1836 Bust Half Civil War ID Tag?

The Park Service would roll you up in a heartbeat........Ain't allowed.

 

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On park land, yes.... a very BIG no-no indeed, and for what should be obvious reasons.

 

IMHO, this piece wasn't likely dug. Had it been so, I expect that it'd show some surface abrasion from cleaning. Also, it doesn't appear to have been worn. Below is a Union ID that was worn by a soldier who survived the war. Note the heavy wear on the McClellan side. Jackson was a private in the Cattaraugus Regiment which participated in many hard fought battles.

 

I have in my collection of Civil War items a "gem" or small-sized tintype of one Lt. Oscar Dearborn. He was reported killed in battle but later turned up. He'd gone AWOL. He'd earlier been promoted for his repeated bravery in battle, but it seems he was a drinker with an attitude. Interesting story, his. Here's his photo ...



My reason for sharing this is that many a soldier was mistakenly pronounced dead during the war. Also, Confederate records were notoriously faulty. As for Johnson, I'd double-check the records, regarding his demise.

 

L M rightly suggested that you contact Rich Hartzog because he took over the publication of the Brunk counterstamp books and was himself a well known advisor on tokens and general exonumia. Regretfully my recent dealings with him were responded to by his brother who told me that Richard had passed away and they were not continuing his business or any pending deals or trades. No dates were provided and looking for an obituary that day did not bring one up. For now I merely know from a reliable source that he has passed. A substitute source of information on civil war ID tags would be the current and recently completed auctions on ebay.
See especially those completed auctions of Steve Hayden. He starts all auctions at 99 cents and his results frequently break sales records.

 

Thanks for posting your coin, Sean.

I did quite a bit of research on Civil War dog tags some years ago, and authenticity issues are hard to get a handle on. I have what I think are two legitimate ones in my collection, both counterstamped as yours is.

Quite a bit has been written on struck, blank tags that were later stamped with the individual soldier's information. Many times the company's sutler would do this. Though quite valuable, they can be had for a price. Not so for examples counterstamped on coins or tokens. Authentic pieces are exceedingly rare. I only know of 4 or 5 pieces that I feel are legitimate. Only one has supporting documentation that absolutely confirms it's legitimacy...the soldier's diary.

While Union soldiers often wore some type of body identification...their name pinned to their uniform, a carved belt buckle, diaries or letters in their possession, etc., their Confederate counterparts didn't seem to so concerned with wearing ID.
I don't know of a single authentic example from a Confederate soldier.

Whether your tag is authentic or not, I can't say. I'm skeptical, because as others have said they can be easily faked. Other than the condition of the hole...doesn't look right...everything else looks good. You definitely need to show it to knowledgeable people in the field. Steve Hayden might be a good start. Good luck with it, Sean.

Bruce

 

Great thread!

 

I reached out to Steve and this is what he had to say. I'm starting to feel alot better about having this piece in my collection. "It looks interesting and not obvious reasons to be suspicious. However because it was made with individual punches and on a non standard medium its value may be somewhat limited. Very neat. Steve"

 

Very interesting thread. My grandfather's great uncle , I believe, was in this regiment and was wounded in Pickett's charge (where Armistead was killed). Unfortunately my grandfather did not record any of the conversations they had.
I think he was in the Galveston Tigers (company D) named for the tiny community of Galveston, on Whitethorn Creek,in Pittsylvania County. My family still owns the property where the community stood, the only remaining structures being an early 19th century gristmill and the miller's cottage. My cousin, who has done a lot of research, says that before the Tigers went off to war, they roasted a cow in a pit on the property and had a feast (he has not been able to locate the pit, unfortunately).
Another relative was a Captain in the home guard, which always seemed quaint to me (until I read "Cold Mountain.") So, this relative of mine may well have known the soldier whose name is on the coin.
As to the authenticity of the piece, who can say? I believe that a private from Botetourt County would have been a poor farmer, and 50c worth of silver would have been a substantial sum for him to wear around his neck for several years. Also, most of the Confederate dead at Gettysburg were buried in shallow graves and left until 1871 when the process of removing them began. So, unless the tag was removed "on the field" I think it would likely have been pilfered from the body at some point and used for cash. If there is no solid family provenance to the piece I think its status will remain in doubt. Still, a great conversation starter and link to our shared past.

 

I'd have to disagree with Steve on this one, Sean. The piece would be immensely valuable IF it could be proven to be authentic. Struck generic blanks, later stamped by the individual soldier, are many times more common. The problem, of course, is authenticating the counterstamped coins like yours.

I've posted one from my collection that I'm certain is original. It's on a McClellan CWT, and looks to have been dug. Maybe from a battlefield site, maybe not. Many years ago it was legal to do so...I think up until about 1960.

I actually bought this piece from Steve Hayden several years ago who believed it to be authentic. I've researched the soldier and his unit and they're legitimate. That still doesn't mean it's authentic, but everything about this piece looks real to me.

Bruce

 

Opps, forgot the pictures! Here goes.

Bruce

 

IMHO, Bruce's piece is more convincing. The then cheaper, less costly substrate is far more practical for use as a tag. The hole is more crude, being the sort one would more expect to see on a homemade piece. Finally, the "dug condition" helps add to the flavor of it being a contemporary CW issue. As the underlying token bears McClellan, this soldier may have been in the Army of the Potomac.

Assuming that the Confederate soldier on Sean's Bust Half did die in battle, perhaps this coin was stamped, post-war, as a love token, a remembrance, for a family member? This practice was common in the late 1800's. It would have made quite a thoughtful gift, methinks. I seriously doubt it was dug.

Over the years, I've seen many an astute dealer who was fooled by a Vairin" or so-called "Pender" piece (pic attached). The thought of discovering, acquiring some unique, Confederate piece will cause many a collector to risk overpaying; this, being tantamount to hitting the lottery for some.

 

My gut feeling: if I was going to use a coin as the basis of my I.D. disc, I'd use a large cent, not a valuable silver coin that some looter could use to buy a bottle of booze and a plug of chewing tobacco.

 

What a great and historic piece. Certainly worth some research as it is rare to find, and an amazing example of possible trench art. Seriously, my first response was "Oh my God".

Because of the value of a Federal half, could have been done as an incentive to find the family of the individual if he was killed. Hopefully, he made it through the conflict.

 

Just a couple random observations on the silver tag...

Style of lettering and period after VA are a positive in my book.

Hole looks very worn and more so than the letters. Could be an old holed coin with new counterstamp added, or an older holed coin legitimately made into a CW tag, for example.

Coloring in letters seems added to me, rather than the result of natural gunk buildup. That in itself is not a deal breaker, but is just an observation.

I do agree that silver might be a pretty pricey host for a dog tag in that era.