Daily pic... (no guessing the grade, sorry)

Regulated

Russellp23

I know that's a slave tag, but is it gold?

Regulated

No - it's brass that has a wonderful green-gold patina.

Cladiator

What's the "N" and "LAFAR"?

TorinoCobra71

Slave Tag??

Dog Tags for a Slave?



TorinoCobra71

Regulated

The "n" is actually an abbreviation for number. Lafar was the sheriff (I think) of Charleston. He was a silversmith at one time and was in charge of issuance of slave badges, which he evidently made...

Here's a brief simplificatioon of the slave badge system:

The ownership of human beings in the American South was not limited to large plantations; in fact, slavery was such a part of day-to-day life that several Southern cities enacted what are now known as badge laws. These laws allowed municipalities to profit from slavery as it was practiced in an urban setting: anyone wishing to hire out a slave in one of these cities was obliged to purchase a yearly license in the form of a small metal badge. This badge specified what job (or jobs) its bearer could perform, and cost the slaveholder anywhere from $2 to $7 per year, depending upon the slave’s occupation.

pontiacinf

I have always liked trying to search these out. That is a stellar example- nice patina, but has been cleaned in the past, no?

Lakesammman

Cool - find it in the basement??

Regulated

It has had dirt and debris removed, but has absolutely no hairlines. Aethetically speaking, it is just about the most attractive one I've seen.