Tag Yesterday...SOLVED!!!

[drplaztics]

Well here is my favorite find of the day that I dug yesterday in a town on the Ohio River
in southern Indiana. I thought I had finally found a really old dog tag (not the
army dog tag but an actual canine) and was hoping it was pre-1910 after I dug it.
When I got home and washed it off, this is what I found on this brass/red brass tag:



The front reads "OWNER KNOWN BY No 411"



The back reads "RETURN TO McMAHAN'S DETECTIVE AGENCY WICHITA, KAN $1.00 REWARD"
The tag measures 1 3/8" X 3/4"

Could anyone from Kansas or anyone who might know about detective agencies tell me what
this might be used for Thanks

 

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[idahotokens]

Re: Tag Yesterday

Keychain return tags were especially popular in the early 1900s - there were simple ones with just an owner's name and address, ones used as fundraisers by fraternal organizations like the Odd Fellows, and advertising ones like yours. The detective agency's advertisement was placed on the tag to generate business - they hoped that the keychain owner would remember them if ever the need for their services arose. The owner registered with the agency and was assigned a number to anonymously correlate their keys with a name and address. If someone found a keychain with such a tag, they could send it to the agency and the agency would forward the keychain to its owner.

The 1888 Winfield, KS City Directory carried advertising from McMahan's Detective Agency at 225 North Main Street in Wichita.

The function of a detective agency was to provide investigative or surveillance services to individuals or businesses. They were outside of the normal law enforcement organizations like city police, county sheriffs, etc.

John in ID

 

[lennon631]

Re: Tag Yesterday

Keychain return tags were especially popular in the early 1900s - there were simple ones with just an owner's name and address, ones used as fundraisers by fraternal organizations like the Odd Fellows, and advertising ones like yours. The detective agency's advertisement was placed on the tag to generate business - they hoped that the keychain owner would remember them if ever the need for their services arose. The owner registered with the agency and was assigned a number to anonymously correlate their keys with a name and address. If someone found a keychain with such a tag, they could send it to the agency and the agency would forward the keychain to its owner.

The 1888 Winfield, KS City Directory carried advertising from McMahan's Detective Agency at 225 North Main Street in Wichita.

The function of a detective agency was to provide investigative or surveillance services to individuals or businesses. They were outside of the normal law enforcement organizations like city police, county sheriffs, etc.
As well, you were able to drop the keys in any mailbox and the agency paid the postage and the post office would deliver them, making it easy to return found keys!

John in ID