# I got three new flags for my collection! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 19, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333 "2007-10-19T22:09:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/1 "2007-10-19T22:09:59Z")
England (St. George’s Cross), Scotland (St. Andrew’s Cross) and the Canadian Province of Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![yearsofstatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/779978/32.png) [@yearsofstatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearsofstatic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/2 "2007-10-19T23:02:18Z")
I’ve always been a fan of the Scottish flag myself. And the Welsh flag is pretty wicked. My favorite though is for Australia’s [Northern Territory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Northern_Territory). Have that one? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/3 "2007-10-19T23:55:06Z")
I don’t have it yet. I am starting with countries, then moving on to Canadian provinces, and then, hopefully, U.S. states. I already have West Virginia and Hawaii for U.S. States, and Ontario and Quebec for Canadian provinces. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/4 "2007-10-20T06:48:30Z")
I just got a Welsh flag for my collection. **Captain Socks,** if you want a Saskatchewan flag, send me an e-mail - I’d be willing to trade for a Maryland flag. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/5 "2007-10-20T18:43:50Z")
Sorry, I don’t have a Maryland yet, but I’d be happy to trade if I had one, maybe I’ll buy two of them next time I’m out, one for me, one for you. I noticed that the Ontario and Manitoba flags are almost the same. Same Union Jack in the canton, same red field, same shield, same St. George’s Cross in the top of the shield, same green field in the bottom of the shield. The only difference is that in the bottom of the shield on the Ontario flag has three sprigs, and the Manitoba flag has a bison (buffalo?) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/6 "2007-10-20T20:35:25Z")
I have flag patches for the countries I’ve been to. I may put them on the back of a jacket one day. The list so far (in order): U.S., Japan, Mexico, England (UK flag – I should get St. George’s cross), Belgium, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/7 "2007-10-20T20:48:35Z")
Both flags are modelled on the old Canadian Red Ensign, which was the unofficial flag for Canada up until 1963, when the current flag was adopted. It had the shield from the Canadian coat of arms in the fly, in the same location as the shields in the Ontario and Manitoba flags. There was considerable debate over the adoption of the new maple leaf flag, and I think the Manitoba and Ontario governments adopted the red ensign as their provincial flags at that time, to preserve the ensign format. The Canadian Red Ensign in turn was based on the British red ensign. The Red Ensign without a badge in the fly was used by British civil marine ships. It became customary for the overseas possessions to adopt the red ensign with a badge in the fly to distinguish the particular colony. The Manitoba and Ontario shields are also similar because they both incorporate the English cross of St. George in the upper portion of the shield. Ontario has long used the maple leaf as one of their symbols, so that’s why the three leaves in the bottom portion. Manitoba uses the bison (although commonly called a buffalo), because the buffalo hunt was an important part of the early Métis communities. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/8 "2007-10-21T12:22:47Z")
I see. A lot of the Eastern Provinces have cool flags like Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/9 "2007-10-21T12:35:26Z")
Are you just buying these flags, or do you have to visit the place first, or what? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/10 "2007-10-21T16:47:49Z")
I buy them. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/11 "2007-10-22T13:13:11Z")
**Captain Socks** , you need to get a Montgomery County flag. It’s an excellent design and you live right there. You can get one down at the county admin building in Rockville. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-three-new-flags-for-my-collection/423333/12 "2007-10-22T14:02:59Z")
It’s hard to go wrong with [Cornwall](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwall)’s flag.