total newbie 2 dogtags - would appreciate a lesson

[Chad Williams]

Hello

I am a long time belt buckle collector who bought a few pieces early on in my collecting that were not buckles but just caught my eye. These dog tags are some of those items. I know nothing about dog tags but I would like to know more about the anatomy and deciphering of them so any knowledge you would like to impart on me is greatly appreciated
thank you
Chad

[Chad Williams]

pics of 2 dogtags

[Mauser HSc]

Collecting Erkennungsmarke (EKM) aka dogtags/hundemarke is a lot of fun because there is a lot of variety, and you can research the history of the units on each tag. The first place to start is a good reference such as "Collecting WWII German Military Identification Discs" by M. Burroughs (Ulric of England 2005). The book has a lot of information on tags used by the Wehrmacht and Paramilitary organizations and breaks them down by service. There is also a section on POW tags. Most useful is the section on abbreviations encountered on discs which greatly assists in interpretation (though by no means exhaustive).

As for your tags, the one on top is from Bau (Construction) Kp (Company) 57. The 1/ is usually the company level unit, so this could be First Squad (Zug) in this case? The 474 is the roll number for the individual soldier who received the tag on assignment to the unit. Your tag is an earlier one for a soldier who was likely assigned to this unit on its initial formation. Later tags often have the "Ers." abbreviation for "Ersatz" (replacement) meaning that the soldiers first unit was a later replacement unit, like on the lower tag (First Squad (?) 110th Rifle (Schtz./Schutzen) Replacement Company). The "B" is the soldier's blood type. Not all tags, especially the earlier ones, had blood types on them. While I prefer the tags that identify the actual units rather than replacement companies, I have several of the latter as well.

Interestingly, the individual soldier, sailor, etc. kept their first issued EKM even when transferred to a different unit. It was not usually replaced with one for the new unit unless lost. An entry was then made in the Soldbuch regarding the updated EKM. There are also small non-issue pouches called "Brustbeutel" in which tags were kept while draped around the neck on a string most of which were made of soft leather but many field made expedients are encountered. Tags were often personalized by attaching religious, good luck or photos such as here: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru....php?t=1038757

While its a lot of fun to collect these, it is quite addictive. EKMs are like potato chips: just one or two is never enough!

[Chad Williams]

Mauser

thank you very much for the great lesson! If I wanted to purchase more of them; what is a reasonable price for common dog tags ? Is there a baseline range of price. I realize that a more rare tag will be more but just want to know what I should expect to pay for them so that I don't overpay
Thank you very mush for your response I really appreciate the knowledge!

[Ironcrown]

Good question.
The price depends by many factors. First of all the rarity of the unit. Very few collectors can be interested in a RAD dogtag, while an original SS GvB or SS LAH dogtags will be much more prized. Then the conditions, a ground found tag will cost much less than a good contition piece with still its original chord and privately purchased leather older. I think that the most common type of german army dogtags in good conditions (let's say an "Jnf Ers. Batl xxx" in zink, not ground dug) should cost around 25€.

[Chad Williams]

Ironcrown- Thank you for your reply! I will be looking for dog tags at my local military fair as soon as everything goes back to normal!

[Mauser HSc]

Ironcrown- Thank you for your reply! I will be looking for dog tags at my local military fair as soon as everything goes back to normal!

Just like all aspects of this hobby, there are fakes out there, particularly for the "rare" or more sought after units such as: SS, GD, HG, FJ, PZ, etc. Having a good reference is the way to go. Good luck and good hunting!

[Simon H]

Jean Hoidal book on Erkennungsmarke is probably the bench mark for collecting German Erkennungsmarken, although in the German language. Both of the examples you posted are good and perhaps not considered "glamorous" but authentic.

The secret is to get used to recognising a good original and also knowing the formations stamped upon them. Ask before you part with your money.