Matchcover glossary B
| B — Abbreviation for the outside back (not the inside) portion of a matchcover. BPOE — An abbreviation referring to Elks lodge matchcovers. Stands for “Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.” BS-CCBS — An abbreviation standing for Be Safe – Close Cover Before Striking. Used by Universal Match Corp. starting around 1974. BS — A hobby abbreviation for back striker. (See RVS, SS). BW — An abbreviation for Best Western matchcovers. (See Best Western). B/W 1. An abbreviation for “black and white” referring to the kinds of photographs found on some older matchcovers. These should not be confused with Matchoramas. (See Matchorama). 2. A sometimes abbreviation for Best Western matchcovers used in category listings among collectors. Babies — A minor matchcover category showing a real photo or picture of a baby. (See Real Photo, Photographic). Back — The outside area of the matchcover between the saddle and the striker zone (on back strike matchcovers) or between the saddle and the manumark area (on front striker matchcovers). Back Panel — (See Back). Back Striker (Back Strike) — A matchcover on which the striker zone appears on the outside back. (See Reverse Striker, Front Striker). Banks — A matchcover category whose advertisement mentions banks, thrift companies, savings and loans, or various other types of money exchange institutions. Some collectors do not include Title and Trust Companies in this category. Collectors arrange this category according to state, then by city and then alphabetically within these groups. A collection of 15,000 different is not uncommon. Bank Checks — A full length category showing an actual bank check as the advertisement. (See Full Length, Horizontal). Barbecue Matches — (See Fireplace Matches). Barber Match Co. — Established in 1847 in Middlebury, OH, this company was one of the leaders in the merger that resulted in the Diamond Match Co. in 1881. Barber, Ohio Columbus — Nineteenth century matchmaker who was instrumental in helping found the Diamond Match Company in 1881. Served as company president from 1889-1909. Barber Shops — A matchcover category advertising barber or beauty shops. Barrel Box — Cylindrical matchbox that usually contains from between 30 to 80 matches. The top is often transparent so the match heads are visible, and the striker is located on the bottom. Also called Barrels. (See Can). Bars — A matchcover category whose advertisement mentions bars, taverns, cocktail lounges, or other establishments where alcoholic beverages may be obtained (not to be confused with Liquor Stores). (See Liquor Stores, Legitimate Clubs). Baseball — (See First Baseball, Second Baseball, Third Baseball, Fourth Baseball). Base Friction — A Diamond Match Co. trademark for matchcovers having the striker zone shifted slightly so as to be where the bottom fold usually is located. Introduced in 1937 and last produced in late 1942. Pat. #2,101,111 appears on all Base Friction matchcovers, granted on December 7, 1937. Bases — (See Military). Beach — A commercial matchcover album maker, who has been around since the 1930s, and whose albums use 25 slotted pages per album. Each page has an 18-ring flexible attachment. Pages come in 20-stick, 30-stick and 40-stick slotted sizes. (See Album, Pages, Hobbymaster). Bears — A new matchcover category featuring the likeness of any kind of bear. (See Travelodges). Beer — A popular matchcover category whose advertisement mentions beer products, breweries, ales, beer brands, or other related beer advertisement. Also includes here are exclusive beer distributors. Beer Distributors — Any matchcovers advertising a beer distributor, but not necessarily a specific beer product. Bell Machine Co. (The) — An old, defunct match company that was located in Oshkosh, WI. Operated in the 1930s. Best Western — A matchcover category whose advertisement mentions locations in the Best Western hotel and motel chain. These matchcovers come in both 20-stick and 30-stick versions and because of the number issued, were once popular among matchcover collectors. First issued by Diamond Match Co., Chico, CA in 1948, there are over 12,000 known varieties. (See BW). Best Western Identity System — This classification system of Best Western hotels and motels stock designs contains over 28 issues, varying in color, imprint and design. Beverages — A general matchcover category whose advertisement features anything to drink, including soda, beer, wine, liquor, juice, milk, etc. This category does not include liquor stores or beer distributors. (See Beer, Liquor, Soda). Bicentennial — Any and all matchcovers issued to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the United States. Matchcovers came in singles and sets and was probably the last national event to start a category of its own. Bicentennial issues were probably the last front strikers allowed to be produced in the United States. Over 8,000 varieties are known. Big Boy Restaurants — A relatively new matchcover collecting category for any of the hundreds of different Big Boy restaurants, including Frisch’s, Bob’s, Azar’s, Bill’s, Elby’s, Shoney’s, Elias Brothers, etc. Many appear with radio stations and over 425 varieties are known. Billboard — A Universal Match Co. trademark for their 40-stick match books. These match books were exactly twice the width of the regular 20-stick match book. (See Royal Flash, Double-Size, Forty-Strike). Billiards — A matchcover category featuring billiards, pool, snooker, or other indoor table games. Binghampton Match Co. — An old, defunct match company that existed between 1893 and 1895. This match company produced one match book run for Piso’s Cough Syrup and was sued by Joshua Pusey for copyright infringement, forcing it out of business in 1895. Bitten — A slang expression for matchcovers on which the striker has been marked by striking a match stick., (See Struck, Hit, Used). Blacks — A matchcover category that shows a black person in the advertisement. Known black related names, such as The Cotton Club, Aunt Jemima, Picaninny, Mammy, Kit Kat Club, Sambo’s Pancakes, etc., are treasured examples of this category. Black and White Photo — (Real Photo) Includes any matchcover with a real black and white photo as part of the advertisement. Block Matches — Mid to late 1800s type of wooden matches which were fastened together at the base. Typically, 100 or more would have a common base of 1 1/2 in. square piece of wood. Blot-r Match — A distinct and different matchcover category issued by the Union Match Co. of Hudson, NY, starting in December, 1928. Across the bottom of the matchcovers read: Absorbs Moisture, Keeps Matches Dry. The inside of the matchcover was a usable ink blotter. Over 50 different are known. Blue Set (The) — (See New York World’s Fair — 1939). Bobbed — Slang for Bobtailed or Clipped. (See Bobtailed, Clipped). Bobtail(ed) — A front striker matchcover which has had its striker cut or torn off (also known as Clipped). (See Clipped, Bobbed). Book — A hobby term for a single matchcover book. It also means full book with all match sticks still inside. Book Match Co. — An old, defunct match company that was located in Chicago, IL. Booklite Match Co. — A African match book manumark from the country of South Africa. The company began operations in 1966 and went out of business in 1969. It is credited for producing several lengthy sets. The factory was located in Springfield, Transvaal. Bookmatch — A popular term for match books used primarily before 1965. The matches are in a folder rather than in a box. (also Book Match). (See Match book). Bookstores — A matchcover category whose advertisement mentions colleges or university book stores. This category is contained within colleges & universities. (See Colleges). Bottom Fold — The machine crease at the bottom of the matchcover. This is the area where the manumark or footline usually appeared. Bowling Alleys — A matchcover category whose advertisement mentions bowling alleys, bowling products, or other recreational facility that offers the sport of bowling. Thousands are known. (See Recreational Facilities). Box Stand — Usually a rectangular block of metal, glass, etc., over which a matchbox fits, causing the tray to be pushed up and exposing the matches. These may be found alone on a small base. They were also used as part of an ashtray, either on the edge or in the middle. Also called Stand. Boxes — Another popular term for matchboxes. The general classification for all size match containers from petites to presentation boxes. (See Petites, Presentation Boxes). Boxing — A popular sports category, with most matchcovers relating to VIP sports personalities in boxing. (See Adams Hats Sports Sets). Boyles — A matchcover category whose advertisement contains pictures or photos of slightly clad men in various stages of undress. Fewer of these sets are produced in comparison to the girlies. (See Girlies). Breaking — (See Broken Set). Breweries — (See Beer). Bridge Sets — A matchcover category issued from mid-1924 through 1943 with Bridge scoring information on the inside. They were issued from the Colgate Studios (Diamond Match Co.). (See Colgate). Broken Set — A distribution anomaly as seen when match books are given away through vending machines or sold in Supermarket Sets. (i.e., A set of 24 matchcovers will often not all be found in a single Supermarket Set caddy, and therefore, the collector must sometimes purchase several caddies in order to put a complete set together. The same is true when match books are sold using a match book vending machine.) (See New York World’s Fair — 1964). Sets either “break good” or “break poorly.” This term also refers to a partial set of matchcovers being offered for sale or trade. (See Supermarket Sets). Brown & Bigelow — A large, mid-western advertising specialty company that has been around for a long time. Several stock designs and girlie sets are attributed to this company. (See Girlies). Brussels World’s Fair — (See Exposition de Bruxelles). Bryant & May — 1. A match book manumark from England. 2. A foreign match book manumark from Australia. 3. A foreign match book manumark from New Zealand. Bryant & May Pty. Ltd. — This company was started in 1909, with a factory in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. First made matchboxes and later match books. Swedish Match took over in 1987, and closed the factory in 1988. Buckeye Match Works — Company located in North Baltimore, OH. They went out of business about 1916. Bulb — Wide portion of a match head. Bus Lines — A matchcover category whose advertisement mentions buses, bus companies, or bus terminals. |