Really grand, really old flags come to auction

Military historians call it an anomaly. American naval flags of this pedigree simply don’t exist — not after nearly two centuries. They’re shredded by heavy winds and rain at sea, cannibalized to patch other flags, and eventually lost to time. But the colors that flew over the U.S.S. Constitution — like “Old Ironsides” itself — have survived, through long voyages across the globe, wars, and battles with pirates.