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Rare Matchcovers
/ Matchbooks
(back)
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Late 1890's / early 1900's Diamond matchcover flats. Each has the "Patented Sept 27, 1892 (Licensed) Match" wording that is so highly desired. Made by the Diamond Match Co of N.Y., these are very early salesman samples.
Diamond
Quality (DQ) matchbooks and covers, made by the Diamond
Match Co. in the 1920's - 30's, are always a hot item
with collectors. There is an old saying "to watch
a collector salivate, just wave a DQ in front of them."
Here is one of the first true novelty books, it's
a rarely seen DQ Golf-Tee full matchbook with all
the original red tee's still in place. Not an easy
find, since the tee's are known to fit loose and fall
out.
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Diner matchcovers are a very popular category. On the top of every collectors list is this Toto's Zeppelin Dine & Dance club. Built in 1933, it was destroyed in a fire just a few years later. Many consider this to be a valuable cover. One thing is for certain; is is very difficult to locate in any condition.
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The
clandestine story behind the Truman/Barkley match book
shown above: Apparently, only one case of each (gold
tipped & blue tipped match sticks) were made; the
gold were for the head table and other political notables,
while the blue were for the several hundred who also
attended the dinner. President Truman did not learn
about the match books until he arrived at the dinner,
and had certainly not authorized the use of his photograph.
Bob was a government employee during the Roosevelt &
Truman administrations, and was an invited guest, with
his wife Elizabeth, to the gathering that night. Having
been an avid matchbook collector and one of the original
founders of the first recognized matchcover collecting
club in America, he gathered several of each color for
his personal collection and his friends in the club.
That
evening, well after they had gone to sleep, two Secret
Service men knocked at their hotel room door. They asked
bob, dressed in his pajamas, if he and his wife had
been at the dinner...as if they didn't already know.
Further questioning lead to whether or not he had picked
up his matchbook favor (which was a blue tipped) placed
at each dinner setting. When the Secret Service agents
insisted on confiscating the matchbooks, Bob stood on
his ground and told them to "get lost!" Apparently,
the Secret Service men left without further argument. |
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One of three known kinds of a Model matchbooks. Considered an experiment at best, these look like a contour but have much larger sticks. Not too many survived. The example above is a full book.
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Sports
Examples
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While
not necessarily rare, this is one of the most famous
matchbook in the sports category. It has everything
a collector is looking for; printed wood sticks, giant
size, dated, several ads, and two famous sports figures
and colorful. Oh, not to mention it was one of the biggest
fights of the century! |
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Jack
Dempsey on top of being one of the greatest fighters
of all time, was also a very successful businessman.
His Jack Dempsey restaurant was very popular and has
had several popular matchbooks issued advertising it
through many years.
Two of the very toughest matchbooks to find from Dempsey's are the
black & white double cover, featuring a souvenir real photograph
of either a male patron or a female patron. |
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Tough Jake La Motta lounge and package store matchcover. His establishment was short lived.
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