Identification Tags

[37thtenn]

My question is,how popular were the id tags?I have seen them in some sutlers and was wondering if they were used or not.




Brian Maddox
37th Tenn Co H

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Identification Tags

Hallo!

In brief and to over-generalize...

Being a private purchase or sutler purchase item, "not very."
However, there are a number of surviving "coin" type commercial ones, as well as sutler type stamped ones, as well as homemade ones of wood engraved with say a pocket knife point, aswell as even paper ones with eyelets for thongs which if I recall correctly were sometimes provided by relief commissions, and even hand written slips of paper pinned to the uniform for the short term of a battle.

Here is the front of C.M. Millsaps, Company "D," 1st US Volunteers:


Curt

[37thtenn]

Re: Identification Tags

Hey thanks,
Like I said I have seen some in the sutlers and was just wondering.

[33rd VA Co. H]

Re: Identification Tags

They were a little more common than they are given credit for. Most of the ones that are found were the stamped sutler type Curt posted but many were private purchase from jewelers and other fine craftsman. Here is a solid silver beauty a diggin' buddy excavated not far from Yew Ridge at Brandy Station this past Saturday. Can you tell we were hunting a 6th corps camp? :)

[nastt]

Re: Identification Tags

Try www.memorialbrass.com
I purchased one of my ancestor and he has original dies to make id tags.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Identification Tags

Greg: That is a nice one. Finding a corps badge with the owners name is a big bonus.

I agree that there were more ID badges/items than may be thought. Many were combined with corps badges and these have to be counted as means of Identification. A private purchase ID shield is shown on the below page. There are a number of these found but seldom appear on the market.

http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/index.html

By far the most common is the sutler made disc. These came in several designs and were stamped by the sutler at the time of sale.

[ephraim_zook]

Re: Identification Tags

We have the text of the following letter in our archive of 142d PVI material. It was written by the company commander to the widow of Corporal Joseph Jones.

We are taking the "company and regimental badge" to be an ID badge, or a badge upon which he could engrave his name. Since the men of the company purchased the badge, it seems as though it came C.O.D.

"Mrs Jones, Before our regiment left camp at White Oak Church, Va, your husband ordered for himself a company and regimental badge. To-day it was received, but the one for whom it was intended had gone to another and more peaceful world. Our company, desirous of showing their regard for their late comrade in arms, have purchased the badge and through ______ forward it to you..."

regards
Ron Myzie

[RudyN]

Re: Identification Tags

I have one of the Memorial Brass ID tags and it is quite nice. It has taken on a nice patina over the last couple of seasons. They are worth money as far as I am concerned.

[JimKindred]

Re: Identification Tags

I found this kid's website over the weekend looking for reproduction WWII tags he offers hand stamped Memorial Brass ID tags for $32. http://www.dogtagsrus.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=24

Young fellow is using the sales for his college fund.

[Mike Willey]

Re: Identification Tags

One of the more common ways of doing this, and one you don't see very often today, would be to have a coin silver ID shield engraved in period script letters with your name and unit.

These show up all of the time in photos as little union shield pins, or drops suspended from an eagle, or as small circular pins, etc.

I came close to having one made, but the deal fell through at the time. You can get some coin silver melted down, show a jewler what period script engraving looks like, add a T-bar pin back and in the end you'll have an extremely cool authentic ID badge....cost around $100 to $200 depending on your source for coin silver and your jewler.

I would also add "repro" to the back of the pin, because if it's done right it will be a killer look-alike to an original.

FWIW

Mike Willey
Late of the 49th Ohio and Coffee-coolers

[Jimmayo]

Re: Identification Tags

These shield badges were a pretty expensive item as far as ID badges go. This one came from the vicinity of Globe Tavern. One shouldn't be too hard for a jewler to make.

[roundshot]

Re: Identification Tags

Now Jim, that is a fine relic. The fact that the 24th NY Cavalry spent a good bit of its service time as infantry during this period makes it an especially appealing and interesting relic. Thank you for sharing. I'll bet you dug your share of railroad spikes before you found this baby!

[Edmund{Road Apple}]

Re: Identification Tags

Ok Iam just wondering now with all the fine examples of ident. tags you lads produced, but would ident. tags me carried mostly by Officers? Seeing that enlisted didnt earn that much in wages (I can understand if an enlisted man had one if he came from a wealthier family).

[Jimmayo]

Re: Identification Tags

I'll bet you dug your share of railroad spikes before you found this baby!

Lots of junk including a few spikes. This site was up on a hill above the RR which does not run in the same place now as it did during the war. One neat thing that was dug were a set of track benders. Nobody knew what they were until someone saw a picture of some Feds using a set. The set was split up but I know where both of them are. May get a picture next time I get a chance.

To answer Road Apples question, IMO most of the McClellen id tags are from enlisted men as is the silver one above. The officers tags I have seen are quite fancy, some of gold and usually in the form of corps badges.