Eighteenth century flags were made of linen, wool or silk, which made them more valuable then those made of synthetic fibers. Experts look for the type and twist of the thread for authentication purposes.
Workmanship and techniques in flags are valued differently than needlework. Homemade flag-making efforts of a child in the nineteenth century, for example, would be valued as folk art.
Sewing machines were not available until after the mid nineteenth century, so anything made with machine stitching, especially a stitched thirteen-star flag, were made for either the centennial or bicentennial. Hand stitched seams and the stars that were stitched on by hand are always most attractive to collectors.
Type and placement of the grommets will always help place and date the flag. Please be aware that sometimes the metal grommets may have been taken out and the holes repaired with hand stitching.
Flag collectors have always said that the flags that people can relate to from a moment in history, will most always be more valuable then the flags that have no ties to any human event.
The flags that are most rare and collectable are those that were made with political candidates and slogans and especially nineteeneth century advertising. By the end of the nineteenth century, it was considered a desecration of the flag to use it for advertising or as a decoration.
Resources
Thirteen Star Flags: A Key to Identification: Grace R. Cooper
The Stars and The Stripes: The American Flag from Birth of the Republic to the Present Boleslaw Mastai
Here is a beautiful web-site that you will enjoy viewing.
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