Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Clay disc, stamped with the number 5781, of the type that was placed with the body of deceased inmates to be able to identify the ashes after cremation. The numbers on the tags did not correspond to prisoner numbers. Produced in large quantities, not all the tags were used. Little is known about the origins of this clay tag. It was recovered by a retired United States Army colonel, identity unknown, shortly after his division liberated an unknown concentration camp in Germany. Similar discs were used at Dachau, Majdanek, Sachsenhausen, and Theresienstadt concentration camps.
- Date
-
found:
approximately 1945 May
- Geography
-
found:
Germany
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of John Birkelbach
- Markings
- front, center, imprinted : 5781
Physical Details
- Classification
-
Identifying Artifacts
- Category
-
Labels
- Object Type
-
Name tags (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Circular, white, clay tag with a coarse, cracked surface. It has an oblong recess in the center with an imprinted 4 digit number, and a hole near the top. The back has a blank, oblong recess.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 0.625 inches (1.588 cm) | Diameter: 2.375 inches (6.033 cm)
- Materials
- overall : clay
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- No restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The crematorium tag was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by John Birkelbach.
- Record last modified:
- 2022-11-10 15:44:04
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn48088
Download & Licensing
In-Person Research
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