I know this topic has been brought up before. Where is the best place to find period matches and correct match tins? Any help would be appreciated.
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I know this topic has been brought up before. Where is the best place to find period matches and correct match tins? Any help would be appreciated.
Unfortunately, period matches are not available. I have heard of some pretty cool ways in which people have substituted for this;most notable was a guy who cut matchsticks to a correct point and then glued them together. Any period vendors could hit a potential jackpot in this area. I don't remember the rest of the discussion from last summer, but others may still.
Don’t have much to say regarding the period matches, but I have known a few guys who have had good luck finding period match safes at local antique stores / shows, but as with anything it all depends on knowing what your looking for and what your willing to pay.
Howdy Comrade,
Brass matchsafes can be found on ebay every once in a while. I picked up an original over there a while back that had a engraved federal eagle motif that was the spittin' image of one as shown in EOG.
They do have a lot that are decidedly post-period, so watch out for them also.
Bully,
My personal belief is that match safes are too common in the 'authentic' ranks. Probably too many people in general carry them in the field.
You could just wrap them in paper. Here is a great quote:
"One day while we were marching through Georgia, or some other State south, the writer and possibly a score of others were surprised to see Dick step quickly out of ranks, and without a word fling his trusty old Springfield onto the ground. Before a stuttering boy could count to ten he had unburdened himself of knapsack and accoutrements, tossing them in a promiscuous heap, and then, in one time and two motions, off came his blouse.
We looked on in astonishment, and while cogitating in our own minds as to whether he had suddenly made up his mind to muster himself out and quit the service, or was getting ready to climb some fellow's frame, the sight of smoke issuing from the inner folds of the blouse, and the odor of "fried wool" and brimstone, revealed pretty clearly to our bewildered minds the true status of the case, accounting for Dick's strange actions, the only time we had ever known him to become "rattled."
A bunch of matches, rolled in paper and placed in the inside pocket of his blouse, from friction or outside pressure, had been ignited, and were making things hot in that locality.
The whole scene from beginning to end occupied less time than required to write this, and Dick was back in ranks and cool as a cucumber. The only serious results were a red spot on his left side and a partially-consumed blouse pocket, the latter a total loss, for Uncle Billy's boys didn't care to assume the additional burden of carrying a fire or life insurance policy, particularly when the other fellows were the ones who needed such things most. "
From The National Tribune, by J. Ross, 78th Ohio Vols. Courtesy Larry Stevens
Some matches came in the 'fence row' style, other loose.
So my advice is:
A. Don't Carry Matches (everyone else does - why should you?)
B. If you must carry them, use a proper match box or wrap them in paper.
Ryan,
Wow, great quote!
Next time you see me taking my poop off real fast, you'll know why.... :confused_
I'm reviving this older thread on the topic of matches. I needed matches for an upcoming event,and had to go all over the area before I was able to locate "strike anywhere" wooden kitchen matches. All the big places like grocery stores and WalMart only had the "strike on box" variety. Is this just a local thing,or have others found this type of match becoming scarce?
Doug Price
A quick internet search showed they are becoming rare. A few Y2K-type and camping sites advertised them for $5.49/box, and there are some mentioned on e-bay. The place we last bought them now exclusively carries the strike on box type.
This is the company that makes the Blue Diamond brand of matches. They mention the difference between the strike anywhere and strike on box types.
http://www.diamondbrands.com/contact.html
Email to Diamond/Forster Brand - diamondinfo@alltrista.com
From their website:
"Match History
In the 1870’s the predecessor to the safety match was appropriately called “Lucifer”. This was made with white or yellow phosphorous and sulphur. These were dangerous chemicals to work with and proved dangerous even in the final product.
Lucifers many times ignited with a series of explosions that scattered dangerous bits of fire over the carpet. They would also explode when trodden upon, which increased the danger of having them around. Nevertheless, they were used considerably among the wealthier classes in the Southern and Western states, though little more is known outside of the US.
The production of matches in that day was filled with dangers and ailments that sometimes led to death. Most problems were caused by the extremely flammable white and yellow phosphorous, which emitted noxious fumes that would infect and decay the mouth and jaw."
Please let us know what you find if you follow up on this.
Thanks,
And finally I have seen the statement, "cool as a cucumber".
Thanks.
Mark Berrier
North State Rifles
combinations@northstate.net
Hi,
Here is another idea, depending on your needs, which has also been discussed previously: namely, use a "burning glass" (i.e., magnifying glass). These are definitely documented and were used for lighting pipes, cigars, etc. on sunny days to save matches.
Try contacting Blue Heron Mercantile (located right here in Lafayette IN) as it sells burning glasses for about $3 apiece + shipping:
http://www.blueheronmercantile.com/
Good luck,
Mark Jaeger
Did I miss something on the old forum? Could you provide any documentation, or at least recommend a source where I may find it? I am intrigued, but I've never heard of a "burning glass". Any help would be appreciated, but I'll see if I can find something in a source.Quote:
Originally Posted by markj
Riley Ewen
I've found 'em in my local natural foods co-op, oddly enough...try locally owned hardware stores & groceries, (these are becoming increasingly rareQuote:
Originally Posted by 58 lorenz
these days), I guess the mass-market stores don't want to risk liability or
something...
Hi Riley,Quote:
Originally Posted by theknapsack
I know it was a Confederate post-war memoir--possibly "Rebel Private, Front and Rear" (I'm writing this from work). However, I distinctly remember the writer referred to his company commander's habit of hauling out his "glass" to light his pipe on sunny days, the better to save precious matches.
Documented use of "burning glasses" by settlers and woodsmen dates back to at least the 18th Century. These were used in addition to the usual "flint and steel" or friction-rubbing techniques of fire-making.
Hope this helps,
Mark Jaeger
Mark,
You piqued my curiosity. The history is certainly there, and the reference to the officer lighting his pipe is fascinating.
Found in a quick search -
http://www.namweb.com.na/wiki/wiki.p...=Burning-glass
"A burning-glass is a large convex lens, which can focus the sun's rays on a small area and so ignite materials. Used in 18th century chemical studies for burning materials in closed glass vessels where the products of combustion could be trapped for analysis. A useful contrivance in the days before electrical ignition was easily achieved.
The technology of the burning glass has been known since antiquity. Aristophanes mentions the burning-lens in "The Clouds," and Archimedes, the renowned mathematician, was said to have used a burning glass in 212 B.C. when Syracuse was besieged by Marcellus. Archimedes constructed a burning-glass on a scale of such magnitude that by means of it the Roman fleet was set aflame, though eventually when the city was taken, he was found among the slain. The legend of Archimedes gave rise to a considerable amount of reseach on burning glasses and lenses until the late 17th century.
Recent excavations at the Viking harbor town of Fröjel, Gotland in Sweden have revealed that this technology of fire-starting was known in the Viking Age as well. Rock crystal lenses produced at Fröjel in the 11th to 12th century via turning on pole-lathes have been found that have an imaging quality comparable to that of 1950's aspheric lenses. The Viking lenses quite effectively concentrate sunlight rapidly enough to ignite fires."
From the company that makes "strike anywhere" matches (formerly Diamond brand)
"A case of penny matches has 240 packages of 32 count each. I can sell direct to you by the case only. The total cost for one case is $57.94. We accept Visa, Mastercard or Discover. If you would like to order a case, our phone is 800-777-7942."
According to the company, they do not sell to any store in our state. However, they do sell to some stores in nearby Pennsylvania. Their hours are 8-5 CST.
These might be of interest:
http://www.riverjunction.com/catalog...n/matches.html
I've purchased "Ohio Blue Tip" matches fairly recently here in Lafayette IN although these may be from existing stocks that are being used up (correct me if I'm wrong but they're no longer being made).
However, Diamond Brand strike anywhere matches are still being made:
http://www.diamondbrands.com/matches/kitchen.html
Regards,
Mark Jaeger
Hello,
While many folks show the fencepost style of matches as authentic ones (including me http://www.sullivanpress.com/images/...es/matches.jpg) there are many examples of the loose style matches available. See Echoes of Glory, the Union one, page 122 or thereabouts.
Anyway, it is also true that strike-anywhere's are dangerous, and that's why they are packaged in a tight-fitting box. The theory is, should they ignite by shaking the box, then the lack of oxygen will put them out before disaster happens.
There's nothing wrong with carrying regular wooden matches. No modern matches look exactly like their period counterparts, as I find with the originals I've seen, the matchhead is much smaller on an antique match. But then again, maybe that's just due to deterioration of the chemicals over time.
Bob Sullivan
Sullivan Press
Also you can refer to this article from the Amer. Match Cover Collectors,
http://www.matchcovers.com/harrell%20article.htm
and
http://www.ul.ie/~childsp/CinA/Issue...hosporous.html
Both were full of useful information and worth reading.
Quite curious;
The other day I was cleaning out an old junk drawer, and discovered a bag of matches I used to collect from restaurants. I happened to open one of the odd shaped match covers from an Italian restaurant, "Angelino's" in Sausalito, CA -lo & behold-
Wooden matches presented in a connected row with tiny, narrow points! The wood shafts were slightly shorter and flatter than period CW matches, and they are of the safety variety, but with nice orange/ red tips. I looked for a makers mark, but could only find..."Made in Japan"....figures. I had obtained these within the last five years, so the maker is possibly still out there.
Anyway, If I can figure out how to work my digital camera, I'll attach an image, if time permits a little foot work to find manufacturer.
If anyone is interested, the company is "Applied Graphics" www.apgraph.com In the 'hospitality' section' they have the "20 strike match book" with the CW period appearing matches with a choice of tip colors.
There is a picture of the matches on a link on the "download image of our matches" section; they appear on the top right corner.
Of course, they don't appear to be inexpensive, but what is in this hobby. How about an order with an "Authentic Campaigner" logo :) on front?...
Let me also add the site of the British Matchbox Label and Booklet Society at:Quote:
Originally Posted by SCTiger
http://www.phillumeny.com/,
a site on the Belgian match industry at:
http://home.versateladsl.be/levenpie/belgian.html
and the match museum in Jonkoping, Sweden, at:
http://www.jonkoping.se/kultur/matchmuseum/engindx.htm
Safety matches, much like those we have today, were invented in Sweden in the 1840s and achieved world-wide notice at the Parisian Exhibition of 1855. See:
http://enterprise.hb.se/~match/history.html
If you look closely through the above sites, you can find period labels for imported safety matches. I find that Juggler and Balthazar Mertens both make good substitutes for the generic "lucifer" label on sutler-supplied matchboxes, though more and more I find myself using a matchsafe and strike-anywheres.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanBWeddle
Neat writing. I was especially curious to read the referance to fire and life policy speaking of insurance. Even then huh.
Brian Schwatka
Not that it's much help to those in the states, but over here in france, most of the cheapo bar matches are of the fencepost style. They are book asfety matches, but take them out of the book and tear off the striker plate and you're good to go...
Could you possibly post a picture of these? Thanks.
Yes, please do post a picture if possible.
Most people believe that the only style match was the "card" or the "fencepost" match. This just isn't the case. There were other types such as the brick and the regular (common today) single stick style. Which was the most common? I personally don't believe that will ever be known. The manufactures of these matches really didn't sit down and write about what their matches looked like. (I have been wrong before thought!)
Today we see more of the "card" style in relic shops then anything else. I have also seen examples of the single stick style. The single stick or lose stick or what ever you want to call it do differ a bit from the ones we buy in the grocery store today. The ones I have seen are a bit thicker than the modern examples. I have seen two examples of the single stick's in excavated match tins where the tin had rusted away to reveal the matches in side. I have also seen a box of single stick matches. The only brick I have seen with matches still attached is on Mr. Jim Mayo's site. It is an interesting example to look at (his site can be found under his AC signature). Also of note I have seen two brick bottoms where the sticks have been broken off. These two were dug on or near Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. Also I have seen an example of the card that was dug. It was preserved in a small brass box that had been dropped at Mansfield, Louisiana. Both the brick and card examples are in a private musuem in Louisiana.
Regards,
I have some matches in my collection. They are more of the single stick style in a paper box. The box has a course sand like striker ont he bottom of the box. The picture shows just how many matches are in the box and how much burning material is on each one. The stam on the box is of a store or business. If these got wet they would for sure not work again! I have included one image with a scale ruler to show the actual size of the sticks.
Geeze Mitch, I didn't know you had that.
Around the time of the War the match was relatively new...kinda. Though the concept of putting certain chemicals on a stick to make it easier to catch on fire had been around for years...the match as we know it wasn't invented until about 1824 in England. Even then it wasn't widely distributed or even patented until later in the 30's. The name "Lucifers" which they were later sold under came about in the 30's as well. The original matches had some problems with chemicals that wasn't truly solved until the 40's...though I believe the "safety" match was invented in 1845. The first US patent was in 1835. While there were manufacturing facilities in England and the US the Swedish pretty much had a monopoly on the industry. The matches were imported to various countries, but I don't know if they were imported to the US. (I just haven't gotten that far on my research.) The invent of the match and its wide spread use over the years was believe to be the main contributor to the spike in tobacco usage around this time.
At the outbreak of the War, the blockade obviously put a damper on obtaining the matches. We can see this in a few newspaper articles where the price spikes a bit. But it wasn't long before match making facilities started popping up here and there...San Antonio and Galveston, Tx....Macon, Ga......Charleston, Sc....and I'm sure various other places.
Regards,
good thread!
Ive been wondering if soldiers ever used the flint and steel method for starting fires. Matches would be difficult to keep dry on campaign. While it makes sense they would use flint and steel, I have not read any accounts of them doing so.
Mike,
There are a few threads in the archives that cover this subject and the flint and steel issue as well...or I believe there is. Here is a link to another match thread..http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...ighlight=match
Regards,