LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 Feb Americana Grand Format Auction #659  / 

25284

1836 Charleston SERVANT Slave Hire Badge #366

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Cultures & Ethnicities Start Price:400.00 USD Estimated At:1,600.00 - 2,000.00 USD
1836 Charleston SERVANT Slave Hire Badge #366
<B>1836 Charleston SERVANT Slave Hire Badge. Number 386.</B></I> A slightly convex diamond-shaped tag with clipped corners, holed at the top for suspension, 60mm x 62mm. There is no hallmark though the manufacturer is known to be local silversmith and jeweler William Madison Rouse. This was the first year that Rouse received the city's contract, but certainly not the last. He would eventually manufacture more slave badges than any other contractor. He used a different and smaller typeface than his predecessors for the badges and dropped the "No" punch. He also placed a dotted border around the occupation. The elements on the obverse are as follows (top to bottom): "*CHARLESTON*" in a crescent-shaped bar punch; "1836" bar punched; "SERVANT" in a rectangular punch; and an incuse "386" in individual punches. The condition is about fine with very dark patina and some surface roughness. <BR><BR>Harlan Greene, Harry S. Hutchins, Jr., and Brian E. Hutchins, in their book <I>Slave Badges and the Slave-Hire System in Charleston, South Carolina, 1783-1865</B></I> estimate that there were 3707 badges manufactured for 1836.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Small Collectibles (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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