The History of "AA" Keys

The AA was founded in 1905 to protect motorists from the numerous police traps of those days and has grown to be one of the greatest motoring organisations in the world. A squad of cyclist patrols on the London-Brighton road at weekend’s forms the nucleus around which the AA has grown.  So useful were the first patrols to the motorists of 1905 that it was decided to establish the service on a permanent basis. It was therefore largely due to the arbitrary enforcement of the 20 mph speed limit introduced two years earlier that the Automobile Association came into being.

In the early days, principally in the smaller hotels, special toilet cabinets were provided by the AA, in which clean small towels and brushes for members use were found. They were accessible only by means of a members key, a small pin type key.

By 1920’s for the convenience of members, AA roadside telephone boxes with twenty-four hour service were erected in districts where telephones were scarce and on toads passing through lonely areas, at important road junctions, crossroads, dangerous points etc. All AA roadside telephone boxes were fitted with locks of a standard pattern and keys of an exclusive section were issued to members enabling them to use any AA telephone at any time whether the patrol charge was on duty or not. This key had an open head with pierced holes to allow the letters AA to be in the head.

The toilet boxes that were still in the small hotels had the locks changed to suit this key, the design of which was later changed to a solid embossed head. These locks and keys were manufactured by H & T Vaughan of Willenhall and were embossed “AA” and the key to the open road on one side and “A&TV 1921” on the other, together with member’s registration number .

Later issues of the 1921 type had a slightly different embossing, with the “AA” and “property of the Automobile Association” on one side and “H&TV” on the other, together with the members registration number inscribed with a more ornate border.

In 1935, by which time t H&T Vaughan had been taken over by Yale & Towne, the AA changed the section and shape of the key head to a hexagon. These were embossed “AA” and “Property of the Automobile Association” on one side and Made by Yale and “Finder will be rewarded by the “AA” together with the member’s registration number on the reverse.  This design was used until 1967 when the latest design was introduced. This key was interchangeable with the previous design but went to a diamond shaped head, embossed with minor variations to the basic design “AA” on one side  and “Property of the Automobile Association” and “Made by Yale” on the reverse.

When first issued, the AA logo was stamped into the key head, with the two A’s level with the key surface. On the reverse there was an embossed border with embossed lettering, the YALE being in upper case and using an ornate Y. Some later issues had Eaton Corpn embossed in upper and lower case, all in the same typeface. Eventually, the AA logo was also embossed together with a raised border along all four edges of that side of the Diamond Head. At the same point after 1967 the traditional key material of nickel silver was changed to steel with a nickel plated finish. During this time the key also lost the members registration number.

At the time of the announcement of the new key, Viscount Brentford, Chairman of the AA was presented with a gold key by Dennis C.J. Grabham, the Managing Director of Yale Locks and Hardware. It marked the delivery of 10 million Yale Keys for AA telephone boxes issued to members.

From 1st July 1989, all 729 AA telephone call points, including 37 old –style sentry telephone boxes could be used without the need for a traditional key. They have gone hi-tech to speed up service with one-touch telephone that automatically connect members to the nearest AA breakdown control centre.

We still have the original "AA" keys that were issued to the original owner of our 20/25.