1882 Dog Tag

[Tony Two-Cent]

I've been out of town on business, then out of town for a convention, so I haven't had much time for detecting lately. (Or the forum.) But today I finally got the chance to swing the ol' E-Trac some. It is so hot and dry here that I dare not dig in the parks or school yards, so I went back to the bare dirt site where they recently tore down an old high school.

I didn't have much luck with old coins today. In fact, I wouldn't even bother posting the results of this hunt if it weren't for the old dog tag I found. Like most finds at this site it was only about 1 deep. It is definitely the oldest dog tag I've ever found.

Here are my total finds for the day:
60969

And here is the 1882 dog tag. Pretty neat design on the front. I guess the guy is playing fetch with his dog. And yes, the site where I found it is in Indiana.
6097060971


Thanks for looking and happy hunting! :beerbuddy:

[Epi-hunter]

Wow Tony - that is very cool! :congrats: I love it! I've never seen one like it (or one that old). Definitely a great find!

[POKIE73]

often times its finds like that will make your day i myself love to find the unusual finds like that congrats on your find dennis |:cheering: |:cheering:

[Lodge Scent]

Now THAT is a great find Tony. I had no idea they went back that far.

[ChrisinCT]

That's an awesome tag. Never seen one that wasn't a flat stamped one.
Better than a silver IMO.

[milco]

Great find there Tony! Those 19th century dog tags are also collectible and some are quite valuable.

[mike l]

Wow, thats the oldest dog tag I ever saw. Did everyone play harmonica back in the day? lol I find those reed pieces all the time.

[Cheap Thrills]

That Dog tag is a fantastic find Tony . I had no idea they were even in existence then . |:cheering:

[skribnodsister]

Cool finds Tony! I didn't know they had dogs tags back then either! :congrats: :peace:

[aloldstuff]

Gotta say that the dog tag beats any silver any day. I also didn't know that they had them back then.

:congrats:

[giant056]

Super nice score on the old dog tag Tony thumbsup01 my oldest is 1896 myself, the one that you found is right around the time the first dog tags were used I think.

[Tony Two-Cent]

As it turns out, it isn't a man playing fetch with his dog at all. The man is chopping down a tree, and the animal is a buffalo as depicted on the State Seal of Indiana.
60979

[lcoutback]

I guess the buffalo doesn't trust they guy's ability to lay the tree down where he wants... lol

Definitely a nice find! thumbsup01

[tanacat]

Very cool Tony |:cheering: It did look like man playing fetch w/very enthusiastic dog lol

I think 1921 is the oldest I've ever found- I wonder when Rabies vaccinations became law?

[Epi-hunter]

As it turns out, it isn't a man playing fetch with his dog at all. The man is chopping down a tree, and the animal is a buffalo as depicted on the State Seal of Indiana.

Buffalo.... dog.... it's all the same, right? lol

[giant056]

Tony I remember Goat Rancher found one that I'm pretty sure is the same thing but don't mark my word. It was probably at least five years ago he posted it on the Whites forum and also there was a write up in his local paper (Indiana) and it told about it being the very first year that they had dog tags. I know that he joined this forum but I haven't seen him post in a very long time anywhere.

[Bell-Two]

Buffalo.... dog.... it's all the same, right? lol


Well try to house break a Buffalo and then tell me they are the same! rofl

[angellionel]

Sweet find Tony! Definitely a keeper and highly collectible no doubt. :clapping:

[dave in iowa]

Very cool dog tag , i have one from 1892 , fun finds

[OxShoeDrew]

Beautiful tag Tony :smitten: I love to find dated tags. Just like coins to me. Never saw an oldie like that. I didn't know they had 'em back then.

[coinnut]

Nice find Tony. I've found an 1899 tag, but that one is a lot older. I didn't even think they went back that far. :shocked04: Great find.

[BobE]

Nice unique find.
Historic artifacts like this helps make this hobby so interesting to me.
Now I'm wondering when the first dog tag was issued. Thanks for the post.

[BobE]

In 1905, Representative Ed Croan, of Bullitt County, began urging the Kentucky General Assembly to pass a dog tax law to help compensate sheep owners who lost sheep to dog attacks. He appears to have been nearly alone in his quest at the beginning as shown in this brief article from The Citizen (Berea, Ky., 7 Dec 1905, page 8).

http://www.bullittcountyhistory.com/bchistory/croandoglaw.html

So, I guess in some states, dog tags were a way of raising funds from which to compensate property owners who suffered damages by dogs. I wonder if the law is still valid.

Metal detecting takes us on some strange paths.

[del]

very cool Tony :perfect10: definately one of the oldest dog tags i've seen :beerbuddy:

[ChrisinCT]

I think this is my fifth time I clicked on this posting to admire that tag.

In the realm of dog tags its the equivalent to finding a gold coin.

[coinMD64]

Wow!!! this is oldest dog tag I ever seen! I found some brass dog tags from 1950s and early 1960s in a local park 20 years ago. I still have them in my storage box. Thanks for posting the picture of 1882 dog tag!!! :congrats: