PRICES of dog license tags vary, but the best barometer of how desirable a tag is would be to list it on ebay. A starting price of $50 would be fair unless it is one of the 1882 common Indiana tags which are worth about $15.00 now due to so many that exist. A coin dealer who hase sold over 50 pre 1900 dog tags in the past will list them at $1.00 because he knows that ebay will fetch the top dollar and is a fair way to expose something.Serious collectors will pay more than those who are not as serious. If you sell your tag on the side without shopping it around, you may have cheated yourself. At least ebay is of the highest exposure where a seller can't go wrong. Don't make the mistake of listing it simply as a DOG TAG, be sure and include the words License and Tax in the listing title. I have bought thousands of tags on ebay over the last 5 years. I have sold some also. Check out my educational, hobby club site at
www.DogLicense.org under Dog Bytes for articles.......
By the way I have been President of a metal detecting club in Pittsburgh, Pa. and I have bought many tags from these hard working diggers. I always offer top dollar to those who seek to sell their tags. I currently write for NTCA, a token collectors club with monthly newsletters. To join, please contact me at
doglicenseorg@hotmail.com. The fee is $30. THis is a great, comprehensive club with a large meeting in Omaha every year. All members can write free classified ads. It is full of historical info and ebay prices .......
Asking the price of a dog tag is like asking your grandfather what he paid for his house and asking his great grandkids what they paid for theirs. You will get 2 vastly different answers. A wealthy person drives a Bentley and the poor drives an early model car. Does this mean that the Bentley driver overpaid? No, not unless you ask the poor guy. Generational differences are as evident in dog tag collecting as they are in shoes, houses and cars.
The younger people always pay higher. One reason is that antique collectibles are in short supply. Many tags were bought, traded or hoarded from the past which leaves a limited supply for current collectors. A person on a FIXED or limited income will value something less than someone who desires it more. I have heard accounts of pre 1900 tags selling for $5-$10 each, 15-20 years ago. Some individuals bought them at these prices and even bought "traders too" at these prices. Hoards are often used in trades, because nobody is the wiser. Individuals who have collected for over 10 years got some pretty good deals back then and are using this to their advantage now.
Be very careful with trading. Many people will want to trade you something from their stock (which is common and not as valuable) to obtain your rare tag. It is good to set a base price of what you are asking for, say $150 and then shop your tag around with top or winning ebay bidders or other collectors and experts. Some people do not like to be asked to appraise tags, because value is subjective at best. The seller should first set his or her price and then take bids over that amount. Photos of zerox images are necessary in completing an evaluation. *If you are not seriously trying to sell your tag, be sure and tell people up front. I have witnessed high reserves set on ebay only to find out that the seller was just FISHING for value. This scheme is not fair to serious collectors. I just acquired a pre 1900 Phoenix, Az. tag that is beautiful-large, brass and with a dogs head on it. I will post photos shortly for all to see.
The bottom line for sellers or diggers is $$$$$$$ which is best acquired by having lots of exposure and multiple competitors!!!!! A serious and secure buyer is not afraid of competition. Diane Bandy, author, webmaster and President of DLTC