Caterham Super 7 – original vintage new old stock late 1970s/ early 1980s vitreous enamel on gilt keyring by Caxton of Kew

An original Caterham keyring with a gilt plated badge which will have been produced in the late 1970s or early 1980s .

The keyring is the photos is the actual one which you will receive – when it has been sold this listing will be cancelled.

We do have several more of these keyrings to offer but the badge on each one has slight differences .

When this one has been sold we will list another example later .

Production of the Lotus 7 ended in 1972 & Caterham bought the rights to the car in 1973 & production started.

We received these original new old stock Caterham Super 7 keyrings with gilt plated vitreous enamel badges together with a few loose badges which are being offered remounted onto new leather keyfobs in separate listings here in this Caterham section of our website shop .

We would think that these keyrings date from the late 1970s or early 1980s .

The badges are in solid yellow & green genuine vitreous enamel – very different to the modern resin based ‘enamel’ which we have seen some reproduction Caterham keyrings being offered in .

The maker’s mark on the back of the badges (CAXTON of KEW ) gives a good indication of the date – Caxtons have been closed for business for a very long time.

The badges are mounted onto keyfobs in genuine full grain black leather .

These leather keyfobs look suspiciously similar to the keyfobs produced by Manhattan Windsor of Birmingham who produced car keyrings at the same time .

Caxtons were primarily badgemakers and we would think that they were buying the leather keyfobs in from Manhattan Windsor – maybe the badges were even sent to Manhattan for mounting ? …………….we will never know .

The keyrings are in new condition and will never have been issued .

The original shine of the gilt plating has mellowed over the years in storage to give an attractive antique gold finish .

Caxton of Kew were a traditional manufacturer and one of the last to still lay the vitreous enamel by hand – this results in slight variations from badge to badge .

The enamel tends to have slight dimples which sets these badges apart from the boring precision of modern resin based enamel badges .

Additionally the badges are relatively thin and consequently lightweight – as befits a Caterham Super 7 .

As already stated – the keyring in the photos is the actual one which you will receive .