Portes clés (Keychains)

Key chains are one of the most emblematic advertising objects of the twentieth century. While key chains have existed for several centuries, in the form of a metal ring, the term "key chain" appeared in the sixteenth century, designating the keeper of a jail or prison. It was not until the nineteenth century that this term would designate the object itself, with no other function than to carry keys.

The first advertising key chain appeared in 1902, from the GLADIATEUR brand, at the Cycle Show in Brussels. But the real development of the key chain came later, in the 1950s. Production touched the largest brands, in all sectors (food, automotive, household products...), the key chain appearing very quickly as an essential advertising medium that the French quickly adopted.

The 1960s saw the golden age of key chain production, with more than 65,000 different models recorded in France. In the 1960s, the number of French keychain collectors reached up to 2 million. This passion for collecting key chains, called keychain collecting, was a term coined in the 1960s, the golden age of advertising key chain production.

Among the most reputable manufacturers, many advertising key chains, which became highly prized collectible objects, were produced between 1950 and 1974 by SA Bourbon Industrie in Saint-Lupicin in the Jura. These Bourbon key chains, particularly sought after, are distinguished by their quality and diversity of shapes.