This diamond-shaped tag made of thin sheet metal brass meas. 1.75" x 1.75". with corners rounded out. Upper tag corner has hole and beneath reads "CHARLESTON / 453 / PORTER / 1839" indicating the city where the tag was made and issue, slave number, slave occupation, and date made. Reverse has no markings. Overall, tag exhibits light denting with patches of dark soiling and age spots, especially on the reverse. 

Charleston, S.C. was the only city in America to actually issue slave tags. Initially issued in 1800, they were first produced by local silversmiths until the civil war when the city was taken by the North. In 1828, maker's stamps ceased to be marked on the tags and in 1829 all tags were produced in the diamond-shaped pattern. 400 known examples of the Porter occupation slave tag are known to exist.