38 STAR ANTIQUE FLAG,COLORADO STATEHOOD, CIRCA 1876.

38 Star Antique Flag Includes a Centennial 1876 Overprint, Colorado Statehood, Circa 1876. This flag is unique for several reasons. The printing on the stripes is not an overprint but rather was incorporated when the flag was manufactured. Also the use of gold stars on parade flags is virtually unknown. The nation's centennial inspired patriotism across the country and reunited its citizen. The most notable celebration was the Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia. It is likely that this flag was made specifically for Philadelphia's celebration, as these flags are most discovered in or near Philadelphia. There are approximately twenty of these flags in circulation. This flag was manufactured in a reverse mount is one in which the canton of the US flag is positioned in the upper-right corner. Current flags ethics state that the canton should always be placed on the upper-left, but such requirement did not exist in the 19th century. An example of this flag is documented in the Thread of History. It is featured as item 437 and was held in the private collection of Mr. And Mrs. Boleslaw Mastai. Another example of this flag was featured in the Stars and Stripes BY J. Richards Pierce.
The thirty-eight flag was officially until July 4th, 1890, the time at which the forty-three flag became official and began to represent the inclusion of North Dakota, Montana, Washington, and Idaho to the Union.