Posted 9 months ago
dav2no1
(825 items)
Vintage Matchbooks
Since we have 2 fireplaces and an indoor bbq in the house, my parents always had matches around. And everywhere they went, they brought matches home. So I have a small collection from them. Then I collected during my life and bought some along the way. The ones I'm going to show in the next few posts are recent acquisitions. These are older examples compared to what the majority of my collection consists of.
780,000 YEARS AGO
Archeologist have found evidence of the first cooked food at a site in Israel. "The shift from eating raw to cooked food was a dramatic turning point in human evolution, and the discovery has suggested prehistoric humans were able to deliberately make fires to cook food."
BABY GONNA LIGHT MY FIRE
Since the beginning humans were trying to make fire. The Chinese had some early attempts using sulfer. The first mention of Chinese fire sticks comes from 577 AD and later during the time of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907–960).
The European were also experimenting with phosphorus of sulfur matches in the second half of 17th century.
FIRST IGNITING MATCH, DANGER, DANGER!
In 1805 Jean Chancel who worked as an assistant of famous French chemist Louis Jacques Thénard introduced the first modern self-igniting match to the public.
The head of this match was made from a mixture of potassium chlorate, sulfur, sugar and rubber. The user ignited the match by dipping it into a small asbestos bottle filled with dangerous sulfuric acid. This dangerous and expensive mix of ingredients caused this match to never become successful.
LIGHT THAT STOGIE
"In 1848, English cigar shop owner Hurtner introduced several brands of matches that were used for lighting cigars."
JOHHNY WALKER DOES IT
John Walker an English chemist and druggist invents the first friction matches in 1826.(Not to be confused with Johnnie Walker, whom was Scottish and founded his whiskey in 1820)
These matches made by combining paste of sulfur with gum, potassium chlorate, sugar, antimony trisulfide, and ignited by drawing the match between the fold of sandpaper.
BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE...
"Between 1827 and 1829, Walker managed to popularize his invention and sell 168 matches to the public, but he soon found himself without a job because many thought his solution was too dangerous. The flaming ball of material often separated from the rest of the match, falling to the floor and destroying carpets and dresses. Because of that, his matches were quickly banned in France and Germany."
A few years later other dangerous chemicals were being used and with each failure the match was evolving quickly. Unfortunately John Walker never patented them and others went on to prosper from his invention.
Link to another of my vintage matchbooks..
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/286794-vintage-matches--humor--how-to-live-on
**Match History
http://www.historyofmatches.com/matches-history/history-of-matches/
https://www.britannica.com/science/match-tinder
Kera - I took the closeups of the sewing machine one just for you!
Love the Waukesha Engines and Power Units Matchbook.
Years ago I operated, rebuilt, and maintained CFR engines at a refinery. In December 1928, the Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) Committee accepted the Waukesha Motor Company design for a standardized, single-cylinder test engine to test gasoline knock.
dav2no1, Cool. :-)
The New Home Sewing Machine Company in Rockford, IL.
Per the late great Enrico's fiddlebase website:
https://www.fiddlebase.com/american-machines/new-home-sewing-machine-company/
I did some more looking around with regard to that matchbook with the New Home sewing machine adverstising on it.
All we can see of the machine is the backside, which shows the typical protrusion of an external motor. It also appears to be cabinet or table mounted.
It could be similar to this post-WWII green crinkle finish portable New Home:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/871666557/mcm-era-new-home-collectible-green
Another approach at dating is the match book maker. Universal apparently trademarked Royal Flash in 1936, and continued using that name until 1987:
https://matchpro.org/Archives/2008/Royal%20Flash.pdf
I did find a Universal Match Corporation trademark there in the USPTO TESS database, and it indicated first use 1937.
Sorry, no permalink (because the USPTO trademark database is still lousy that way), but the registration number is 0593500.
Then we have very iffy stuff like the hairdo and dress of the woman using the machine. I ain't goin' there.
Ultimately, I'd stick with circa 1937 -1953 as a intersection of the trademark of the Royal Flash matchbook, and when New Home was in Rockford, IL.
Judging from the relatively boxy look of the sewing machine head, I'd go with later rather than earlier.
As always Kera..good stuff! Judging by the other matchbooks, I'd say that's a fair guess as the others seem to also be in that era and seem to come from the same group.
dav2no1, No prob. :-)
A few more tidbits:
Here's a demo of what's described as a 1952 New Home Light Running sewing machine, which interestingly enough, is a vibrating shuttle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuvdwXS86rQ
A commenter provides some clarification on the machine's pedigree:
*snip*
randyc8171
1 year ago
That is called a Long Shuttle Sewing Machine. The machine was made by the National Sewing Machine Company for the Free Sewing Machine Company that sold them as either New Home or Free Westinghouse machines. The motor was produced by Hamilton Beach. These are very noisy machines and vibrate your table badly when running. Early ones were Model 52F and later ones were Model 42F. They were manufactured from 1950 though 1953 and were basically a price leader to get customers into the dealers. Most customers bought better higher priced models.
*snip*
I went back to the USPTO TESS database to look for more Universal Match trademarks, and found only one, curiously enough involving the Diamond Brands Operating Corporation. The registration number is 2709294 if you want to eyeball it.
The Universal Match Corporation was not to be trifled with in its heyday. From the "The Customer Is Not Always Right" department, somebody tried to stiff them:
*snip*
The appellate division of the Civil Court of Fulton County did not err in the judgment for any reason assigned by counsel for the plaintiff.
This case originated in the Civil Court of Fulton County wherein the Universal Match Corporation, hereinafter called the plaintiff, brought suit against Theodore Hendricks, t/a Dixie Queen Produce Company, hereinafter called the defendant. The case involved a suit for damages by the plaintiff against the defendant by reason of the alleged failure of the defendant to accept delivery of 32,500 specially printed match books. The sum involved was $160.23, such sum representing the difference between the contract price and the result of said match books as salvage.
*snip*
https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/universal-match-corp-v-894357138
https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/court-of-appeals/1956/36235.html
Whoops, the 52F is in the needlebar dot org National vibrating shuttle chart at the bottom:
http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php/National_Vibrating_Shuttle_Machines
Yeah, you know it's still bugging me: that image of a New Home electric sewing machine. };-)
No, I don't think it's a National model 52 vibrating shuttle, or even that green crinkle finish model, whatever that one is.
The pillar is rounded. Perhaps it's one of the National rotaries:
http://www.needlebar.org/main/national/index2.html
I just don't know, and probably never will. >8-0