Q: I’d like to know the value of this scarf. It pictures a soldier blowing a trumpet, flags, and poems. Where can I sell it?

 

A: Patriotic scarves, handkerchiefs, postcards, sheet music, and other items were made to encourage men to enlistment and people on the home front to support the war effort during most wars, especially the First and Second World Wars. The soldier is wearing a World War I era uniform and the flags along the border are those of Great Britain and its allies. The four corners each have a stanza of the poem, “Fall In,” written by Harold Begbie and published in a London newspaper in 1914. It encouraged young men to join the army and was used on recruiting posters that same year. The poem was also set to music. Patriotic scarves and handkerchiefs were sold to soldiers as well as to people on the home front. You didn’t give us the size of your scarf, but these were often about 17 inches square, small enough to be folded up and mailed to a loved one. They sell in good condition for over $50. They sell online and in antiques shops. Anyplace that sells scarves like this will buy them.