🥇 BANNER 1850 Charleston "Porter" slave Tag

[SCJohn]

Evening Tnet . I don't post often as I don't get out much nowadays due to heavy workload and 2nd kid now almost 10 months old but on Friday I was able to carve out a few hours to get out. Decided to go to an area that I've been going to for years that has turned up some neat relics but nothing earth shattering but knowing that it dates to the late 1600 I always have hope that sooner or later something good would come up. Friday was that day and it's the 1 thing that I wanted to find since I started detecting. Working the some thick under brush and barely being able to stand I was having no luck other than iron signals when I got a peak 77 then 65 mixed with some iron grunting on the AT Pro. Decided to dig it since it was only the 2nd signal in an hour that had any potential I opened up the ground and swung over and still the same so got out the pin pointer. pulled a few nails out and figured it was a bust but swung over it and clear as a bell 77 and stayed consistent. so went back into the hole with the pin and the target was under a small root at 6 to 8 inches. I managed to work the sandy soil under it and felt something and out comes a small square piece of metal about 2 inches by 2 inches. I took a deep breathe and thought...No way is this what I think it is. At first I could not see anything on it so pulled out a tooth brush and after just a few wipes the dirt fell out of the hole on the top and I made out the word "Porter" and on the bottom it says 1850. I stopped right then and packed up and went home. So far all I did was tooth brush it and use a tooth pick to clean out the number on the tag - #606. According to some research these are super rare. I'm having it evaluated this week by a local expert. I'll update once I hear back and the plan at this point is to get a professional to preserve it. Thanks for reading and HH.

 

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[GaRebel1861]

What killer find! Another banner vote coming your way. Good luck!

 

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[creskol]

Slave badge images from Smithsonian magazine:

https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs...badge&fr=yhs-omr-001&hspart=omr&hsimp=yhs-001

Unfortunately, many of those that show up on that page are fakes or fantasy pieces.

 

[Carolina Tom]

Killer find. Congrats on a really sweet piece of Southern history.

They made 1000 per year, correct?

 

[trdking]

OMG what a find! That is banner all day long in my book. These are so rare. You may be inclined to loan or donate it to the charlston museum. I am sure they don't have many. Well well done

 

[stealthycat]

I can only wonder what the penalty was to lose that ..... slaves had to wear them right ?

 

[Rookster]

Awesome find. Congrats.

 

[Dust Eater]

Dang, that's a rare one. Congratulations!

 

[grasshopper]

What a crazy piece of history!!

Great recovery!!

 

[Kray Gelder]

That's a historically heavy find... one has to ponder what the original wearer went through. Pretty amazing that there may have been only 1000. Perhaps you could link that tag to an actual person and find out their history! Who knows they may have descendants who are alive today.

I may be wrong, but "Porter" was the wearers name, not the job he had. A slave had one name, assigned but the owner, no last name until the fall of slavery. Not many detailed account books remain, but some do. You may get lucky and pin this down. One heck of a find. Banner.

Edit: I am wrong, a few searches indicate that was his "occupation."

 

[Yak1366]

Incredible & rare piece of history!! Congrats on the find!!!

 

[trdking]

Porter was his occupation. and the penalty for losing it was more than likely based on how cruel the master was. From what I know, you had to buy these like a tax stamp. A lost tag cost the owner money. I shudder to think. In my mind this was found by the river bank so this is what happened. Civil war ended and all slaves were freed. Mr Porter took his tag and chucked it into the river. Good riddance

 

[SCJohn]

You're spot on trdking. Each year this tag had to be replaced with a new one and there was a tax on each one that the slave owners had to pay. In turn the slave would pay the slave owner for the privilege to work and earn money to pay for their freedom or to buy things they needed. I will be meeting with someone from the Charleston museum later in the week to authenticate the find and see what to do next. My wife is a South Carolina history teacher and this really hit home for her since she's from here. She's rarely interested in what I find but since finding it she's been researching like crazy. Good to share this with her and the TNET family.

 

[Megalodon]

SCJohn, Thanks for sharing this find with us. I think we all look forward to reading your updates. I also think you are going about this exactly right. I would be totally shocked if it was not authentic. The fakes look too nice - and why would anyone age one artifically and plant it? This one looks like it has been waiting in the ground all these years for you to rescue it. After this, your wife might now need a metal detector of her own for Christmas...hint, hint.

 

[JBnNC]

That's a great piece of history...huge congrats!

 

[SCJohn]

Funny you say that. She was just looking at a new one for me. Had the AT pro for roughly 4 years and has done great but she thinks i need to upgrade. Not gonna argue. Gave her some options so we'll see. My 5 year old said she'll take the "old" one.

 

[Megalodon]

Looks like it will be a very happy Christmas in your household!

We are loving life after the birth of our first grandchild, a boy, this summer. So glad we stayed in the area after retirement to enjoy this treasure!

 

[Aureus]

A great historical find,banner for sure! Congratulations!

 

[lairmo]

I'd rather find that than a gold coin...IMO...

 

[SCJohn]

I'd rather find that than a gold coin...IMO...

Agreed. Hard to put a value on something like this.

 

[Megalodon]

Funny you say that. She was just looking at a new one for me. Had the AT pro for roughly 4 years and has done great but she thinks i need to upgrade. Not gonna argue. Gave her some options so we'll see. My 5 year old said she'll take the "old" one.

LOL - Smart little girl!