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 !
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!
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
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. 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!
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.
"...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?"
Match Books (L) TIBOR KALMAN'S DESIGN for "Restaurant Florent" and (R) DAMIAN HIRST's DESIGN FOR "PHARMACY" in LONDON
Great excerpt from a blog post fromDEMIAN REPUCCIdated Oct 2009
"restaurant matchbooks .....are an extension of the restaurants’ brand and a telling exercise in the use of its’ graphic identity"
....I was thinking about the whole ‘matches -in-restaurants’ thing. Of course they were originally there for the convenience of the smokers at the bar, waiting for a table or enjoying an after dinner drink. Which then served a dual purpose of being a convenient way for those diners to go home with a little branded reminder of the restaurant in their pocket. Now that smoking has been all but wiped from the face of the Earth, it seems that restaurant match books should have disappeared too. But they remain. Why would a restaurant continue to pay more for a vehicle for its logo and information when a business card can do the same thing for less? There are usually a stack of business cards available at a restaurants’ front desk. Do those fly out the door? Probably not or we would be reading an article about restaurant business cards.
I think restauranteurs understand the psychological [and visual impact] ...... People will take matches to have some connection with ...cool.Even if they just end up putting them in a jar...
Of course many people will say that they use them to light candles, birthday cakes, grills, etc. Whatever the excuse, restaurants are happy to fund a diner’s home candle lighting if that means that the restaurant’s brand will continue to be brought back into the diner’s consciousness. Not to mention that a matchbook promises 20 future reminders. Which, come to think of it, may not be a bad deal after all. How many times do you look at a business card on your desk before you throw it away? Once? Twice?
All of this then led me to think about matches as the great little graphic design projects that they can be. Some are very well thought out and beautifully designed. Others are just fun or clever. But either way there are some gems out there. I, myself, have only held onto a few matchbooks which I thought were of superior design quality or somehow captured the concept of the restaurant in a way that I wanted to remember. My two favorites are pictured above. The matchbook on the left is from the famed, and now closed, Restaurant Florent [which was originally located in what is the now upscale Meatpacking District in NYC] -ed. What a great place that was. The restaurant's graphics, including the matches, were designed by the legendary Tibor Kalman and M&Co. Kalman’s graphic design for Florent was brilliant in it’s ability to not only capture the ethos of the restaurant but to also reinforce it. A superb example of restaurant branding.
The matches on the right are from super-star artist Damien Hirst's brief foray into the restaurant world which was Pharmacy in London. Graphically the blue dots are nice but a bit simple compared to his famous multi-colored dot paintings. What is genius about these matches is that Hirst treats them from the beginning as collector’s items. The other side of this matchbook says “(09) in a series of 60″ on it. The medium that Hirst is most adept at using as an artist is his brand. And he is true to that right down to the little match books in his restaurant. This, of course, makes me look like an idiot as the matchbook is beat up and half the wood matches on the inside have been used. What was I thinking?
Anyway, I love restaurant matchbooks because they are an extension of the restaurants’ brand and a telling exercise in the use of its’ graphic identity. There is something special about a restaurant that invests the time and care to design a beautiful matchbook.
To get in on the ”Hot Match on Striker Action” go to TheMatchGroup and call one of our expert 'match makers at 800.605.7331 or email us at: strike@getmatches.com to get your business' branded matches!
The slower process of lighting a fine cigar using wooden matches is a key part of the relaxation that's associated with slow-paced environment in which to enjoy your favorite smoke.
"....If you light a cigar properly, it could take three to four wooden matches – and upwards of several minutes – to establish a good light."
"... Mike Copperman of Bethesda Tobacco so graciously taught me, that’s all part of the cigar-smoking process. You see, taking time to properly light a fine stogie is a ritual that shouldn’t be rushed. Before the first puff, take in the aromas as the flame dances off the tobacco. Build the anticipation. After all, the cigar hobby is meant to be enjoyed in a relaxed, slow-paced environment."
"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen friends, acquaintances, and video bloggers butcher their cigars by flash-frying the foot. Where’s the ceremony or nostalgia in that? Besides, it’s hard to build anticipation in .02 seconds. Like I wrote before, please take time to smoke."
"...Please note that I write this not to offend or irritate, but only to prod. Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I’m really turned off by all those fancy gadgets that have flooded the industry. Besides, why spend $470 on a torch that you’re just going to loose between the couch cushions – especially when you can pick up a pack of wooden matches for free every time you hit up a bar or restaurant?"
To get your own business' branded advertising wooden matches and to get in on the ”Hot Match on Striker Action”, call 800.605.7331 to speak with one of our "match mavens" who will guide you through the simple process at the TheMatchGroup .
TOM & JERRY 
COMMERCE RESTAURANT
DAVE'S GRILL
MARITIME
COFFEE SHOP BAR 
RUSCHMEYERS
TINY'S 
THE MERMAID INN
BAR LUBITSCH 
THE DUTCH
JONES
Match Books (L) TIBOR KALMAN'S DESIGN for "Restaurant Florent" and (R) DAMIAN HIRST's DESIGN FOR "PHARMACY" in LONDON
