Vexillology: Flags with two different sides

I had a special request for this post. My grandparents were watching a quiz show the other day, and one of the questions asked which flag has a different front and back side. I didn't know the answer, so I did some digging. I found a few flags that sort of fit the description, and one flag that I am 100% certain is the answer the show was searching for!

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

I have already ruled out the flag of the USSR for one giant reason: the country no longer exists. However, the old flag of the Soviet Union did indeed have a different front and back. The obverse of the flag featured the famous hammer and sickle, and the back was solid red.

Republic of Paraguay

The only modern country that I could find with a flag with a unique front and back was that of Paraguay. The obverse depicts the seal of the country and the reverse shows the seal of the national treasury. Still, the flag's front and back are so similar that I'm not quite sure this is what the quiz show was going for either.

Transnistria (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic)

Then there's Transnistria, a breakaway state that lies on the border between Ukraine and Moldova. Transnistria is self-governing, but does not have international recognition. Although Moldova does not control the territory of Transnistria, the region is still internationally recognized as belonging to Moldova. Interestingly, despite not being a communist country, it's the only national flag in the world that still features the hammer and sickle. I'll rule this one out too, since Transnistria doesn't really have international recognition yet and because the difference between the front and the back of the flag is so slight.

And that leaves me with the correct answer!

The only flag that I could find that had a front and back that was significantly different from one another that is still the currently-used flag is that of...


... the US state of Oregon!

Oregon

Oregon's flag is unique in being the only US state flag with a different obverse and reverse. It's also the only flag I could find where the front and back were completely different and not similar with just a small change. I searched through countries and territories, and I'm quite certain that the answer to the quiz show's question is Oregon!

The front of the flag shows the state's seal, which depicts a covered wagon going west along the Oregon Trail. The back features a beaver, the official state animal.

I enjoyed hunting for this! It was sort of like a treasure hunt. It's fun to be able to solve little mysteries like this during my quarantine time.