1800s tags? they are dog tags !!!!!

These tags are listed and illustrated on pp. 57-58 of U. S. Dog License Tags and Related Exonumia.   Although no values are given, the author, Dr. Bill Bone, can probably help you with that information.  He's very familiar with our hobby and enjoys hearing from anyone who has found tags from the 1800's.  I'm sure he'd be interested in these from the Kingdom of Hawaii.  
 
    

The oldest known Hawaiian tags are dated 1870.



Thanks PBK! It took a while to get there but we finally nailed it.

look like pole tags. i like that name grimroofer.... i was a roofer once and it sucked

what about the crown with the cross on it seems weird that that are dated i just dont know what they were attached to

I believe these may be mortuary tags, attached to wooden crosses to help identify the deceased.

Chip V.

I believe these may be mortuary tags, attached to wooden crosses to help identify the deceased.

Chip V.

I think so too...

Now those are cool. Keep detecting that spot. And don't forget to hit the very edges of the lot.     

i dont know about mortuary tags i dont think anyone is buried there the grave yard is way on the other side and i stay away from there

I believe these may be mortuary tags, attached to wooden crosses to help identify the deceased.

Chip V.

I agree.

i dont know about mortuary tags i dont think anyone is buried there the grave yard is way on the other side and i stay away from there

so?  Doesn't explain anything.  You could have found them 100 miles away...

 I may be way off base here but i'm thinking tool check tags for sugar cane knives from one of the plantations. You did find these in Maui correct?

I may be way off base here but i'm thinking tool check tags for sugar cane knives from one of the plantations. You did find these in Maui correct?

Ahhh.  That could make a difference...  But just to play devil's advocate here, I've never seen a single tool check tag from the U.S. anywhere that had a year stamped on it.

These are interesting finds. Are those Bishops hats? 

diggin' in the grave yard 

no i am not digging in a grave yard there is one on the property buy it is 300 yards away i am in an area that they used for gatherings so i am sure they didn't stick anyone in the ground there and yes i am on maui i dont think they are tool tags not with the hat thing on them and i dont think they were ever nailed up to anything there is no indents from a nail around the holes i am lost i need to talk to some locals here

no i am not digging in a grave yard there is one on the property buy it is 300 yards away i am in an area that they used for gatherings so i am sure they didn't stick anyone in the ground there and yes i am on maui i dont think they are tool tags not with the hat thing on them and i dont think they were ever nailed up to anything there is no indents from a nail around the holes i am lost i need to talk to some locals here

I was just foolin' with it being haloween and all. thats why we're called diggers

Look closely they all have openings on one hole as if to put on and take off. Unless they were cut off.

i think it is rotted off on the one someone thought they might be from church owned cloths of uniforms but i dont know why they would be dated

 I have emailed Richard Wong who is a local historian in Honolulu. Hopefully he can add something to this. I was thinking maybe bango tags but the dates don't fit. Still looking.

thanks it helps to have the right connections lol ill keep my fingers crossed

Certainly has to do with something locally. These tags must have been issued nearby as the numbers increase with the years. 1876 has 111, 1880 has 230 and 1885 has 6143. That crown is not familiar to me. Was there a form of monarchy in Hawaii?
Interesting.
Dave.

i think there was a monarchy here in hawaii  until 1900 when they became a U.S territory  another thing i found a 1883 hawaiian dime and it has a crown on it that looks kinda like the one on the tags what do you think

Very interesting tags. The Crown is a match and fits era of the tags.

Certainly has to do with something locally. These tags must have been issued nearby as the numbers increase with the years. 1876 has 111, 1880 has 230 and 1885 has 6143. That crown is not familiar to me. Was there a form of monarchy in Hawaii?
Interesting.
Dave.

 The King of Hawaii from 1874-1891 (when he died) was King David Kalakaua, he is on the obverse of that dime.

 That dime is worth a few bucks too especially in that condition. Nice and rare. Nice find grimroofer.  http://www.govmint.com/item/1883-Hawaii-Silver-Dime-XF/1802852/10

Interesting tags.

The numbers go up as the years go up.  Each year is a different shape. 

Do you have more that are consistent with this pattern?

The crown makes think it was government related.

DCMatt

Well at least we know that they are with out a doubt, Hawaiian. Some form of licensing. I wish I knew what but that is all I can do. Sorry.
Dave.

Listed below are some places in Hawaii you could try to contact to help further you along in your search for this id. I'm still working on it. I sent out a couple more emails so we'll see if anything produces.





The University of Hawaii Hawaiian-Pacific Collection has a particular focus on sugar. Full holdings of the Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association publications are supplemented by a wide collection of technical sugar journals and periodicals. Of particular interest are five sets of plantation records ranging from 1876 to 1935. These microfilm records are well catalogued. They include correspondence to and from factories and headquarters, production records, mill records, payrolls, time books, supply records, and engineering data. The collection also has an extensive collection of diaries, letters, and notebooks of early sugar planters. A large and steadily expanding resource is the collection of theses written in the various Colleges of the University, particularly in plant physiology, economics, and history. The collection is open Monday-Saturday, 8:00-4:30. Hawaiian Collection, Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822.

The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum Library and Archive has the corporate records of several major sugar companies, in particular, the corporate records of Theo. H. Davies, the business records of the Dillingham Corporation, a library of 88,000 books dealing with Hawaii and the Pacific. Open on a limited basis and by appointment. The Museum Photograph Collection contains 500,000 pictures of Hawaii and the Pacific. 1525 Bernice Street, PO Box 1900A, Honolulu, HI 96819.

Particularly valuable for research is the Grove Farm Homestead Museum. The repository of the complete records of the Grove Farm Plantation, 1855-1935 and the personal papers of the founder and operator, G. N. Wilcox, offers a complete view of a highly successful, innovative sugar company. Expanding the view beyond Grove Farm are the files of correspondence with the H.S.P.A. from 1895. The correspondence to and from the Bureau of Labor of the Association provides a rare view of the state of labor relations through the period. The archive is open 40 hours weekly and by appointment. Dr. Barnes Riznik, Director, PO Box 1631, Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii 96766.

Hawaiian Historical Society, the collection of 19th century materials consists of a large collection of manuscript material, 3,000 photos, diaries and letters of mid-nineteenth century figures, and extensive holdings of 19th century newspapers. Holdings include, for example, the early records of Castle and Cooke and cover the establishment of plantations in 1853 and 1856. Open Mon-Fri, 10-4. 560 Kawaihao Street, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Kauai Historical Society and Kauai Museum contain manuscripts, newspapers, and general Kauai material, particularly of the period 1850-1920. Uninventoried ledgers and mss materials from a major plantation are also available. PO Box 1778, Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, HI 96766.

Lyman House Memorial Museum offers a collection of 7,000 publications, 10,000 photos, a collection of New England newspapers (600 issues) which has been completely indexed for Hawaiian materials, including early sugar efforts. Open 30 hours weekly and by appointment. 276 Haili Street, Hilo, HI 96720.

The Alexander and Baldwin Museum. A new museum and archive will open later this year in September at Puunene, Maui, Hawaii, for limited use. Eventually this museum will offer an extensive collection of records of the Alexander and Baldwin Companies and the many plantations and mills absorbed into HC & S, the largest sugar company in Hawaii, dating from 1850.

Hawaii State Archives. This archival collection dates from 1792 and contains an amazing collection of public records and papers of officials from the Kingdom to the present day. Of particular interest to sugar historians are the Collections of the Bureau of Immigration, (1882-1915), the Board of Health, later the Board of Sanitation, from 1886, the Attorney General, 1850ff, the Hawaii Supreme Court, 1850ff, and the various circuit courts. These latter records are largely in Hawaiian until the late 19th century and are being made available in translation. These records provide detailed information on immigrant and indentured labor from 1850-1900. Territorial records, beginning July 14, 1900, to 1959 are also available and remarkably complete. The papers of the Territorial Governors are heavily concerned with immigration, labor, and strike matters and are particularly revealing on the relationship of the Territorial government to the sugar industry. Open Mon-Fri, 7.45-4.30, Iolani Palace Grounds, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Hawaii Sugar Planters' Asssociation Library. The Library is a working collection serving the HSPA Experiment Station. It is not a public collection. In addition to the records attendant on such work, the library has an extensive collection of published materials on sugar, including a complete collection of Hawaiian Sugar Company annual reports. In 1982-84 the HSPA assembled and brought to the Library all of the early records which were located in an inventory conducted by the Hawaiian Historical Society. These records are slowly being brought out of storage and processed. Since the Library is a private, special purpose collection, it is not generally open to the public. Requests from serious researchers are considered on a case by case basis to the extent that resources and staff permit. 99-193 Aiea Heights Drive, Aiea, Hawaii, 96701.

solved there dog tags 

the hat as some folks call it --is the hawaiian royal crown * used by the king of hawaii --look at the seal of hawii --its on it === so dog tags --the holes are to allow them to be attached via a rivets to leather dog collars -- makes sense . --- I too thought it might be a form of worker chit --like a tally chit --paid by how much you cut , you turn in your stuff , show your chit to be "credited" for your labor *-or for checking a tool out *-- burail markers to keep track of gravesite also crossed my mind  due to the dates on em---but a yearly tag that was a dog tax makes sense.

i put what pbk found about them in the first post box 

Dog tags. Who da thunk it? Another great ID from PBK's library.