Aston Martin – original vintage late 1960s keyring in black pigskin leather – collector’s item

An original Aston Martin keyring which we would think will have been produced in the late 1960s.

This is the only example which we have to offer – when this keyring has been sold this listing will be cancelled.

What a lovely 50 + year old keyring – and in very good condition for it’s age .

We very rarely receive original vintage Aston Martin keyrings of this quality and in this condition .

The jewellery quality vitreous enamel winged badge is mounted onto a keyfob in genuine black pigskin leather – and is the only example like this one which we have ever listed .

The vitreous enamel winged badge is of a very intricate design with all the tiny fields of enamel intact and without damage .

There is some yellowing of the white enamel which is quite usual on a vitreous enamel badge of this age – not as noticeable in the flesh when viewed at life size as in the enlarged high resolution listing photos .

The black pigskin leather keyfob is in good condition with good tight stitching and the badge is very securely attached to the leather .

The leather keyfob shows all the usual pleasing signs of a keyfob which has had many years of use and the leather has become supple where it doubles over at the top of the keyfob where the splitring is attached………….this keyring has many years and many thousands of miles left in it yet .

CUD ( Castles Unit Development Co. ) of Leicester produced an identical enamel badge of exactly the same size which they used in the 1960s on their famous torpedo keyrings ( we have occasionally listed original examples of these but at a much higher price than the keyring in this listing )

In the late 1960s CUD then became a new concern known as ‘CRAFTSMAN’ which came & went very quickly – and an American connection has been rumoured but never substantiated .

We would think that the keyring will have been produced by CUD or CRAFTSMAN but cannot be sure – very difficult to be certain as any mark on the back of the badge cannot be seen as it is mounted onto the keyfob…………..and these attached badges were seldom marked.

In the late 1960s torpedo keyrings very suddenly went out of favour and CUD & CRAFTSMAN started to produce ‘ conventional ‘ keyrings like this one before disappearing altogether .

As well as the traditional goatskin which they generally used for their torpedo keyrings they also used other leathers including pigskin leather like this keyring .

Pigskin leather was ( and is ! ) a luxury material prized for it’s appearance and longevity – it was sometimes used for keyfobs for prestige cars such as Aston Martin & Jaguar .

Whether made by CUD or CRAFTSMAN or not – we would think that this keyring is English made – there were many producers of car keyrings in the 1960s ( many of them being very small concerns and almost all of them based in England )

At that time almost all keyrings for the world’s cars were produced in England – it was quite an industry.

The details and identities of these small badgemakers & leatherworkers have sadly become lost in time and are unlikely to surface in the future having never been properly recorded and are now probably lost forever .

This keyring will be original & correct for use in any late 1960s or early 1970s Aston Martin motor car .

This little keyring will probably keep it’s secret but in the meantime will be a very valuable addition to any Aston Martin motor car which it finds itself being used in .

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