Civil War Identification Tag. McClellan. Maier-Stahl 1Ma, DeWitt-GMcC 1864-88. Unissued. White Metal. About Uncirculated, Damaged.

44.1 mm. Unpierced, and with an uninscribed reverse. Soldier identification disks were a Civil War invention sold by sutlers serving various military installations and units. Over half of the military casualties in the early stages of the Civil War were unable to be identified, so the sutlers sold these disks - only much later to be called "dog tags" - to the soldiers they served so that if they were to be killed in action, their next of kin could be notified, and their grave could be marked. Many were simple blank disks upon which the sutler stamped the soldier's identification, but others could be had that had portraits of political figures or generals on one side and a place for identification on the reverse.

Estimate: $ 350