articles:
Dealer Profile

July 2009, The Magazine Antiques.  The Market by Katrine Ames

Something weird happened to Jeff Bridgman and his business in 2008—in fact, two weird things. In the midst of a global economic collapse, he had his best year ever, and in December, he made a large sale to a Democrat. "To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time I'd ever made a major sale to a Democrat.....

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Articles About Antique American Flags:
Early American Flag Collecting Old Glory

Most people know surprisingly little about early American flags. In fact, most Americana dealers know as little about them—and sometimes even less than—the average person on the street. It’s downright peculiar when you think about it, and the situation continues to perplex me. What item can you honestly say is more American than the American flag? Save possibly an original draft of our Constitution or the Declaration of Independence, there is no antique that so encapsulates our nation’s heritage and the word “Americana.”

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Antique 13 star flag So You Want To Buy A 13 Star Flag?

If you are looking for a Colonial / Revolutionary period 13 star flag, in other words, one made prior to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, or at the very least during the period when we had 13 states, prior to the 1791 addition of Vermont, I have some very bad news for you.  Almost none exist.  And those that are claimed to be of that time period are highly suspect until they are identified by one of the tiny hand few of people who are capable of the highly specialized task.

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antique flag Colllecting 101
from The Magazine Antiques

In honor of Independence Day, I asked Jeff Bridgman of Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques, an expert in early American flags, to shed some light on this area of collecting.

Question: What do you find is the most desirable period of early American flags among collectors? What in your opinion is the most overlooked?

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confederate flag Colours of the South:
Why should I add a Confederate flag to my collection?

When people think of the Confederate flag, different images are formed.  Many Caucasian southerners—especially those persons with ancestral connection to a solider—would likely find an object that displays their heritage and southern patriotism. 

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Early American cotton flag Dispelling the Myths: 
Use Of Cotton In 19TH Century American Flags

Focus, the semi-annual educational journal of the Antiques Council

Military dealers and flag enthusiasts alike have long claimed that flags were never made of cotton during the Civil War or prior. I have to admit that when I was first exposed to better quality flags, I thought the exactly the same thing, because this is what I was taught. Like so many myths in antiques, however, the problem was based on the personal opinions of collectors and dealers who passed cotton flags by, instead of about the use of cotton during the mid-19th century. I soon came to the conclusion that such claims about cotton flags were flatly incorrect.

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Antique Banner Flag Flags of Our Forefathers:
A Pennsylvania antiques dealer unfurls America’s Past

Much of what we believe about the American flag and its history is not true, or so claims Jeff Bridgman, an antiques dealer in the rural Pennsylvania town of Dillsburg, near Gettysburg, who specializes in vintage examples of Old Glory.  He says, for example, that Betsy Ross probably did not create the first American flag, and that Francis Hopkinson, a New Jersey signer of the Declaration of Independence, is a likelier candidate because in 1780 he billed the government for designing the flag and other patriotic emblems.

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American Parade Flags with Overprinted Advertising American Parade Flags with Overprinted Advertising
A paper written for “Focus”, the semi-annual journal of the Antiques Council



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Early American Painted Cupboard Collecting Painted Furniture– The Rare Milk Cupboard
An Article appearing in Focus, the educational Journal of the Antiques Council

For the entirety of my adult experience in collecting and selling antiques, painted American furniture in original or early surface has been my first love. Nothing peaks my attention like a fantastic set of Pennsylvania decorated chairs in rare salmon paint, or a chrome yellow blanket box with salmon pinwheel sponging, or, better yet, a Mahantango Valley chest with birds, angels, and tulips on the drawer-fronts and styles.

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Historic American Flags 13 Star Flag Survey Chart:
A Time Line for Both Period 18th Century Examples and Known 18th Century Images

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The 13 stars and Stripes: A Survey of 18th Century Images

The 13 Stars and Stripes was born on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Continental Congress. Unlike subsequent variations, the first US Flag has been made and used almost continuously ever since. Even today, you can purchase a brand new copy and, keeping with the tradition of the original flag, it is available in several different specifications. This fact, however, also raises issues when someone comes upon an old 13 star flag.

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Many thanks to author David Martucci for this excellent piece of ongoing research. Visit his website at http://www.vexman.net/13stars/ for the most updated information.


Early Antique American flag Following the Flags Leads Police to Stolen Antiques in Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. - The Oklahoma City Police Department, working with a noted antiques expert on American flags and a local auction house recovered nearly 100 percent of the antiques that had been stolen from auctioneers Livingston Estate Services in mid-December. Valued at $30,000, the consigned items stolen in an apparent inside burglary included a very rare eight-stripe, 19-star American flag dating back to the early Nineteenth Century, a rare Shepard Hardware picture gallery mechanical bank from 1885, an Emerson Mickey Mouse radio, a large Lalique Bacchantes vase, six small statues, and six gold coins.

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Pledging Allegiance
Jeff R. Bridgman on American flags, the business of antiques, and the role of the Internet in today’s climate
Published in the Northeast Journal

When it comes to dealers of antique American flags, there is no name in the business as recognizable as Jeff Bridgman. He is, simply put, a dealer’s dealer. He travels like a madman, tirelessly, setting up his stylish displays at antique shows across the nation, tracking down and acquiring superb examples of Old Glory...

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Antique flag Top Ten Tips when selecting an early American National Flag
This article was published in Country Home

(1) Unless you are buying from a dealer who knows a lot about flags, start small and be cautious. Most people, including almost all antiques dealers, know astonishingly little about early American flags. Be extremely wary of internet auctions, take everything you hear with a grain of salt, and ask a lot of questions.

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An episode of HGTV with Jeff Bridgman

Jeff Bridgman in Country Living

About Jeff Bridgman