A matchbox is a container or case for

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

es, made of

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. Their construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard, made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light brown ...

, thin

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

, or metal, generally in the form of a

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container with rigid sides used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides (typically rectangular prisms). Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or v ...

with a separate drawer sliding inside the cover. Matchboxes generally measure 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm, and commonly have coarse striking surfaces on the edges for lighting the matches. Cylindrical matchboxes with a round cover on one end are also available. For many applications

matchbook A matchbook is a small paperboard folder (known as a matchcover) enclosing a quantity of matches and having a coarse striking surface on the exterior. The folder is opened to access the matches, which are attached in a comb-like arrangement ...

s have replaced matchboxes.

Metallic model

There are metal matchboxes some of which also have a hollow cylinder in which a nitrated wick is housed so that it can ignite when it is windy. The metal boxes have a scraper that is usually placed on the edge, in a slot made for this purpose. a sort of file that can be machined to the same metal casing or be a metal sheet, welded or glued. In 1878.the patent document, nº 2191 class 44, was registered by Hannoversche Gummi-Kamm-Compagnie in Hannover, about a metallic matchbox, with the following text:

Other types

There are other types different from those described above, made of

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

mother of pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother-of-pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer. It is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...

, etc. sometimes with very whimsical shapes, Apart from the pocket boxes mentioned, there are tabletop match boxes and boxes meant to hang on a wall. Tabletop matchboxes are of some capacity, made of fine wood, cut glass, etc., and may have a lid, the only condition being that they close well and have enough weight to allow striking a match without moving the box. Match boxes hung on the wall are used in kitchens, they are usually made of ash wood, they do not have a lid and a hook or hole protrudes from the back of the box to hang them on the wall. All matchboxes must have a scraper so that the head of the match can be rubbed against it to light it. Ordinary cardboard boxes have it on one or both sides. In tabletop or wall match boxes, the scraper is usually made of

sandpaper upright=1.35, Sheets of sandpaper with different grit sizes (40 (coarse), 80, 150, 240, 600 (fine)) Sandpaper, also known as coated abrasive or emery paper, is a type of material that consists of sheets of paper or cloth with an abrasive substa ...

, attached to the most visible part and at the top of the box.

Matchbook

A matchbook is a small

folder that contains matches joined at the base and has a striking surface on the outside. The binder must be opened to access the matches, which are placed in a comb shape and must be torn to use them, unlike those in a standard matchbox where they are loosely packed into a drawer that can be slid with the finger.

Phillumeny

Phillumeny is the

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...

of collecting different items related to matches, matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchbox covers, etc. In

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, Teiichi Yoshizawa was listed in the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

as the best collector of matches in the world. In

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, Jose Manuel Pereira published a series of albums to catalog and display matchbox collections called "Phillalbum".

References

External links