France French flagpole

[Tony]

Hello,

I’ve just bought a French flag, it’s cotton, grubby has no markings and I was wondering if anyone can put a date (decade) to it going by the thin brass plate pointy bit pictured below?

Is it something that’s still in use today or are plastic pointy bits now used to complement the polyester flags?

Thanks

Tony

[922F]

Saw such points on poles likely dating from the 1910s-50s; hard to be more precise on date span, could be even earlier. Sometimes poles [2 to 6] with these finials were mounted behind a shield of national colors used to fly flags displayed for holidays, parades or state visits.

In the 1970s-90s, one could find job lot boxes [10 or 20 in a box] of this type ornament or finial in Paris & Brussels flea markets and elsewhere priced at about the equivalent of 50 cent to 2 euros each. Like yours, they sometimes have insignia or initials embossed in the oval cartouche, usually are one-sided [embossed so high relief on one side and mirror image on other] and generally are very flimsy, metal about the gauge of a steel can lid or slightly less. A maker's name may appear on an edge near the bottom ferrule.

Do not know if they are currently used/made. Suspect present counterparts are made of a more durable, likely cheaper plastic.

Edited November 24, 2013 by 922F

[Tony]

Thanks for the reply!

Going by the size I'd have a guess that it may have been used for the holidays you mention, it's probably a bit small for parades or state visits.

I haven't checked for a maker's name but will do tomorrow.

Tony