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| Title |
EARLIEST KNOWN SLAVE TAG |
| Image |
 |
| Found in |
1994 |
| Found By |
Stephen Harris |
| Value |
unpublished |
| Category |
Relic |
| Heading |
Earliest known |
| Description |
Stephen Harris is a private investigator, and for the past three years he's been tracking down relics with a metal detector in his spare time. If he ever gets around to writing about his experiences, there's sure to be a chapter titled "The Case of the Lost Slave Tag." Not only did he find one of these rare hire badges of the Old South.. he found the earliest known!
"At the time I received permission to search the property, I didn't know its history. What attracted my attention was a huge oak tree, about 15-20' around. On my first two visits I dug a number of late 18th and early 19th century buttons, Minie balls, and iron relics indicating that a blacksmith shop must have been located nearby. The third time there, as I was working just beyond the tree, I found the tag.
"That started me checking on the history of the site, and it turned out to be part of a plantation dating back to the late 1700s. Obviously, that could explain how the tag came to be dropped there. I also did some research on slave tags and soon realized that mine deserved expert attention."
Stephen submitted his find to Rich Hartzog at World Exonumia. www.exonumia.com, a leading tokens & medals dealer who specializes in slave tags, Rich not only authenticated the tag but pronounced it the earliest discovered thus far. Although one other tag dated 1800 has been found, it has a higher license number. The octagonal shape of Stephen's tag is also most unusual. On the reverse is the name "Ralph Atmar, Jr.", a c. 1800 silversmith of Charleston, South Carolina.
Hiring out slaves was a common practice, and many of them possessed skills which put them in competition with freemen in the trades. As a result, laws were passed requiring such slaves to wear numbered, dated identification badges or tags stating their licensed occupation. A new one was required each year. So far, all tags found have either been marked "Charleston" or (as in the case of Stephen's) attributed to that city. However, Mobile, Alabama; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Savannah, Georgia are known to have passed similar laws.
Clearly, the importance of slave tags cannot and should not be assessed in terms of monetary value. Yet it is worth pointing out that in recent auctions very early &/or unusual tags have commanded bids well in excess of $10,000, reflecting the intense interest which they generate among those who recognize their significance as artifacts of American history and antebellum black culture.
No doubt the powers of observation, deductive skills, and disciplined persistence of his profession will continue to serve Stephen Harris well in his detecting pursuits, too. "I'll swing my coil almost anywhere I can get permission," he says. The results speak for themselves. |
| Condition |
Very Good |
| Contact Email |
westeast@treasurenet.com |
| Keywords |
tag, charleston, south, slave |
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Entered 12-231-209-211.client.attbi.com 2003/11/12 14:41
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