Brand New Key

I learned to skate on a pair of metal clamp-on style roller skates exactly like this. They were so noisy with the metal wheels that everyone could hear me coming down the street from blocks away. They also probably heard me cussing up a storm in the frustration of trying to keep the damn things on my feet. These were adjustable for your shoe size by using the special key (missing from this picture) which, as a six year old, was lost more often than found.

I was so thrilled when my parents upgraded me to my white, derby-style boot skate with rubber wheels for my 10th birthday. Those were skates that made me smile.