Land Rover Series II – original 1960s/ early 1970s vitreous enamel badge remounted onto a new leather keyfob

An original Land Rover keyfob badge which will have been produced in the 1960s or very early 1970s which we have remounted onto a new leather keyfob as can be seen in the photos .

When this keyring with this badge has been sold this listing will be cancelled.

This original nickel plated vitreous enamel badge will be correct for 1958 – 1971 Series II & IIA Land Rover ( and probably also early Series III ) and is in very good condition for it’s age considering that it will have been subjected to the rigours of having been used in a Series Land Rover !

We have only listed 2 or 3 other examples of these very early keyfob badges over the years – they are very scarce .

One of these was still mounted onto it’s original leather keyfob but neither was in as good condition as the badge on the keyring in this listing .

The reason for their rarity is easy to explain……………hardly any of these keyrings will have survived the rigours of life in a working Series Land Rover .

Series Land Rovers were built for work and almost all that have survived have been re-built sometimes more than once .

The same does not apply to the keyrings which were used in those vehicles – they were thrown away when they became tatty or simply worn out with constant handling and rattling around .

The vitreous enamelling on this badge is in perfect condition whilst there is a small area on the right hand edge of the badge where the bright nickel plating has worn through to the base metal.

This can be seen in the enlarged high resolution listing photos but is not particularly noticeable when viewed at life size.

The nickel plating on the reverse of the badge has disappeared over one area – but of course this can only be seen when the badge is flipped up off the leather keyfob .

We have remounted the badge onto a new keyfob in oak bark tanned ‘ tobacco’ leather – the badge was probably originally mounted onto a light tan leather keyfob which would have darkened in use to the dark ‘ tobacco’ colour which we have chosen .

Oak bark tanned hide is a brave survivor of England’s past before the Industrial Revolution transformed the use of natural materials.

There is just one remaining tannery in England producing oak bark tanned leather and still powered by a waterwheel- the site has been a tannery since Roman times.

The oak bark is harvested from coppice oakwoods and contains the necessary tannins needed for producing this leather.

The tanning method has changed very little over the years and is a long gentle process which protects the natural fibres of the hide and takes anywhere from 12 -24 months to produce each hide which is then hand finished by the curriers.

The resulting leather is prized for it’s quality, durability & finish and is a shining beacon standing out in this 21st Century world where uniformity & bland industrially produced plastic materials have replaced almost everything which went before.

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