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THBErnest Hemingway's Pilar Marlin Flag
About Seller
20 Winter Street
Pembroke, MA 02359
United States
Founded in 2005, Copley Fine Art Auctions is a boutique auction house specializing in antique decoys and American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Over the course of the last two decades, the firm has set auction records for not only individual decoy makers, but also entire carving regions. Copley...Read more
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About Auction
LiveFeb 21, 2026
Lots 301-368 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (337)
- Lot Description
Ernest Hemingway's Pilar Marlin Flag
c. 1935
21 1/2 by 14 1/2 in.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) is one of the preeminent authors of the last century, receiving a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 for "The Old Man and the Sea" and a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Hemingway's influence in the sport fishing world cannot be overstated and extends far beyond his writings. A passionate and experienced fisherman, Hemingway was one of the most outspoken promoters of fishing ethics and sportsmanship of his time. As a founding member of the International Game Fish Association, he served as the organization's first vice president starting in 1939, maintaining this position until his death in 1961. In the Atlantic, he spent many years fighting big-game fish in Florida waters and the Gulf Stream on his 38-foot boat, the "Pilar." He set a world record in 1938 for catching seven marlin in a single day, won numerous tournaments in the Caribbean, and founded the Ernest Hemingway International Billfishing Tournament in Cuba.
This hand-sewn marlin flag, now being offered publicly for the first time, once flew atop Hemingway's famous boat, the "Pilar," as he roamed the seas in search of game fish. It can be seen waving from the "Pilar's" flagpole in an iconic image that shows Hemingway with a large marlin. This piece is one of the most important of Hemingway's surviving personal effects to be offered for sale. Likely a catch flag, it was flown high atop the "Pilar" to indicate when the boat had landed a marlin. An enduring symbol for Hemingway, his pursuits, his most famous book, and his beloved boat, this flag epitomizes the rugged spirit, adventure, and deep respect for the sea that defined his life.
This flag was almost lost to history, but was collected and preserved by Captain Bob Smith, who was a chair boy aboard the "Pilar" as a young man, a legendary Bimini guide, and a friend of Hemingway's.
As found.
Provenance: Ernest Hemingway's Marlin Flag for the "Pilar"
Captain Bob Smith Collection, Bimini, Bahamas
Private Collection, Florida, acquired from the above in 1989Condition
Please refer to the description; if you have additional questions, email colin@copleyart.com.
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Shipping info
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