Japanese flag pricing

[Cricket]

I recently discovered a framed WWII Japanese flag in good condition at a local thrift store. The flag is also signed by the men in the company along with their hometown and a few brief messages.

The vendor is asking $1,200 for it. My question is, is that a good price for it?
I am sure many would say its in the eye of the beholder, but I am really excited about this piece and would like to go for it or at least make an offer.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[dhermann1]

I would go to PBS Antiques Road Show web site and find one of the experts there who specializes in WW II memorabilia. My only other thought is to wonder what degree of forgeries and fakes are out there. I would think there are many. Have you got a good provenance on it?
You could also Google for vendors and appraisers. It's all about comparables.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Sadly, I think flags are often faked. I was in the market for a NVA flag some years ago and discovered that it was almost impossible to find an actual Vietnam-era, NVA flag among the hundreds of "genuine" NVA and VC flags being offered for sale.

About seven years ago, our office prosecuted a person for faking a 9-11, Ground Zero, American Flag. Supposedly, it was a flag that had been unearthed from the debris of the towers. The guy had what initially appeared to be a good provenance on the flag, and managed to dupe two nationally known and respected flag collectors, but the flag turned out to be a fake.

http://www.newbernsj.com/news/flag-14373-couple-gorges.html

AF

 

[dhermann1]

That description sure sounds interesting. Maybe you could write down some of the names and other info to track down. Get a photo if you can.

 

[dr greg]

I have to ask, in the US isn't a thrift store a place where donated clothes and bric-a-brac are sold to, and for the benefit of, the poor?
If so what's a high-end militaria item doing there at such a price?

 

[Rathdown]

Actually all sorts of things are donated to thrift stores-- one of them recently sold, at auction, an original photo of Robert E. Lee that fetched over $25,000. The selling of used clothing, books, etc. is just one aspect of the fundraising in which "thirft stores" are engaged.

As to the Imperial Japanese Forces flag... the $1,200 tag seem high, and as others have said, "beware of fakes".

 

[Sgt Brown]

Those kind of flags are not an uncommon item on eBay. Go to their search and click on "completed auctions" to see what they are going for. The completed item function is a handy way to check on what people are paying for any item.

Tom

 

[Cricket]

It is not actually a thrift store but rather a marketplace, vendor rents, type thing. It is a booth full of war goods from gas masks to books to uniforms to hats to posters...everything. The flag caught my eye. To an untrained eye...me...it doesn't look fake but I am not an expert. I will scribble down some names today and snap a pic to post later as well.

Thanks for everyone's advice. I am set on getting it but I just don't want to pay too high or pay for a fake.