Notched dog tags

Some of you may have seen old dog tags with notches in them. Stories abound about the reason for them. The oddest being that the notch would hold the dog tag in place as it was placed in between a deceased soldiers teeth on the battlefield. The jaw would be forced shut around the tag and positive ID would remain securely on the body. The simple truth is that early dog tag machines needed this notch to hold the tag in place as the letters were being stamped. Holders were developed in later models that allowed the tag to be held without needing a notch in the tag.