1693
Vintage leather Italian Lombardia cycling shoe, brass coal mining lamp check token
(Grimesthorpe Colliery, Yorkshire) enamelled wooden plinth 2014.
(Grimesthorpe Colliery, Yorkshire) enamelled wooden plinth 2014.
£2,100
For buying enquiries - shop@james-straffon.co.uk
British cyclist Harry Binns referred to his cycling shoes as the 'Good Companions' - in reference to the J. B. Priestley novel. To the left shoe he attached his father's coal mining token, as a proxy St. Christopher pendant.
Cycling shoes from this early fifties period featured a thin steel plate nailed to the shoe base via a thick leather pad. These would attach to the rider's pedals.
All artwork, text and imagery © James Straffon 2026.