Every day is 'Flag Day' for Maryland man

COLUMBIA, Md., July 4 (UPI) -- U.S. history buff Nick Artimovich had no shortage of American flags to display at his Columbia, Md., home Sunday to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Artimovich, a 56-year-old U.S. Transportation Department highway engineer, has amassed more than 700 U.S. flags from all eras -- and owns thousands of items of flag-related memorabilia -- since he began collecting the artifacts in the 1970s. He estimates he has spent more than $75,000 on his collection, which, in addition to stars-and-stripes banners, includes flag pins, patches, books, bookmarks, advertisements, fans, cards, sheet music, cigars, ribbons, postcards and all things bearing Old Glory.

"It's time to celebrate our nation's history," he told The Washington Post in an article published in Sunday's newspaper. "We've had over 225 years as a country, and we've had a lot of changes in those years."

His oldest American flag is a treasured 28-star version from the 1840s whose red and white stripes have weathered to muted shades of salmon and gray, the Post said.