c. 1785. Charleston, South Carolina "free badge." ~42mm x 38mm. Oval copper planchet, single obverse die, struck in relief. Obverse bears a Phrygian cap (liberty cap) on a pole emblazoned “Free.” A lunate banner along the badge’s border reads: “City of Charleston.” Hand-engraved inscription reads: “No. X.”

One of rarest, most significant relics of American slavery ever made available for public acquisition- the 11th known, recently discovered, Charleston “free badge.” These badges were required by law to be worn by formerly enslaved men and women in Charleston, South Carolina between 1783 and 1789. To a free person of color, these badges would have represented both a burden and a form of protection. They symbolized the constant surveillance and control imposed by authorities, but also provided a form of legal recognition in a society where emancipated African American's freedom was precarious.

Precious few relics of remain that were undoubtedly owned by formerly enslaved people. This badge is an impactful reminder of their humanity and resilience.

Acquired sometime in the early to mid 20th century by insurance executive J. Doyle Dewitt (1902-1972), this badge’s existence was not well-known until the recent dissemination of Dewitt’s massive collection of American political numismatics. Along with this example, Dewitt owned other, more common slave badges (offered elsewhere in this catalog, lots #175-179).

Notably, this free badge is one of just two known that show evidence of being produced from disused copper Charleston Bank currency plates. Only the “Chibbaro” free badge (currently on loan at Colonial Williamsburg) and this example have engravings on their reverse that match the language of currency notes issued by the Bank of Charleston in the late 1700s. Words and phrases such as “Treasury of” and “deposit” are clear, despite the original plate’s reconfiguration. The “Chibbaro” free badge and this example are also the only two known examples that are serialized with letters, not numbers after “No.” Scholarship regarding the system in which these badges were issued by the city of Charleston is ongoing. Since only eleven free badge specimens are known, the subject is not well-studied. Only around 600 free people of color are enumerated in Charleston’s 1790 census, and it has been suggested an alphanumeric system may have been used in certain years.

In November of 1783, an ordinance was enacted requiring every free individual of African or mixed race descent aged fifteen or above in Charleston to procure a badge from the city, for which they had to pay five shillings into the city treasury. These badges were to be worn visibly on the breast, suspended by a string or ribbon, with a penalty of three pounds imposed for non-compliance, potentially leading to imprisonment and hard labor if not paid promptly.

This ordinance also aimed to regulate the hiring of slaves by establishing fees for "tickets or badges" that were required to be worn by hired slaves. Enslavers that hired out unticketed slaves and those who employed them were penalized. The absence of dated slave tags before 1800 suggests the potential use of paper tickets instead of the metal badges that were later introduced.

In 1789, this requirement for slave hiring tickets and free person badges was abolished, only to be reinstated in 1800 to regulate slave hiring practices. Interestingly, there was no mention of free person badges in the 1800 ordinance or subsequent regulations, limiting the period in which free badges were issued to six years from 1783 to 1789. Existing free badges lack dates and did not require annual renewal, likely contributing to their rarity. Also, the population of free individuals of African descent over 15 in Charleston in 1790 was relatively small.

The ordinance does not specify the entity responsible for manufacturing the free badges. It's likely they were made by local metalsmiths, akin to later slave badges.



[Civil War, African American History, Slavery, Abolition, Abolitionist, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Union, Confederate, Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Black Americana, Buffalo Soldier]