ANTIQUE ADVERTISING MATCH SAFE/VESTA “LONDON EXCHANGE BANK CO. – LONDON, OHIO. ”
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:19142861 | Featured Refinements: Match Safe |
ANTIQUE ADVERTISING MATCH SAFE/VESTA “LONDON EXCHANGE BANK CO. – LONDON, OHIO.” . Condition is Used. Shipped insured with USPS First Class Package.
Offering for sale a nice example of an advertising match safe from the early 1900’s. This piece has ornate scrollwork around the edges of the front, with a glassine insert covering the printed message “Compliments of The London Exchange Bank Co. London, Ohio.” The lettering is in a gold color on a black background. The back ...side contains an embossed plate depicting a horseback cowboy roping a steer, with other cattle grazing in the background in the shadow of mountains. Both the front and back plates are inset around a tin container, stating “Pat. Jan 12, 1904.” These match safes were offered by the manufacturer, starting as a plain tin container. The customer then made a selection from pre-made designs which he liked – the front would contain the message, and the reverse side usually had some animal or pastoral scene added, which may or may not have had any bearing on the product being sold! On this safe, the top and bottom inserts had rope designs running around all four sides, with the “striker” present on the bottom. The embossed plates were usually nickel-plated brass, which appears to be the case here. There is some slight blistering of the plating, but no brass is exposed. The hinge is completely functional, and the cap spring is tight. The safe measures 2-3/4” x 1-1/2.” London is the county seat of Madison County, OH. The town was established in 1810/11, but it is unclear why the town was named London. Many of the early settlers came from Great Britain, which was one explanation. The other is that the London Company is the surveyor chosen to plot the town boundaries. The town grew slowly, having only 297 residents in 1840, but grew rapidly in the next few decades due to the completion of two railroads that passed through. In the 1850’s London became the center of livestock auctions because of available transportation facilities. By 1890, the population had grown to 3292 residents, with one-third of them being children. In 1886 London contained four newspaper offices, seven churches – and two banks, the London Exchange being one of them. This is a fine example of a standard type turn-of-the-century advertising match safe – celluloid window on one side, and the reverse being an appealing design chosen by the buyer. This safe has survived well, with the glassine “window” being intact, and is a nice piece of local Ohio history. A HISTORY OF POCKET MATCH SAFES The early matchstick was unsafe and special pocket containers for storage were needed. These utilitarian containers evolved in time into decorator and novelty items, which became useful as advertising vehicles for merchants and manufacturers alike. Magazines, trade publications and newspapers in the last quarter of 19th century began carrying advertisements of pocket match safes for sale or as giveaways, popularizing the product as a smoking man’s necessity.Patents were issued as early as 1857, with thousands of variations being introduced up to the early 1900’s. The British referred to match safes as a “vesta box” after a type of match popular from the 1850’s. The name was probably derived from Vesta, the goddess of hearth and fire. Pocket match safes were first manufactured from common metals: steel, tin, aluminum and copper, and alloys such as brass, bronze, nickel and pewter. Available natural materials were also used: wood, leather, horn, tortoise shell plus others, and finally fashioned out of gold and silver. All pocket safes had one common feature – the match striking area. A notched or ribbed surface – the “striker” - was located somewhere on the container - the bottom of the case, or sometimes inside. If a container lacks this, it generally is not a match safe. Some old and ornate cigarette lighter cases – with the guts removed – have been inaccurately displayed as “match safes.” Portions adapted from “A History of Match Safes in The United States” Audrey Sullivan – 1978 I am selling other advertising match safes from my collection. Check eBay for additional listings. All pieces are top quality. Photos accurately show product condition. Payment via PayPal only. Shipping to continental US only via USPS First Class Package & insured.
Offering for sale a nice example of an advertising match safe from the early 1900’s. This piece has ornate scrollwork around the edges of the front, with a glassine insert covering the printed message “Compliments of The London Exchange Bank Co. London, Ohio.” The lettering is in a gold color on a black background. The back ...side contains an embossed plate depicting a horseback cowboy roping a steer, with other cattle grazing in the background in the shadow of mountains. Both the front and back plates are inset around a tin container, stating “Pat. Jan 12, 1904.” These match safes were offered by the manufacturer, starting as a plain tin container. The customer then made a selection from pre-made designs which he liked – the front would contain the message, and the reverse side usually had some animal or pastoral scene added, which may or may not have had any bearing on the product being sold! On this safe, the top and bottom inserts had rope designs running around all four sides, with the “striker” present on the bottom. The embossed plates were usually nickel-plated brass, which appears to be the case here. There is some slight blistering of the plating, but no brass is exposed. The hinge is completely functional, and the cap spring is tight. The safe measures 2-3/4” x 1-1/2.” London is the county seat of Madison County, OH. The town was established in 1810/11, but it is unclear why the town was named London. Many of the early settlers came from Great Britain, which was one explanation. The other is that the London Company is the surveyor chosen to plot the town boundaries. The town grew slowly, having only 297 residents in 1840, but grew rapidly in the next few decades due to the completion of two railroads that passed through. In the 1850’s London became the center of livestock auctions because of available transportation facilities. By 1890, the population had grown to 3292 residents, with one-third of them being children. In 1886 London contained four newspaper offices, seven churches – and two banks, the London Exchange being one of them. This is a fine example of a standard type turn-of-the-century advertising match safe – celluloid window on one side, and the reverse being an appealing design chosen by the buyer. This safe has survived well, with the glassine “window” being intact, and is a nice piece of local Ohio history. A HISTORY OF POCKET MATCH SAFES The early matchstick was unsafe and special pocket containers for storage were needed. These utilitarian containers evolved in time into decorator and novelty items, which became useful as advertising vehicles for merchants and manufacturers alike. Magazines, trade publications and newspapers in the last quarter of 19th century began carrying advertisements of pocket match safes for sale or as giveaways, popularizing the product as a smoking man’s necessity.Patents were issued as early as 1857, with thousands of variations being introduced up to the early 1900’s. The British referred to match safes as a “vesta box” after a type of match popular from the 1850’s. The name was probably derived from Vesta, the goddess of hearth and fire. Pocket match safes were first manufactured from common metals: steel, tin, aluminum and copper, and alloys such as brass, bronze, nickel and pewter. Available natural materials were also used: wood, leather, horn, tortoise shell plus others, and finally fashioned out of gold and silver. All pocket safes had one common feature – the match striking area. A notched or ribbed surface – the “striker” - was located somewhere on the container - the bottom of the case, or sometimes inside. If a container lacks this, it generally is not a match safe. Some old and ornate cigarette lighter cases – with the guts removed – have been inaccurately displayed as “match safes.” Portions adapted from “A History of Match Safes in The United States” Audrey Sullivan – 1978 I am selling other advertising match safes from my collection. Check eBay for additional listings. All pieces are top quality. Photos accurately show product condition. Payment via PayPal only. Shipping to continental US only via USPS First Class Package & insured.
