Bonhams will offer a U.S flag flown during the WWII D-Day landings as part of an upcoming sale in New York.
The stars and stripes flag was flown aboard the LST-372 Class Tank Landing Ship, as it landed on Gold Beach on June 7, 1944 as part of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France.
The flag was also flown aboard the ship at Juno, Utah and Omaha during the landings, and is expected to sell for $12,000 – $18,000.
Following the Normandy invasion the flag was acquired by Pharmacist Mate 1st Class James Dale Jones, who served aboard LST-372 before returning home to the U.S on the S.S. America with wounded Americans and German POWs.
Jones was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in October 1945, and the flag remained in his collection for many years before being acquired directly from his family by the current owner.
Although frayed along the edge by exposure to the elements, the 48-star flag remains a testament to the bravery of Allied soldiers and sailors during the operation, in which more than 10,000 men were wounded and 4,414 lost their lives.
U.S flags with strong military history have long been sought-after by collectors, particularly those which saw action during WWII.
Back in 2016, a bullet-riddled flag flown aboard the U.S. Navy vessel LCC 60 – the first boat to land at Utah Beach on D-Day – sold at Heritage Auctions for $514,000.
That flag was described as "one of the most significant artifact of the D-Day invasion that exists in private hands", and remains one of the most valuable pieces of WWII military memorabilia ever sold.
The Bonhams Marine Sale takes place on June 14.
