Found in the Warehouse, 2026
These were not ordered in. They were sitting in our own warehouse, boxed and forgotten, until we recognised what they were during a stock check this year.
They are the 1894 Mississippi state flag — the design Mississippi retired on 30 June 2020, when it became the last state to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its flag. It had flown for 126 years, the longest-serving state flag in the country at the time it was withdrawn. The Magnolia flag replaced it that November.
So this stock predates the retirement. It was manufactured while the design was still the official flag of the State of Mississippi, by the Ruffin Flag Company of Crawfordville, Georgia — and it has been in a box ever since. We counted 88. There will not be more, because nobody is producing cotton appliqué flags of a retired state design.
Cotton, With Appliquéd Stars — Not Printed
The thirteen stars in the canton are individually cut from cotton and sewn on, each anchored with a dense zigzag satin stitch around its entire outline. The saltire bars are separate pieces of cotton, seamed in place and mitred at the centre. Nothing here is printed.
- Heavyweight woven cotton throughout — visible open weave, the matte finish of natural fibre, and the drape only cotton gives.
- Appliquéd stars, cut and zigzag-stitched individually rather than screen-printed or embroidered flat.
- Pieced saltire with sewn seams, mitred at the crossing.
- Canvas hoist with reinforced stitching and brass grommets.
- Ruffin Flag Company, Crawfordville, Georgia — sewn in the United States.
The photographs are of the actual warehouse stock, not a catalogue render. Look at the stitch detail: thread ends, the slight irregularity where appliqué meets field, the fold lines from years in the box. Each flag differs a little from the next.
Construction Detail
Collector and Re-enactor Grade
Cotton is the correct material for period-accurate display, living history, museum and film work, and for collectors who want a flag built like the original rather than a modern print. It is also why cotton is chosen for indoor ceremonial use and for framing.
Cotton is a natural fibre and will weather faster than synthetics in sustained sun and rain. For a permanent outdoor installation, choose nylon. For accuracy, display and framing, cotton is the only honest answer.
Specifications
- Size: 3 x 5 feet
- Material: heavyweight cotton
- Stars: appliquéd, individually zigzag-stitched, 13 in canton
- Hoist: canvas header with brass grommets
- Design in service: 1894–2020
- Maker: Ruffin Flag Company, Crawfordville, GA
- Made in: USA
- SKU: RU-FL35LC-MSCTTN-COLLECTORS
- Quantity found: 88
Other Confederate Flags Collectors Buy
If you want the retired Mississippi design in cotton, these are the pieces most often bought alongside it — sewn and embroidered goods rather than prints:
- 2nd National Confederate Flag — Cotton 3×5 — the Stainless Banner in the same cotton construction. The natural companion piece.
- Rebel Cotton Flag 6 x 10 ft — the same cotton build at large display size, for halls and barns rather than framing.
- Forrest Cavalry Corps Flag — Square Cotton 52 x 52 in — the square cavalry pattern in cotton, one of our best-selling collector pieces.
- Confederate Battle Flag 3×5 — 600D 2-ply Nylon, Embroidered — our top seller. Embroidered stars, built for continuous outdoor flying where cotton would not last.
- Bonnie Blue Flag — Double Nylon Embroidered — the single-star secession flag of 1861.
- First National Confederate Flag — 7 Stars and Bars — the original 1861 Stars and Bars, seven-star pattern.
Other sizes of the retired Mississippi design are on our Old Mississippi cotton flag listing.
Questions Buyers Ask
Is this the current Mississippi state flag? No. Mississippi adopted the Magnolia flag in 2020. This is the retired 1894–2020 design, sold as a historical and collector item.
Is it new or used? New, unused, old stock. It was made before the 2020 retirement and stored in our warehouse since. Expect fold lines from storage; these are not flown flags.
Is it printed or sewn? Sewn. Stars appliquéd individually, saltire pieced. See the detail photographs above.
Can I fly it outdoors? Yes, but cotton weathers faster than nylon. For continuous outdoor flying choose nylon; cotton is for display, ceremony, re-enactment and framing.
Will you get more? No. The design is retired, this was a one-off warehouse find, and we counted 88.
Other sizes and weights of the retired design are on our Old Mississippi cotton flag listing.
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