VOCABULARY TERM: KEY TAG MEDAL

Key Tag Medal. The utilization of a medal to put on a ring of keys; they are always looped or holed. Because of their intense wear, key tag medals are struck in hard alloys; nickel-silver and copper nickel are well suited for this purpose. A large volume of any medal manufacturer's production is concerned with key tag medals so popular are they. Often they are made as a reduction of a larger medal as one of the more utilitarian purposes of medallic art. Sometimes these bear a serial number stamped on the back; they are issued with a card bearing the same number. When mailed back to the issuer they form a registry to identify the owner; when the keys are lost they can be returned to the owner through this registry.

Medal makers also have stock design key tag medals available to any one who wishes to order such. The Paris Mint, for example, has two dozen special designs available as key tags (in French, porte-clefs). These include designs from historical motifs, mythology, art scenes, zodiac medals, and of course, the ubiquitous Saint Christopher medal for travelers.

To read the complete entry on the Newman Numismatic Portal, see:
Key Tag Medal (https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/dictionarydetail/516192)

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