07/25/2023
Emily's Edsel E-Day +44
No work today but a very interesting story and rare find with Patty.
When we picked up Patty back in the beginning of June, Byron (the seller and an incredibly nice guy) handed us the key ring. Slightly disappointed there were only 2 keys on the ring, as I was concerned I'd loose them before I got back to PA, and what if I locked them in the car. The pressure was on. Naturally I assumed one key for the ignition and one for the trunk and surely one of those would fit the doors and glovebox. We did use the larger key to get Patty running, so I knew we were good to go. Two keys, one ring, let's load her up and head back to PA.
Fast forward 6 weeks and we find ourselves looking for some blank keys to get cut for a backup set. Looking through the usual sites like eBay and Amazon we found many reproductions of the triangle key, but it was always paired with a key that looked like the 58 Horse-Collar grill and not our big round key with the giant "E" in the center.
We started scouring the Internet for what seemed to be an eternity looking to find another big round Edsel key for sale, but we couldn't find an image or even a mention of the big "E" key. Not to be troubled any longer, I posted a picture of Patty's keys onto the Edsel Owners Club FB group to try to get some much needed help with this dilemma. The "E" looked too much like the real deal that the thought of it being aftermarket just didn't make sense. But at this point we just needed to know.
Within minutes Phil Skinner from the EOC was all over the answer that had eluded us to this point. He even posted a picture of what the key looked like new 60+ years ago. Come to find out, the round key with the large "E" was what they called a Dealer Key and it was exclusive to Edsel dealerships. Edsel used these keys as a marketing plan to entice Edsel owner to bring their car in for servicing. The dealers mailed a blank key (see pic) to the owner letting them know they would cut the key so it worked for their car if they came in for service. I'm sure their plan worked for many owners, but over the years and with ignition switches being replaced, most of these keys are lost or in a landfill somewhere.
The good news for Emily is that she has a very rare piece of history for her Edsel Patty and the cool story behind how it cam to be.
We will of course get the regular ignition key and stop using the Big "E" key. The green on hers has been worn off over the years and we certainly don't want to ruin this piece of Americana.
