April 4, 2024 - New York Post   This is the hottest item at New York bars and restaurants — and it’s not on the menu     “The hottest item at New York bars and restaurants isn’t not on the menu, it’s on the hostess stand. Matchbooks are all the rage. Regular diners are collecting them, trading them with fellow enthusiasts and showing off their finds on TikTok, where the hashtag #matches has more than 64,000 posts….” full article at https://nypost.com/2024/04/25/lifestyle/matchbooks-are-in-hot-demand-at-nyc-bars-and-restaurants/   January 2024 Artanddesigninspriation.com Exploring the Fascinating Art on Match Books- Advertisements with Spark!   Art and Design Inspiration had a nice article on matchcovers, mostly pictures, but a little historical background. [https://artanddesigninspiration.com/matchboxes-a-tiny-canvas-packed-with-power/]   November 20, 2023 There’s a vintage matchbook for everything — especially at this collector’s paradise in L.A.   The Los Angeles Times ran a nice article by Marah Eakin on the Angelus Matchcover Club. “It’s not hard to strike up an illuminating conversation at a meeting of the Angelus Matchcover Club. Just ask someone about their collection.   Since its inception in 1951, the club has devoted itself to appreciating all things matchcovers. At one of the club’s recent meetups in Pasadena, about 15 or so members rustled through box after box of vintage matchbooks as they talked about their recent finds. One member was looking for covers from Mexico; another sought out airline memorabilia. A gentleman proudly displayed his binder of covers devoted to hot dogs, as well as a whole other binder devoted to covers advertising or featuring chips, pretzels or peanuts. A younger member dug through boxes of “freebies,” a collection the club has purchased or that was donated, looking for books mentioning classic L.A. eateries, while the club’s president, Denise McKinney, explained match collecting lore and terminology, from “features” — books where the matches themselves have art on them — to “bobtails,” or matchcovers that no longer feature the original striker and thus are less collectible…” [Denise McKinney, President of Angelus Matchcover Club]   September 5, 2023 Collectors light up over vintage matchbooks Antique Week (Antiqueweek.com) featured an article, “Collectors light up over vintage matchbooks”, by William Flood. I wasn’t able to reproduce it for the Bulletin, but it covered quite a bit of territory and included some colorful photos of various types of covers, including a Feature and Diamond’s Golf-Tee matches. Unfortunately, the article did not include a reference to RMS.   Wisconsin, August 2022   Calling All Collectors   Mark Quilling, WI: Upon my retirement and relocation back to Wisconsin, I contacted our local heritage museum to see if they would be interested in hosting [a Collector’s Day]. The heritage museum jumped at the chance, and immediately put it on their schedule for September 24th of this year. It’ a chance for collectors to show off their collections, and for the public to come and ask questions. No selling or trading allowed—only questions and answers. I’m helping organize the event, and will assist in reviewing the applications to help select which collections will be permitted to participate. I’m enclosing one of the posters we have been distributing….and will also have RMS applications and info available. Perhaps this will spur other match collectors to contact their own museums.   Port Clinton News Herald, February 26, 2022   Local artists tackle tiny paintings on matchbook covers “When a Port Clinton News Herald story about Genoa artist Rebecca Booth popped up on Mark Quilling’s newsfeed, he became captivated by her work.   Quilling, a matchbook collector from St. Paul, MN, contacted Booth to ask if she would paint a matchbook cover for him. His email spurred an idea in Booth, who enlisted other local artists to paint matchbooks, too. “I had no clue what I was getting when I got Rebecca. I hit the jackpot with her,” Quilling said. “Within a day, the wheels were turning, and she started listing off artists she thought would paint matchbooks, too. I made a simple request, and it turned into this big event.”   On Jan. 31, members of the Plein Air group that meets at The Arts Garage (TAG) every Monday morning gathered to paint matchbooks for Quilling. They painted whatever came to mind — flowers and clocks and wine bottles. For many, this was their first attempt at painting on such a small surface. “This is really different and will stretch us to come up with something that will fit in that little, teeny space. It’s so small,” said Barbara Radebaugh. Hope Burger said painting on such a limited backdrop was new to her, but she was tackling it the way she always does, by letting her paintbrush guide her work. “It’s fun to work this small, but it’s different from what I’ve been doing,” Burger said. “I’m an intuitive abstract artist. I don’t plan when I start to paint. I make markings and step back and see what I find in the project, usually a face or animal. It’s like my subconscious coming through my painting.” Shelby Bork, who rents space at TAG for her block printing art projects, said she was glad to be a part of such a unique group project. Quilling said he doesn’t normally collect hand-painted matchbooks but enjoys having them when he finds an exceptional artist like Booth willing to paint one. He owns only five handcrafted matchbooks but thousands of machine printed matchbooks advertising “everything from automobiles to zoos,” he said. Each, he said, is a work of art with a message.   “That’s what attracted me to them. We (collectors) think of them as pieces of art,” he said.” [https://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/story/news/2022/02/26/tag-artists-downsize-their-work-fit-matchbook-covers/6878220001/] Back to RMS Home Page