Alarm tag with combination access

An alarm system, comprising:

• an electronic antenna having an electronic alarm;
• and
• an alarm tag combination lock that is securable in a locked condition to an article to be protected and removable from the article to an unlocked condition, the alarm tag comprising:
• a housing containing an electronic circuit including a circuit board having a lock alarm that is activated only when the alarm tag combination lock is in the locked condition and the electronic circuit also being operable to activate the electronic alarm of the electronic antenna when located within a predetermined distance proximate the electronic antenna,
• a shackle configured to lock into the housing to provide the locked condition,
• a signal spring located to electrically connect the shackle to the circuit board, and
• a plurality of rotatable gears and a plurality of digit wheels corresponding in number to the plurality of rotatable gears, each of the digit wheels surrounding and coupled to one of the rotatable gears and bearing combination indicia or indicium so that rotation of the digit wheels causes rotation of the rotatable gears and the digit wheels are positionable to orient the combination indicia or indicium of the digit wheels to a desired combination for providing the unlocked condition for the alarm tag combination lock with the alarm tag combination lock being in the locked condition when the digit wheels are otherwise oriented, the digit wheels each including a switch extension engageable with a switch actuator associated with the electronic circuit for turning off the electronic circuit when the alarm tag combination lock is in the unlocked condition;
• the alarm tag combination lock being operable by rotation of the digit wheels to secure the shackle in the locked condition to the housing and to release the shackle from the locked condition to the housing to provide the unlocked condition with the electronic circuit turned off;
• wherein the lock alarm of the electronic circuit is activated if the housing is broken or the shackle is cut when the alarm tag combination lock is in the locked condition, and the lock alarm of the electronic circuit is also activated if the alarm tag combination lock comes within the predetermined distance proximate the electronic antenna when the alarm tag combination lock is in the locked condition, and
• wherein the electronic alarm of the electronic antenna is activated if the alarm tag combination lock comes within the predetermined distance proximate the electronic antenna.