Charleston slave badge from 1811 for Carpenter No. 27

John Joseph Lafar, American, 1784 - 1849 · 1811

This is a square metal slave badge with quarter-circles cut out of the four corners. On the recto is text that reads ”CHARLESTON [stamped]” across the top. Under that is “1811 [stamped] / CARPENTER [stamped] / No. [stamped] 27 [engraved] .” There is no legible cartouche on the verso. There is a long narrow gash running the length of the word “Charleston.” There is a hole punched at the center top.