🥇 BANNER Rare Charleston Slave Tag Fisher #1

[Lost Signal]

Went out with mbcuce today and found a pretty special relic. Things started out slow. We were finding a few plain flat buttons and then he found a War of 1812 script I button, which is on my bucket list. I was hoping there would be another one.... There wasn't, but I did find a #1 Fisher slave tag from 1814. The extremely wet environment has a strange effect on brass and copper. Brass buttons come out looking like gold and it takes a while to get used to. On the first few, you think you're digging gold coins.

Whatever is keeping the buttons from turning green seems to have preserved the tag incredibly well.

 

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[Lost Signal]

https://historical.ha.com/itm/antiq...her-slave-hire-badge-number-55/a/6035-47186.s

Same question I had. This is from a different badge but has the interesting information.

Thanks for sharing this, Gene. That's good information and more than I knew. When I found it, I did know that they were numbered and I had to do a double-take when I saw the 1.

 

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[Lost Signal]

That is the best condition one I have seen - wow!
So, normally the 'FISHER' bit is the occupation, where they the first registered Fisherman? Or is Fisher a name?

Yeah. "Fisher" was his occupation and the number 1 means that it was the first license/permit for a fisherman issued in that year, 1814.

 

[islamoradamark]

thats in really good shape great find

 

[Lost Signal]

Interesting Article Found

• The Greenville News (Greenville, South Carolina)
  
• 04 Feb 1997, Tue

you may have found a Museum Piece !

What ever you Do, Do Not Remove that Hardened Clay from it.
don't even risk getting it wet.
It's the best way to Show it's Old & Dug


View attachment 1927484

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Thanks for sharing the article, Jeff. I think they've depreciated quite a bit since then, but I do think the combination of this occupation with the number 1 and great condition makes this one special.

I'll take your advice about leaving the clay. I agree.

 

[Patriot Relics]

Absolutely gorgeous tag, I love finding 1812 pewters, but I'll take a tag anyday

 

[erfranks]

Awesome Finds!!

 

[Steve in PA]

Incredible find!! Fisher is a rare occupation and with the lowest number possible (No. 1) I would think it is even rarer. Is it possible to know how many Fisher tags were issued in 1814?

 

[billb]

Congratulations on your rare recovery Voting Banner

 

[jewelerguy]

incredible find. That thing is worth a sack full of money. I'd have a hard time deciding what to do with it. Keep, sell, loan to a museum.... it'd be a tough decision

 

[mrmastadon]

That's a once-in-a-lifetime find, one that is both beautiful and eerie at the same time. You've already gotten the banner, but I still wanted to acknowledge how incredible this piece is. Way to go.

 

[xr7ator]

Amazing find. Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[GaRebel1861]

That's probably the best slave tag that I've ever seen. No wonder it made the banner so quickly! Congratulations on that one!


If I had found that it would defiantly be my new avatar.

 

[RVRoamer73]

Awesome! Super rare find. Congrats!

 

[ARC]

Another banner... well done.

 

[SeabeeRon]

Thanks for the banner votes everyone! As yaxthri suggests, the subject is not something to be celebrated, but I think that's what makes artifacts such as this, so potentially powerful. It's a tangible object, that was worn by a real person, and it makes us think about that history in a way that is less abstract.

"Find of a Lifetime" is not an exaggeration in this case!! Huge Congratz!!

Do you have someplace you can get it officially authenticated, documented and valued?

 

[mbcuce]

I was walking around poking my chest out with my Script "I" War of 1812 button and LS walks over and drops that one on me. Jealous but happy for him.

Looking around the internet, I have only seen one No. 1 of any trade. In this condition, this early, a less common trade and a No. 1. This one is very special.

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

I'm guessing, that the "Fisher" designation, was this slave's skill set..., right?

 

[toasted]

Thats awesome. Congrats

 

[Lost Signal]

Incredible find!! Fisher is a rare occupation and with the lowest number possible (No. 1) I would think it is even rarer. Is it possible to know how many Fisher tags were issued in 1814?

Thanks, Steve.
Someone told me that those records burned. I haven't read that, though and it's definitely worth looking into.

 

[Lost Signal]

"Find of a Lifetime" is not an exaggeration in this case!! Huge Congratz!!

Do you have someplace you can get it officially authenticated, documented and valued?

Thanks. I'm sort of looking into that now.