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Match Safes: The Lighters of Yesteryear

I had my chimney cleaned this week and thought about just how important that task would have been 100 years ago. Chimneys and fireplaces were the standard in home heating to “keep the home fires burning.”

Matches were just as important in this effort.

Before safety matches were invented, stick matches had to be stored very carefully. Because they had tips that were highly flammable, matches had to be kept in fire proof containers. Some were small, often sterling silver, pocket size cases that looked a lot like today’s fancy lighters. Others were wall mounted boxes in various designs that kept wooden matches handy and safe.

Today, collectors enjoy saving these match safes from yesterday. Made from various metals and glass, match safes and match holders are attractive small collectibles to amass and display. Plus, when you consider just how important the invention of matches was, it is easy to understand the real significance of this antique.

Matches first appeared on the scene in the 1820s. A English chemist named John Walker discovered by accident that certain chemicals stuck on the end of a stick burst into flames as he tried to remove the chemicals by scraping them on the floor.

A friend of Walker’s, Samuel Jones, saw his demonstration and realized the market value, producing matches he called “Lucifers,” and the common match was born. Of course, this match was far from safe and pleasant, as it had a strong chemical odor. A few years later, a French chemist reformulated the match tip, using white phosphorous. Phosphorous, though, was highly poisonous and caused other problems and health hazards until they were nearly banned.

Finally, the United States firm, the Diamond Match Co., patented the first non-poisonous match in 1910. President Taft asked the company to give up its patent so production could be enhanced, and Diamond Match conceded.

It’s easy to see from this history that matches were vitally important to social history and culture. Prior to 1830, people had to rely on two sticks or a timer and flint method of igniting a flame. Match holder enthusiasts know this and appreciate the unusual patterns, closures and designs of these important boxes from yesteryear.

The two big classifications of match safes are the small portable ones, carried by gentlemen, and the wall-mounted or standing match holders that were used mostly in the kitchen or on the dining table. Wall-mounted match safes often were produced by businesses in the late 1800s and early 1900s to advertise their wares. These are a doubly fascinating clue to the social history of the ads.

Wall-mounted safes usually were placed near lamps, stoves and smoking stands. Made of iron, tin and pottery, these match holders had a little hole at the top to allow the homemaker to hang it appropriately.

Some of the holders and safes have match strikers on them. Used to spark the match, these strikers usually were on the side or bottom. Even glass match holders had rough edges or ribbing that was intended to be used to strike the match.

On a dining room table, the match holder might be cut or pressed glass, silver or brass, and of course, Victorian art glass. Often these fancy glass holders were advertised as match or toothpick holders, to make them attractive for either social duty.

It’s amazing the number of match safes and holders there are on the collectible market. Interest in them remains strong, and the value is much, much more than they originally cost. Many listed in old hardware catalogs for just a dollar or two. These same safes might go for $50 to $100 dollars depending on the auction or sale location.

The ones shown in today’s column are mostly the wall type and make for a provocative kitchen display. The milk glass one shown today is especially interesting and attractive, with its design to represent a collection of stogies, lined up and shaping the holder. Marked with Wheeling, Stogie Town, it’s a real treasure.

For comments or suggestions on local treasures to be featured in Antique of the Week, Maureen Zambito can be reached via email at: zambitomaureen@hotmail .com or by writing in care of this newspaper.

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