A simple and handy item, the key chain tags can be anything from a small and inexpensive plastic items to an expensive much to be treasured gift. As more and more people are driving and have their own homes, and seems to be a product that will be around for a long time. Before the addition of the tag, keys would just be kept on small hoops, and before that, probably an old bit of string. It is likely that the first basic tags, most likely home made items put together with bits of cotton material and leather and given as early gifts.
Some of the basic plastics ones can be found in certain brands of Christmas crackers, and many companies give them away as promotional items. Car companies always make sure your new car has a tag with their name on it. Not only is that a daily reminder of the make of your car, but anyone who sees your keys will also notice the brand. The most expensive one I have been able to find is a platinum Mercedes one for a little under $20,000. I suppose of you want the status car, you may as well have the status accessories.
Most sports team will have them made with the club crest, motto, or shirt on display. It will be a daily way of feeling close to your team, and as they will not cost a lot, most fans will be able to afford one. Not everyone can afford the cost of the full kit, or some of the gold or silver memorabilia, but everyone can feel part of the team if they have at least one item depicting them.
For many people key chain tags represent a small memento either to themselves as a reminder of a place they have visited or an event they have attended, or to others as a useful and practical gift. Some of the slightly dearer ones can be things such as digital cameras, USB sticks, and even digital photo frames, This is a fairly advanced item, as the most progressive one could hold up to about 90 pictures.
The most practical of all, would be the ones that recognize a sound and help you locate them when they are lost. For others it is a hobby and there is such a wide choice of categories to collect, that there would be something for everybody. The Guinness book of records places the largest collection as in the region of 41,000 items, but for many who specialize it would be hard to get anywhere near that figure.
Personalized ones are a nice touch, but may be best of they are kept to people of a certain age. Teenagers may want to portray their individuality, but that could leave them down subject to unwelcome attention from people who can pretend to know them. Even seeing one without a name on it would be easy to strike up a conversation with someone by pretending to share a particular interest.
