The Roller Skate Key?

Question

I had a scavenger hunt at my high school, and one of the items on the list was a roller skate key. I went down to the local antique shop, and I bought one for $2. First, I've become interested in the subject and was wondering about how much of an antique it very well may become. (Not that I'd sell it.) And Second, I was wondering about how I could renew it. You know, remove the rust.

Answer 1

rustolium should help, any ace hardware etc.

Answer 2

I did a brief search on the web for roller skate key collecting, but could not find anything.

I watch The Antiques Roadshow on PBS. Often times someone will bring in an old item that they have cleaned and polished. It turns out that the cleaning decreases the value. Collectors seem to like the "old" look.

Until you find out for sure, I would just put it away for now.

Answer 3

The old roller skates had a key to tighten how they fit on your shoe. They can't be worth that much since those roller skates were only sold for children. They were made of a mix of aluminum or tin. I imagine a Brillo pad would clean them up. These skates were around in the 60's but were common even in the thirties. When skate boards became popular roller skates died out. Most roller skates had shoes and were designed for skating rinks. These were the toys of the boomer generation. The next generation came back with blade skates and skateboards that you could actually ride in the streets.The rest is history.

Answer 4

Yes, I had some. Started off on those kids plastic ones, then graduated to the key skates. Great fun, but so heavy! Happy memories.

Answer 5

They will only go up in value. Hang it on the wall and be proud of what you got.