FEATURE MATCHES Match Books -Vintage Match Books with Colorful Images Across Flattened Match Stems

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FEATURE MATCHES - Match Books with Colorful Images Printed Across Flattened Match Stems

ASSORTMENT OF "FEATURE" MATCH BOOKS WITH PRINTED MATCH STEMS
ASSORTMENT OF VINTAGE "FEATURE" -MATCH BOOKS WITH CUSTOM PRINTED FLATTENED MATCH STEMS.

Branded Match Books serve as mementos from places that you've visited or vacationed at, make great keepsakes from cherished family events and obviously, are a convenient and reliable source of fire for lighting candles, fireplaces, barbecues, incense, igniting gas pilot lights, as well as an essential item for use when camping. To this day advertising matches remain as one of the most inexpensive and highest impact forms of advertising -serving as "Functional Business Cards" that are widely accepted by your customers for the uses mentioned above while at the same time serving to promote your business, product or service.

Over 60 years ago, match company salesman would pitch potential customers with the catchy phrase: "your match books act as 20 little salesmen" meaning that when each of the 20 individual matches (in a standard match book) was removed and struck by it's user, it served as an opportunity to reinforce your company's brand 20 times!

"You can't beat match books for good, inexpensive advertising," says John Williams, publicity manager of The American Matchcover Collecting Club. When traveling through the smallest towns, you should still be able to pick up matches from restaurants, hotels and businesses who still believe in the power of these economical "pocket billboards" to advertise their businesses.

Match cover collecting satisfies every collector's urge to organize, classify, categorize and display .

In this post I'll be featuring the highly collectible and unique FEATURE -match books with colorful images across flattened sticks. Lion Match Corporation was the first match manufacturer to design and produce the feature match book.

The first FEATURE match books were Giant Sized -about 4" tall!

1936 Giant Feature Match Book advertising a Buick sponsored NBC Radio Show
1936 Giant Feature Match Book advertising a Buick sponsored NBC Radio Show
1936 Giant Feature Match Book a Buick Sponsored NBC Boxing Radio Show
1936 Giant Feature Match Book a Buick Sponsored NBC Boxing Radio Show
Early GE Giant Feature Match Book
Early GE Giant Feature Match Book
Early GE Giant Feature Match Book with Selling Tips
Early General Electric Giant Feature Match Book with Selling Tips

There were also other special options that were later introduced such as special die cut match cover shapes offered to enhance the image of the advertising product by making it stand out with a 2 Dimensional look  outside in addition to the feature -printed match stems inside:

'57 Pontiac Die Cut Special Feature Match Book
'57 Pontiac Special Die Cut Feature Match Book
'57 Pontiac Feature printed match stems with image of their new V8 motor
'57 Pontiac Match Book with Feature printed match stems depicting an illustration of their new V8 Engine

And an example of a Political Feature Match Book:

Wendell Wilkie Printed Stem Feature Match Book
Wendell Wilkie Printed Stem Feature Match Book "What the People Want"

For the first time in 40 years, The Match Group is proud to announce that we have an exclusive arrangement to produce several styles of  highly collectible and sought out vintage #featurematches  -customized with your logo and ad copy to promote your business!

You can rely upon TheMatchGroup to keep the flame of match advertising lit! Call one of our match mavens at 800.605.7331 today to design your business' own branded advertising match books, match boxes or feature matchbooks!


TheMatchGroup is Proud to Announce the Launch of It's New Pinterest Page -Featuring It's Collection of Vintage Matches and Pics of Their Client's Matches!

TheMatchGroup is Proud to Launch It's New Pinterest Get Matches Page! So Check it out!
TheMatchGroup's Boards on Pinterest

Lucky Strike Restaurant's match book
Lucky Strike Restaurant's match book

Every week we'll be featuring the best in Vintage Match Book covers, as well as our "Board of Fame" featuring a range of whimsical and uniquely designed TheMatchGroup clients' matches!

Since we at TheMatchGroup are long time match collectors, it was natural for us to curate our Pinterest "Boards" by advertising themes such as:

Automotive Themed Advertising MatchesPontiacMatchBook

European and Communist Vintage Match Box Labels

DANISH MODERN FURNITURE Vintage Match Box Label
DANISH MODERN FURNITURE Vintage Match Box Label

FEATURE MATCH BOOKS (Special Custom Printed Match Stems Feature Match Book with Printed Match Stems

Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, etc. Casino Matches Vegas Sahara Match Book

Matches In History and Match Manufacturing Matchgirls Protesting

Matches Referenced in Music Lyrics, Band's Posters & Album CoversModest Mouse Match Poster

Matches Used In ArtThe Shining's Jack Nicholson

VINTAGE ADVERTISING MATCH BOOKS & MATCH BOXESConey Island Destination Match

Vintage Match Stock Cut Art
Home Cooking Stock Cut Art

VINTAGE PIN UP MATCHES

"Exotic Girls"
"Exotic Girls"

World War II Propaganda Matches

O-K America Let's Go WW II Propaganda Matchbook
O-K America Let's Go WW II Propaganda Matchbook

and of course a very special Board featuring OUR CLIENT'S Matches Produced by yours truly, TheMatchGroup!TheMatchGroup's Match Clients' PortfolioMaloney & Porcelli 30 stem Book Match

Lucky Strike Restaurant's match book
Lucky Strike Restaurant's match book

So be sure to get in on the ”Hot Match on Striker Action” and call our team at TheMatchGroup 800.605.7331 to design your business's functional business cards, otherwise known as advertising matches!


COLLECTING MATCH BOOKS AS A HOBBY IS THE SECOND MOST POPULAR COLLECTIBLE BEHIND STAMPS!

Image

Match book collecting is a fun and inexpensive way to create a visual record of your favorite destinations and worldwide travel.

During it's heyday from the 1940's-70's, matchbooks were available and distributed by a wide range of businesses for advertising such as flower shops, dry cleaners, car dealers, jewelry stores, dress shops, funeral homes and airlines, as well as by businesses to promote their wares and services to other businesses with highly detailed and artistically renderings of their products emblazoned on their match covers !

80'sUMCPromoFlyerP2

Today, matches are distributed for free as "functional business cards" by your favorite restaurants, hotels, as well as candle retailers and cigar and men's gift shops. While local bans on smoking have had an effect on reducing the number of businesses that used to distribute their matchbooks to their patrons, a resurgence and appreciation for the whimsical and usefulness of matchbooks as a collectible has seen a reversal in this trend.

While many matchbooks are very elaborately designed and are "little works of art", the value of your matchbook collection is measured by the memories at the time in which you collected them. The true beauty of the match collecting hobby lies not only with their practical use around the home but also in the way that they can act as a memento of unique experiences as well your personal stories surrounding those experiences. Getting started collecting matchbooks is easy to do and a display of colorful matches never fails to provide a great conversation piece when entertaining!

Get in on the ”Hot Match on Striker Action” and goto: TheMatchGroup or call one of our match mavens at TheMatchGroup's world headquarters located in Little Falls, NJ at 800.605.7331 to design your business' own branded advertising match books or boxes right now!


FOUND! VINTAGE Sept. 1944 ISSUE of UNIVERSAL MATCH "MATCH TIPS" Employee Magazine

The cover photo is a pic of the original UNIVERSAL MATCH factory plant located in Hudson, New York.
The 1944 cover photo is a pic of the original UNIVERSAL MATCH factory plant that was located in Hudson, New York.

Very cool piece of American and Match History!

There are several feature articles about the effect that World War II has had on the factory's work force. It stated that one of the plant's first employees when the Hudson factory opened in 1930; Sergeant Anthony Cordato was killed in action during the Battle of the Marshall Islands.

Page 5 of UNIVERSAL TIPS Sept 1944 Magazine with notes from active Service Men in WWII who were employed at the Hudson, NY plant
Page 5 of UNIVERSAL TIPS Sept 1944 Magazine with notes from active Service Men in WWII who were employed at the Hudson, NY plant

The Hudson Plant Manager David Darwe wrote an article "SUMMING UP AND LOOKING FORWARD". In this piece, Mr Darwe described the effect that the war was having on the East Coast of America "...the war with it's terrible implications probably made a deeper impression in the East, particularly in the early stages, than the rest of the country". He went on to mention the frequent black outs and air raid drills and a fair number of his factory crews were active as air wardens or at air observation posts during their leisure time. Mr. Darwe was pleased with Universal's contribution to the war effort with production of propaganda match books shipped off to the Army and the Navy, as well as 43 men who left the plant to enter the various branches of the Armed Forces with the sad news that one employee was "never to return to join us at Hudson again"

HUDSON, NY FACTORY MGR DAVID DARWE
HUDSON, NY FACTORY MGR DAVID DARWE. Who's previous place of employment was at the Swedish Match Corp.

My favorite portion of Mr. Darwe's article was his mention of the "girls" that stepped in where the men left off. "The opinions of many in the beginning as to whether the enlistment of the girls would turn out to be a success were discouraging (to put it mildly), however, it certainly is now evident that the girls are doing a swell job and everybody seems to consider their work as quite natural, whether they appear in overalls or in more conventional dress." Even after issuing that "compliment" he couldn't help but mention that " Fortunately most of our key men have remained with us in this trying period, a fact, we believe, that is worthy of emphasis."

It's worth noting that Universal Match Corp. operated five separate match production plants during this period -"The Golden Age of match book Advertising"

To promote your business and to get in on the ”Hot Match on Striker Action” call our match mavens at TheMatchGroup
at 800.605.7331 or shoot us an email at strike@getmatches.com and we'll be happy to guide you through the simple process of placing your custom branded match order!


NYC's COOLEST MATCH BOOKS

A fun blog post from REFINERY 29 sharing some of the author's favorite match books from up and down Manhattan, as well as a few from the Hamptons and some other New York-related locales.

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"...this is all about really unique specimens of miniature artwork you'd love to carry in your bag or keep on your mantel—whether you need a light or not. "I love simple, elegant design that feels relevant but timeless," says the author Emmett Shine. From an old-school Soviet print to a simple pair of peepers, Shine's favorite samples are all here,... along with the lowdown on what makes them so special.

...there are endlessly major match books all over the Big Apple, ....., so leave us a comment if you think we missed some badass 'books.  Can't start a fire without a spark, right?"

20tomjerrys TOM & JERRY 16commerce COMMERCE RESTAURANT

13daves DAVE'S GRILL09maritime MARITIME

03coffeeshop COFFEE SHOP BAR 07ruschmeyers RUSCHMEYERS

14tinys TINY'S 02mermaidinn THE MERMAID INN

17barlubitsch BAR LUBITSCH 15thedutch THE DUTCH

05greatjones JONES

To get your business in on the ”Hot Match on Striker Action”  Be sure to reach out to  TheMatchGroup or call one of our expert "match makers" at 800. 605.7331.