photo credit: cometstarmoon

It's funny how seeing something can bring back a really old memory of something you completely forgot about.  I was doing my usual skimming and scanning of eBay auctions when I came upon some auctions for vintage matchbooks.  I looked at the old matchbook covers and suddenly I had a flash of a memory.


I have been trying to piece the whole thing together since.  I remember sitting on the floor in my Mom's room when I was pretty little.  I'd guess that I was four or five years old.  There was a hat box on the floor of her closet that caught my eye.  When I opened it, I didn't find the hat that I'd expected.  Instead, I found that it was filled with hundreds of really old matchbooks.  My Mom explained what they were and said that she had been collecting them for a long time.  I'd guess since at least the 1930s.  Then she explained that they weren't to play with but I could look at them while she was there.

I remember that they really caught my imagination.  They were filled with all kinds of old, brightly colored advertisements.  There were pictures of people and cars and who knows what else.  I just thought they were really neat.  I have no idea what ever happened to them after she died.  They probably were thrown away.  Too bad.

Now, it turns out that vintage matchbook covers are actually very collectible.  I guess that there are other people in the world who feel something like I did as a little kid when they see matchbooks.

When you think about it, it was a genius way to advertise.  Dirt cheap for large quantities that were given away, constantly getting looked at and handled.  Heck, if you want to go all psychological about it, there was probably even some kind of link made between smokers lighting up for pleasure and making a connection with what was on the matchbook.  Classic.  A great little exercise in conditioning really.

I've found some matchbook collections among the estate treasures I've found.  What always sort of put me off about them were that there were so many in each collection that it would have taken me a year just to research the history of each one.

The first matches available for sale appeared  in 1827.  It took until the late 1800s for advertisers to get the idea of putting their messages matchbooks.  With such wonderful and creative artwork on the matchbook covers, and sometimes the matches themselves, it was only a matter of time until they became collectibles.  A lot of people smoked during the first half of the last century, so having a need for a book of matches was nothing uncommon.

I learned while I was writing this little post that a person who collects matches is called a Phillumenist.  How's that for a bit of trivia for the day.  Phillumenists often specialize in the types of matchcovers they collect.  Advertising was so prevalent back in the day, that you could pretty much take your pick of what interests you.  One lady who purchased a vintage matchcover lot of about 500 pieces from me was thrilled because it was almost entirely made up of matchcovers from businesses that were local to the area where she grew up.  She lives across the country now and I suppose they were like a little piece of home to her.

For those who might be hardcore Phillumenists, I found a site you might like.  It is dedicated to your particular collecting interest.  You can find it here.

Note: Per FTC guidelines and my belief in full disclosure, it should be noted that if I create a link to a product or service, sometimes I may get paid a commission if you purchase the product or service.