Fiat original vintage 1960s/ early 1970s vitreous enamel keychain badge with replaced keychain – collector’s item

An original vitreous enamel Fiat keychain badge which we would think will have been produced in the 1960s or early 1970s which we have provided with a new keychain ( snake chain ) as can be seen in the photos.

We have just this one keychain to offer – when this keychain has been sold this listing will be cancelled.

We would not usually describe a keychain badge with a replaced keychain as a collector’s item –  but this badge is such a significant item that we have made an exception in this case.

This is the only example of one of these Fiat keychain badges which we have ever listed .

This vitreous enamel badge is in really excellent condition but the original keychain was missing – so we have fitted a new keychain & splitring using a new old stock keychain & splitring which itself will probably date from the 1970s .

We know that the badge dates from the 1960s or early 1970s as we have very occasionally seen similar keychains for other makes of vehicle – mainly Jaguar  – with a badge with these markings on.

Bud Marston in USA has written a very well known book on the subject of Vintage Jaguar Keyrings ( running to some 280 pages ! ) which can be seen in the Jaguar section here in this website shop.

Bud has seen keychain badges like this Fiat one with the same markings on – but has never discovered who they were made by .

The marking is an elongated ‘B’ within an oval together with a smaller ‘C’ within a small circle.

It has been suggested that the ‘ C ‘ relates to ‘copyright’ but this has never been proven.

‘Made In England’ also marked on the back of the badge – at that time almost all keyrings/ keychains for the world’s cars were made in England – it became quite an industry centred on the badgemakers of the jewellery quarter in Birmingham where this badge will almost certainly have been made.

If this was one of the Jaguar keychains we have mentioned and in this condition then the value would be very significantly more  !

The keychain in the photos is the actual one which you will receive.