn
Here the stars appear in a circle separated by diagonals, while the stripes are visible to the side.
These two elements would not officially appear together on the US flag until the passing of the 1777 Flag Act, which called for 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent each of the colonies.
The horn was engraved by Barnabas Webb, a private in the Continental Army. Before the war he had trained as a silversmith, hence the extraordinary complexity of this carving.
While some are convinced this is an early version of Old Glory, other historians have argued the design is likely to be coincidental.
Either way, it’s a fascinating piece of US history.
Among the other highlights is a signed photograph of western legends Wild Bill Hickok, Texas Jack and Buffalo Bill – valued at up to $12,000.
The shot was taken to promote the trio’s chaotic stage play Scouts of the Plains (1873), where Hickok got catastrophically drunk before each performance and insisted on using live ammunition.
We have a genuine strand of hair from Apache leader Geronimo for sale.
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