Cache of 100 unissued tags

[Simon O.]

Here's an interesting find made this week. A cache of almost 100 sequentially numbered tags to the same unit, 1 Kp. Geb.Pi.Btl.91, 6 Geb.Div. Starting from 51 and going up to 148.
My assumption is that the first 50 were issued and these are the remaining tags dumped after the war.

[pauke]

find

That is a most interesting find. Were they in a trash pit or boxed or? The unissued EK cache must be nearby...

[Archi]

Hello !

Very interesting find !
It would be very interesting to check, which date is the highest number in personal docs (SB / WP)
from 1. Geb.Pi-Btl. 91, where the EKM is not from a replacement unit, but issued from the unit itself.
Have you tried to check that (I assume you have some of those docs) ? That could be very interesting !

Thanks for showing and best regards,

Archi

[Jean-Loup]

Very interesting find.

JL

[Simon O.]

That is a most interesting find. Were they in a trash pit or boxed or? The unissued EK cache must be nearby...

They were held together with wire. In the photo above i laid them out sequentially, numbers 145 and 146 are missing. they were found right under the surface and there was evidence of post-war military exercises in the same spot. Perhaps found by a soldier in the 50s or 60s, took a couple of tags as souvenirs and threw the rest.

Of all the tags, only 1 is in aluminium, the die stamps used vary as well, suggesting more than one person making them. It's interesting that this particular unit at least decided to make spare tags in advance and not just when required.

[Simon O.]

Hello !

Very interesting find !
It would be very interesting to check, which date is the highest number in personal docs (SB / WP)
from 1. Geb.Pi-Btl. 91, where the EKM is not from a replacement unit, but issued from the unit itself.
Have you tried to check that (I assume you have some of those docs) ? That could be very interesting !

Thanks for showing and best regards,

Archi

Strangely enough, although i have a lot in my collection to the 6 GD, nothing to the pionier btl. but i will of course keep my eyes open

[Jean-Loup]

Does the aluminum one have a random number mixed in between the zinc ones? Also, could you post some examples of variations of the die stamps?
I guess these were made for soldiers who lost the ID tags issued to them during training.

JL

[Simon O.]

The unit lettering and numbering all seem to be the same but the serial numbers are in two different styles, one being the same size as the units numbering, the other larger.

The aluminum tag is in number sequence with the others

[Jean-Loup]

This illustrates nicely that the material the tag is made of really doesnt tell you much. I had always assumed, stupidly I guess, that there were batches of 50 or 100 tags of one material used, then another batch made with a different material.
But if there were a few spares of different material ID tags lying around, it only makes sence they could have ended up being mixed up with others.

JL

[HeinzGrimberg]

Gebirgs-Pionier-Bataillon 91 (Aufgestellt am 1. Juni 1940)
Yeah, this unit established after 1. September 1939...

So, The Geb. Pi. Btl. 91 Members would have Old tags.
-> The members came from another unit...

and the starting number is 51, it is not a high number but these were unissued...

Interested..

[Yubari]

interesting find that occurs from time to time usually on German escapes routes. Nice

[Tora_Tora_Tora!]

Very interesting find...many compliments!

[djpool]

Nice! Jim

[Simon H]

Nice hoard find Simon!