Vintage Jaguar Keyrings Book

Mar/Apr 2021 edition
Issue #15 AutoMobilia Resource Magazine
Jeff Zurschmeide

Key fobs are a particularly collectible corner of the automobilia world. They have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, easy to display and transport, and you can use them if you want. Every automotive enthusiast has at least a few gems in their desk drawer. One of mine is a late-60s vintage Honda motorcycle fob, and I’m accumulating quite the little collection of those leather key wallets our dads used to have back in the day. 

But if you had told me that someone could get enough information together to write almost 300 pages about Jaguar key fobs in the 25-year period from 1955 to 1980, I’d have been incredulous. Yet here it is, gloriously published by Dalton Watson Fine Books. This is more than a photo book; it’s a reference work of great value to Jaguar enthusiasts and automobilia collectors generally.

In all, there are three separate editions of this book available from the publisher. The basic edition (shown here) is an embossed black hardback with an image dust jacket, all housed in the image-wrapped slipcase for $95. There’s also a Deluxe edition, signed & numbered, limited to 100 copies, made in the same binding for $135. For the serious collector, just five copies are available leatherbound and embossed, housed in a leather-wrapped and embossed slipcase for $650. All three are available from Dalton Watson at DaltonWatson.com or 847-945-0568.

Author Bud Marston begins with a look at the techniques that were used to make key fobs in the postwar era, and that’s a critical body of research. The reason older fobs are still around to collect is the high quality of enamel used to make them. Marston describes the process for several different enameling techniques and also covers solid metal and those squishy acrylic resin fobs that became popular in the 1970s. 

Going deeper, he looks at the various fob-makers and their output. High-quality photos of all styles are included. He also covers the various types of leather used on the fobs, dealer-provided fobs, and even vintage keys. Perhaps most usefully, Marston relates different fob styles to their various time periods. 

​The result is a book that can take you to the next level of period correctness and authenticity in the complete presentation of your Jag. Beyond that, the information on production techniques and fob design will surely help any collector match a given fob of any brand to its proper era. ​

A thorough reading of this book may inspire any automobilia collector to take a closer look through the piles of old keyrings one occasionally encounters at a swap meet. Once you’ve seen Marston’s light, you’ll be looking for more than your preferred brand logo on a fob you like. You’ll be better able to recognize the true collectibles from the knock-offs. For Jag collectors, this is a must-have reference. For everyone else, it’s a useful treatise that will have you digging through your own box of old keys to take a fresh look at your stash.
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Jeff Zurschmeide

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