Some sort of dog tag/rabies tag Afton, MN

[Iron Buzz]

I saw a picture in a Google search of the exact design, except mirror image (dog was facing left). It was from an expired eBay page, so I can't post that here, but they claimed it was from 1928, although I can't verify that.

I did notice two things... the first part of the phone number is an actual number, and not something like "Greenwood" or whatever. I was born in 1949 and we still had phone numbers like that then. Also, the state is abbreviated as "Minn.", and not "MN".

I have no idea what an A.A.C. is. I do know where Afton, MN is (although this was found quite a way from Afton)

 

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[cudamark]

Maybe it stands for Afton Animal Control?

 

[Iron Buzz]

Maybe it stands for Afton Animal Control?

That's not a bad guess at all! I was thinking of "Club" for the "C", but thought that was pretty weak. Thanks.

Unfortunately, Afton is a pretty tiny town, with very few residents that have been there very long. It has a great old history as a Mississippi river town, but pretty much just a marina town now. There is a histoical museum there though that might be able to help, but frankly, while the tag is "cute", I don't think it is really all that old.

 

[Mark Todd]

Hey Iron Buzz,
Your dog tag might be quite rare, not sure, but the style of the tag is ordinarily from the 1890s usually 96,97 and can be earlier. The style and shape of a dog tag is called a planchette.
Your tag does not appear to be a city, county, or state issued dog tax tag. Instead it may be a tag issued by the Minnesota humane society Afton AAC 436–5563. I presume the AAC is a telephone prefix but I don't know if that's likely for a pre-1900 dog tag because there were only about 600,000 phones in Alexander Bell's system by the year 1900.
In The veterinarian Dr William Bone's book on US dog license tags under the heading Minnesota the Minnesota Humane Society is mentioned with the information on your tag but there's nothing else said about it.
Here are a couple of pictures from the book. Period...

 

[Iron Buzz]

Hey Iron Buzz,
Your dog tag might be quite rare, not sure, but the style of the tag is ordinarily from the 1890s usually 96,97 and can be earlier. The style and shape of a dog tag is called a planchette.
Your tag does not appear to be a city, county, or state issued dog tax tag. Instead it may be a tag issued by the Minnesota humane society Afton AAC 436–5563. I presume the AAC is a telephone prefix but I don't know if that's likely for a pre-1900 dog tag because there were only about 600,000 phones in Alexander Bell's system by the year 1900.
In The veterinarian Dr William Bone's book on US dog license tags under the heading Minnesota the Minnesota Humane Society is mentioned with the information on your tag but there's nothing else said about it.
Here are a couple of pictures from the book. Period... View attachment 1510470 View attachment 1510471 View attachment 1510472

Well, I'll be damned! I don't know what to make of that! I assumed the phone number put it into the 1960's since in my memory, before that we used initials such as GR-8 as the prefix. Guess I need to keep researching after all! There is an Afton Historical Society that may be able to tell me something, as well as the city animal control dept.

Thanks much for the info! If I learn anything more I will post it here.

 

[Mark Todd]

Found this information that you'll find interesting, at least the Minnesota Humane Society was around in fact had been around for quite a while prior to the late 1800s... I have the means to contact Dr Bone i'll ask him if he knows anything more about your tag.

 

[jeff of pa]

Though it looks like the Older Style.
that is a Phone Number,
I'd say 1960's Up





Dog License
A.A.C. Afton Animal Control

http://www.ci.afton.mn.us/index.asp?SEC=A0C0600F-6966-455D-A04F-4A63F7014D17&Type=B_BASIC

 

[Mark Todd]

Dr Bill Bone replied, he said that your tag was probably a specialty tag either a dog pound tag, or a humane society tag, (because it has no date). He said that it could not be late 1800s due to the phone number, as "Jeff of PA" suggested. However I don't see any reason it couldn't be much older than the 1960's.
Sorry to get your hopes up that it might be much older.
If you want to get better information you're going to have to do some digging at the Afton library or courthouse records. Good luck!

 

[Iron Buzz]

Dr Bill Bone replied, he said that your tag was probably a specialty tag either a dog pound tag, or a humane society tag, (because it has no date). He said that it could not be late 1800s due to the phone number, as "Jeff of PA" suggested. However I don't see any reason it couldn't be much older than the 1960's.
Sorry to get your hopes up that it might be much older.
If you want to get better information you're going to have to do some digging at the Afton library or courthouse records. Good luck!

Thanks. Yes, I've figured it was somewhere around the 1960s, too. Doesn't surprise me. But thanks very much for asking Dr. Bone (BTW, is that his real name? I think it is, but my detecting buddy thinks it is a pseudonym)

 

[Mark Todd]

That is his real name " Dr. William J. Bone ". That's the name on the two books that he has authored, and that is the name on his personal checks as I received one for an unusual pre-1900 dog tag.
He is a retired veterinarian Dr.,doctor who's practice was in Florida he resides in another state now which I will not mention.
If you've ever read Eastern Western treasure magazine you may know that Dr. William bone is Mark Parkers (the ask Mark Parker sections) go to guy for information on dog tags.
In case you give a hoot here's a picture of the dog tag that I dug up in my own your backyard and sold to Dr Bill Bone he said it made his year...
A 1898 Galesburg tag on an unusual planchette in the shape of a dog he paid $655 for it.
If memory serves he said that he had the largest pre-1900 dog tag collection in existence but not the one that I found which is evidently pretty rare. one like it set the record several years ago for the most money ever paid for a dog tag however it was in pristine condition had never been on a dog and was purchased as a collectible because of its shape.

 

[Iron Buzz]

That is his real name " Dr. William J. Bone ". That's the name on the two books that he has authored, and that is the name on his personal checks as I received one for an unusual pre-1900 dog tag.
He is a retired veterinarian Dr.,doctor who's practice was in Florida he resides in another state now which I will not mention.
If you've ever read Eastern Western treasure magazine you may know that Dr. William bone is Mark Parkers (the ask Mark Parker sections) go to guy for information on dog tags.
In case you give a hoot here's a picture of the dog tag that I dug up in my own your backyard and sold to Dr Bill Bone he said it made his year...
A 1898 Galesburg tag on an unusual planchette in the shape of a dog he paid $655 for it.
If memory serves he said that he had the largest pre-1900 dog tag collection in existence but not the one that I found which is evidently pretty rare. View attachment 1511941 one like it set the record several years ago for the most money ever paid for a dog tag however it was in pristine condition had never been on a dog and was purchased as a collectible because of its shape

Very cool!!

I had a chance to buy one of his books early last year, shortly after I started metal detecting. I had recently found my first dog tag, an 1889 Stillwater, MN "iron cross" style. Shortly afterward, I happened to stop by an antique mall where I saw a book on tags. I looked up the one that I had found, then put the book back. Thought briefly about buying it but thought the price was too high at $40. I later found out what they sell for online and went back to find it, but the dealer had pulled his shop out. I left a note with the person tending the store to pass along to the dealer, but never heard back from him.

 

[Mark Todd]

Actually I received more than $655 for the dog tag . Mr. Bone threw in both of his books and autographed them for me I'm not sure which book you're referring to for $40 but I'm sure pretty sure both are still available. You did very good finding a 1898 Minnesota tag, congratulations.! Let me know if you're still interested in a book I might be able to have one sent to you from Dr. Bone himself, at whatever the going $ is. was the 1898 iron cross style from Minneapolis the one that you found? Or didn't look different?

 

[Iron Buzz]

Actually I received more than $655 for the dog tag . Mr. Bone threw in both of his books and autographed them for me I'm not sure which book you're referring to for $40 but I'm sure pretty sure both are still available. You did very good finding a 1898 Minnesota tag, congratulations.! Let me know if you're still interested in a book I might be able to have one sent to you from Dr. Bone himself, at whatever the going $ is. View attachment 1512526 was the 1898 iron cross style from Minneapolis the one that you found? Or didn't look different?

I think it was the one with the green cover.

This is a picture of the tag that I found.

 

[ezod]

Had to resurrect this thread to add one I found in Windsor, Ontario today:

 

[vpnavy]

Had to resurrect this thread to add one I found in Windsor, Ontario today

1st - I noticed this was your very first post - so, Welcome Aboard ezod! Take a look at Sub-Forums: Canada for information (i.e., clubs, etc.) directly related to your country.

2nd - great find! Thanks for sharing...