MATCH BOOKS Used by Joseph Martinez to Create His Original Oil Paintings As Mini Works of Pocket Fine Art!

Joseph Martinez Oil Painting using the inside covers of match books as his canvas!
Joseph Martinez Oil Painting using the inside covers of match books as his canvas!

A fascinating re-purposing of Paper match books that are used by the artist Joseph Martinez to create original life like oil paintings as mini works of pocket fine art!

Check out the video montage of Joseph's fascinating work on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/61005800

To order your business' own little work of art goto: TheMatchGroup or call one of our Match Mavens at 800.605.7331 to design your branded match books.


Advertising Matches: Keepsakes or Relics?

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A vary retro style 40 Stem 3" Wide Paper Match Book produced for "Trailer Park Lounge" in NYC.

 KEEPSAKES: 1) TACTILE ADVERTISING

If offered, most people will gladly collect match books as they leave a restaurant or a retail business to save as a memento of their pleasant experience. They serve as a tangible reminder -what we like to call "functional business cards". Most importantly, from the restaurateur's/advertiser's perspective they act as a method for a satisfied customer to use to recommend their restaurant or business to their friends and family. Furthermore, these colorful & useful 3 dimensional pocket advertisers make much more of an impression serving as a token of thanks to your customers as opposed to the default plain one-dimensional non-functional business card that ends up being forgotten in their back pockets only to end up in next week's laundry!

 KEEPSAKES: 2) FOR USE AROUND THE HOUSE

Match Books DO NOT promote smoking because most smokers carry lighters. Recipients of a restaurant's advertising matches are pleased with the many uses that matches provide around the house such as: lighting the backyard grill, decorative candles, hurricane candles and birthday candles, their fireplace, their gas stove or relighting a gas pilot light. Plus, for over the past 110+ years, matchbooks have proven to be the most economical & most effective form of direct advertising for a business and are much more collectible than your basic business card. Many matches are collected and displayed at home, making them great conversation starters for one's guests!

You can rely upon TheMatchGroup for your business' own unique match advertising campaign! Call one of our match mavens at 800.605.7331 today to get started designing your business' own branded advertising match books or match boxes!


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!

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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 !

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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!