More World War II Dog Tags, The Mayor of San Francisco Brass Plaque, and Some Silver!

Cool Hand Fluke

Bronze Member
Nov 28, 2006
1,730
5,614
In the Heart of Wine Country in Northern Californi
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ6, CZ5, Coinstrike, Fisher CZ20, Fisher 1235X, Tesoro Conquistador, Whites Surfmaster P.I. ,
, Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hunted 3 locations. The first one was a field where I dug up 17 World War II Dog tags last month. I went back to this same spot hoping to find some more. All the dog tags were foil readings on the meter, so I dug everything in the foil range and above. I was surprised to dig out another 5 WWII dog tags! This makes my total WWII tags from this area is now standing at 22! Why were so many here? It's still a mystery as to why so many in such a concentrated area?:icon_scratch:

My second spot was a park that has been pounded to death by a thousand other detectorist. I lucked out digging a 1944-P merc dime and two wheaties.

My third spot was an obscure little park with a 100' foot cliff above me. I dug out my second merc dime, it was also a 1944 but it had the usual "S" mint mark.
Also dug another mystery item:icon_scratch: A brass plaque that was awarded to the mayor of San Francisco. Joseph L. Alioto was the mayor of San Francisco from 1968 to 1976. He received the plaque that was attached to something:icon_scratch: from New York State? ..When he received this I do not know?

More wheaties and a lot of clad made for a great day of hunting!
 

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Upvote 13

A2coins

Gold Member
Dec 20, 2015
33,807
42,606
Ann Arbor
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ever look up any of the lost dog tag famalies just curious that is pretty creepy but awesome!!!!!
 

highnam

Bronze Member
Jan 23, 2012
1,603
1,636
Western Washington
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All Treasure Hunting
Looks like the governor's tag was attached to a Christopher Columbus painting presented to the governor? Wonder what it would have looked like and how it ended up there. Head scratcher for sure...
 

Loco-Digger

Gold Member
Jun 16, 2014
11,827
17,744
Northern O-H-I-O
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
F75 LTD, 1280X Aquanaut, & a Patriot (back-up/loaner)
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Looks like you really exploited those sites. It is strange that the dog tags were in a field. Makes you think .

Congrats on the clad haul, those 3 mercs and all the other finds. You had 3 sweet hunts today.
 

Gridwalker306

Gold Member
Nov 10, 2010
6,012
7,406
Canada
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, ATPro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Cool finds, that plate is really interesting
 

tomhighland

Bronze Member
Sep 26, 2015
1,419
1,511
In MI woods
Detector(s) used
AT PRO
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Did this fill dirt maybe come from the closed down military site on the bay? It is prime real estate that no one will touch because of the contamination.
 

OP
OP
Cool Hand Fluke

Cool Hand Fluke

Bronze Member
Nov 28, 2006
1,730
5,614
In the Heart of Wine Country in Northern Californi
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ6, CZ5, Coinstrike, Fisher CZ20, Fisher 1235X, Tesoro Conquistador, Whites Surfmaster P.I. ,
, Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Did this fill dirt maybe come from the closed down military site on the bay? It is prime real estate that no one will touch because of the contamination.

Some of the locals walked by and I asked them if they knew where the dirt came from. None of them knew. That's a good theory, a military base could be where they came from?
 

kcm

Gold Member
Feb 29, 2016
5,790
7,085
NW Minnesota
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Silver uMax
Primary Interest:
Other
Hunted 3 locations. The first one was a field where I dug up 17 World War II Dog tags last month. I went back to this same spot hoping to find some more. All the dog tags were foil readings on the meter, so I dug everything in the foil range and above. I was surprised to dig out another 5 WWII dog tags! This makes my total WWII tags from this area is now standing at 22! Why were so many here? It's still a mystery as to why so many in such a concentrated area?

Cool Hand Fluke - In the Heart of Wine Country in Northern California

Let's see....WWII, LOTS of military (all men), military men wanting to impress, wine and dine their dates....yep, I can certainly see how so many dog tags could have been lost there, WITHOUT there being a base nearby!! :love8:
 

tony curnick

Sr. Member
Oct 14, 2014
274
163
Benoni
Detector(s) used
Garret At pro,Garret seahunter Mk 2,Minelab etrac,Minelab 305,one and a half surfmaster pi's
.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Great pics with lots of detail and some fasinating finds,thanks for the story behind your day.
 

Subterranean

Silver Member
Jan 31, 2012
3,964
8,892
Southwest Missouri
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
2
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro (Julio), Garrett AT Max (Medusa), Garrett Pro Pointer, White's Prism V, Lesche Digger.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I see the tetanus shots on the tags with dates of 1942 and 1943. Camp Parks was up and running full strength in Dublin, CA, nearby during the war. There may have been maneuvers/ bivouac/ field training in that area during the war, or as you said, dirt from a nearby fort was dumped there. The military would probably only throw away dog tags "en masse" if they were misprinted with the incorrect information on them. Even so, with the shortage of metals during the war, they would have recycled them! Bizzare for sure! Can you find out if all the servicemen were from the same branch? Army, Navy, Coastguard, Marines, Merchant Marines during WW2? Good luck, Sub 8-)
 

aa battery

Gold Member
Oct 11, 2006
10,620
3,241
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1
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dog tags like those were replaced with name and just serial numbers. Here in the central valley we have found about 50 of those. One of them i returned to a pilot in Illinois had an interesting story. He said the tag i found was thrown away after he got his new one. He told me the old tags had to much info and if a soldier was captured the enemy would use the info to contact family members and harass them.
 

Tommy G

Bronze Member
Dec 5, 2015
1,575
1,564
Virginia
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I've read that there were military encampments along the west coast during WWII, fearing a Japanese invasion. Just another theory worth considering. Really cool finds, and thanks for sharing.
 

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