Fragment of the original Star Spangled Banner, from Heritage Auctions' recent sale of Civil War memorabilia. The fragment was formerly in the possession of flag restorer Katherine Fowler Richey (1889-1949); her mother Amelia Fowler (1862-1923) was one of ten women who, for eight weeks, fastened the original Star Spangled Banner to a backing of linen using a stitch that Ms. Fowler patented in 1913.

I haven't bought anything from a Heritage auction yet but it's always interesting to see what they have on offer — click here to sign up for email updates.