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Page 32 The Antique Shoppe January, 2018
Jersey Cartoonist Keeps Collectors Laughing with New Book

The Lighter Side of Collecting!
New Jersey cartoonist John Stinger’s new humorous book The Lighter Side of
Collecting! Is creating a quite a stir with collectors nationally. His 6 x 9 paperback Hang Your
contains 200 full page cartoons and 60 pages of quirky humor based on his Shingle
experiences as a collector chasing vintage treasures for fun and profit for over three in
decades. The Antique
His family-friendly wit and hand drawn New Yorker-style cartoons appear weekly Shoppe
and monthly in leading publications serving the collectors in the US, Canada and the
UK. This is his second book published by Tanner Publishing. (352)
475-1679
To order call 908-319-8957, email the author at stingerfineart@yahoo.com or
purchase on Amazon.com. $15.95 per copy. ($3.95 shipping) All credit cards/PayPal/
Personal checks accepted.

Matchbox Covers

Striking Differences Make Collecting Fun
Larry LeMasters
LeMasters’ Antique News Service

Phillumeny is the others are made of leather, some
hobby of collecting represent the best in Asian art, and
different match- some allow Art Deco form to once
related items, such again inspire one’s imagination.
as matchbooks, And, some are quite expensive,
matchcovers, recently on eBay a Coca-Cola
matchboxes, and a matchbox cover was offered ↑ Art Deco-styled matchbox cover made of
lesser-known match- for $2,500, and some are quite enameled brass. The word “styled” here may
related category, inexpensive with an affordable indicate a reproduction. Still this is a pretty
matchbox covers. average in the $25-30 range. matchbox cover for just $26.
As we all know,
a matchbox is a box
used for storing Estate sales are fun places to search for
matches. For matchbox covers, where they are usually
practical purposes, priced below market value. Antique stores and
matchboxes were flea markets are also good hunting grounds,
produced in two especially flea markets where the seller doesn’t
sizes, kitchen size know the piece of artsy metal he is selling is
and pocket size. a matchbox cover. If you see an unbelievable
Matchbox covers bargain from an unknowing seller, strike a flame
were made to ↑ Vintage, 1930s, pineapple under your wallet and… Well, you get the
protect pocket size design matchbox cover by metaphor.
matchboxes. Leonore Doskow. Made in 18K
As with most gold, and probably originally sold
collectibles, a in Neiman Marcus, this cover is
collector does not valued at $1,000.
have to have a
personal connection
with the items in his or her matchbox cover
collection. Collectors usually collect for the
art, beauty, historical significance, and rarity of
matchbox covers. Few collectors collect only
those matchbox covers that they or a family
member personally used.
During smoking’s heyday, matchbox covers
were given as wedding favors in the early 20th
century when carrying matches was a common
practice. In fact, men often carried matches even ↑ Vintage, monogrammed, sterling
if they never planned to strike a single match. silver Tiffany & Co. matchbox cover;
Carrying a box of matches was the custom, and $105.
covering that box was a social style.
And, while the title given here is a pun, there
really are some striking differences in matchbox Antique, sterling silver Coca-Cola
covers. Famous silversmiths made some, such matchbox cover, considered “very rare” by the
seller who offered it on eBay for $2,500. →
as Tiffany & Co., some are made of gold while