World War I | German Soldier's Dog Tag

German identification tags from World War I were issued to soldiers so military authorities could establish a serviceman’s identity if he were wounded or killed. Known as Erkennungsmarken, they were generally oval metal tags stamped with information connecting the wearer to his military records. Earlier wartime patterns were solid, undivided tags, while later designs introduced a central division with the identifying information repeated on both halves, allowing one half to be removed for casualty administration while the other remained with the body.

The markings can provide substantial information about an individual soldier, commonly including abbreviations identifying his regiment, battalion, company, replacement formation, or other unit, together with a personal identification or roster number. Soldiers who transferred between formations could have information altered, crossed out, or supplemented, meaning an individual tag can sometimes preserve evidence of its wearer's military service. These practical pieces of equipment became increasingly important during the enormous battles of 1914–1918, when mass armies, heavy casualties, and chaotic battlefield conditions made reliable identification an essential part of German military administration.

Ancient Artifacts guarantees the Authenticity of items sold through a three layer system of protection: 

1. Ancient Artifacts exclusively sources artifacts from trusted and reputable antique distributors, many of whom have been selling Artifacts for decades.  
2. Next, the Artifact is inspected by an expert team member, who is professionally trained in counterfeit detection After the artifact passes inspection, the Certificate of Authenticity is signed and the Artifact is packaged. 
3. Finally, Ancient Artifacts gives an additional layer of protection by promising a full refund with no questions asked, in the extremely unlikely event that a counterfeit slips through our vetting process.

Your Dog Tag will look very similar to the ones shown in the photos. Each tag is unique as it features the individual name of a soldier. The display case included is openable so that you may easily handle and closely observe the artifact. If for whatever reason you get anything that does not fit this description you are entitled to your money back! 

After the war, many German identification tags remained with surviving soldiers and their families, while others were recovered from former military positions, camps, hospitals, and battlefields across Europe. Some were preserved alongside uniforms, documents, and other personal effects, while others gradually entered collections as veterans’ estates were dispersed. Most examples encountered today come from these family-held pieces and legally recovered wartime material that eventually entered the secondary militaria market. From there they pass through specialized dealers and auctions, where their inscriptions, unit markings, and construction are examined and cataloged as surviving artifacts of German military service during World War I.