🥇 BANNER 1817 Servant Slave Tag from the Plantation!!

[SC Keith]

I dug this servant slave tag on May 8th at a plantation in South Carolina. The tag was folded over when I dug it, so I had it straightened by a professional. My friend Mark was with me when I dug it and had recovered his own servant tag, an 1811 servant, the week before at this same place.
This 1817 dated tag is an early date for the slave hire badges, since the earliest known date on any tag is the year 1800. The number 67 is the issue sequence for the occupation of servant which the city of Charleston, S.C. issued during that calender year. Thanks for looking!
Keith

 

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[cntrydncr1]

I'm speechless!!!

 

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[SC Keith]

What a find! I wonder if you can check out early records to see who this servant was...and possibly track down the descendants...although I am not sure if they would be thrilled to be reminded of those days.

In the reference book, "Slave Badges and the Slave Hire System in Charleston, South Carolina, 1783-1865" by Hutchins and Greene on pg.35 it states: ...And the city treasurer shall keep a register of all slaves, for whom he grants badges, together with thier owner's names, and their respective ages and employments; and every badge granted by the treasurer, shall express the number, as well as the specified trade or employment, to be persued by the slave working out for hire'
Today there are no records known to exist of this register. HH Neil!!

I'm speechless!!!

Thank you cntrydncr1!!! & thanks again to the rest of you who replied--I appreciate it!
Keith

 

[ModernMiner]

Keith,
That slave tag is a find of a lifetime! Outstanding. Congrats on your well deserved BANNER find and I'm sure we'll be seeing that beauty in the Best Finds of 2011 edition next April.
-Doug-

 

[jgas]

One heck of a find right there. Congrats on the banner. Congrats to the guy who restored it as well. That in itself is amazing! Congrats again on the find of a lifetime jgas

 

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

thats sweet! what an amazing restoration he did!

 

[search and recovery]

Well earned banner find! Congrats!

 

[Silver Searcher]

Great piece of American History congratulations on a Super Find I was wondering were the Slaves buried with there tags, or were they removed

SS

 

[SC Keith]

Great piece of American History congratulations on a Super Find I was wondering were the Slaves buried with there tags, or were they removed

SS

Thanks and that is a great question. I read in the reference book that the tags were valid only for the calender year marked on them. I do not know the answer as to whether the slave would be buried with his or her tag but I dont know why some could not have been.
Keith

 

[Silver Searcher]

Great piece of American History congratulations on a Super Find I was wondering were the Slaves buried with there tags, or were they removed

SS

Thanks and that is a great question. I read in the reference book that the tags were valid only for the calender year marked on them. I do not know the answer as to whether the slave would be buried with his or her tag but I dont know why some could not have been.
Keith

Thanks for responding I would have thought to loose one, while in service, might have met with some sort of punishment

But again why would they bury them with the Tag, when they could re-use it it's very interesting, there must have been a lot lost, due to heavy work, the slaves carried out

SS

 

[SkyPirate]

nice piece of history!

 

[jamesbibb]

That is a super nice tag and it looks great Congrats on the well deserved banner for that one

 

[cyberborikua]

Magnificent recovery. That piece got to have high collectible value. Sad, but interesting piece of history

 

[steelheadwill]

Awesome Historic recovery
Outstanding restoration.
Congratulations on the well deserved banner
Great Dig

 

[Tnmountains]

You just never know. One may hope he crumpled that into a ball on his day of freedom. Great banner find. With those dates, it is possible that particular slave could have come from the capital of slavery which had sold more slaves than anyone. New York. It was the largest trader in slaves until 1827? It supplied many of the labor growing states for centuries.

http://www.slaveryinnewyork.org/about_exhibit.htm

Congratulations on your historic find.

 

[Steve in PA]

Somehow I missed this post until now even though I saw it on the banner. Excellent find Keith, is this your first? Seems like a lot of the relic hunters in the Charleston area have found multiple tags, I know Bill Hunt has found dozens!

 

[cyberborikua]

Somehow I missed this post until now even though I saw it on the banner. Excellent find Keith, is this your first? Seems like a lot of the relic hunters in the Charleston area have found multiple tags, I know Bill Hunt has found dozens!

Not only that, but they all sell very well!

 

[IWillFindTheGold]

Just amazing.

 

[gold fever pete]

BANNER BANNER BANNER. I am just a Charter Member. I don't know if I have the right to vote banner, but I would if I could.

 

[fwcrawford]

That tag is in really good shape!!!
Whoever straigthened it out for you did a great job too!!
Congradulations,
Felix

 

[SC Keith]

Somehow I missed this post until now even though I saw it on the banner. Excellent find Keith, is this your first? Seems like a lot of the relic hunters in the Charleston area have found multiple tags, I know Bill Hunt has found dozens!

Steve I found an 1852 Porter on a group privy dig, this is my second!
Keith