Straits Chinese Key Holders

Pictures below are the Straits Chinese or Peranakan key holders. They were made by Straits Chinese 'Baba' silversmiths or goldsmiths, and were intended for the use of both men and women (Babas and Nyonyas). Keys were clipped to the ring at the end of the holder and the long hook at the back would be slipped into the owner's belt, where it would be secured until the keys were needed. These key holders fell out of fashion by the 1920s and 1930s, by which time most Straits Chinese (men, anyway) were wearing more European-style clothes, but back when more traditional garb was common, holders like these were as common as the key rings we use today.

These days, Peranakan key holders like these are getting increasingly rare, mostly because people don't know what they are or how they work.

Do browse my previous post about the "Peranakan Key Holders".


Key Holder 1

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Key Holder 2

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Key Holder 3

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Key Holder 4

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Key Holder 5

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Key Holder 6

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Key Holder 7 (With chain)

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Key Holder 8

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Key Holder 9

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Key Holder 10

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Key Holder 11

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Key Ring

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Incomplete Key Holder (With just the face of the key holder)

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