Rathkamp Matchcover Society Convention

By: © Nelson Taylor 2008

Festival Location: Lowell, MA, USA

Festival State: Massachusetts Festivals

Festival Type(s): Collectors Conventions , Bizarre Festivals

I collected matchbooks when I was a kid, which fueled my passion for lighting summer grass on fire in my Texas neighborhood. I'd light the grass on fire and quickly stamp it out. When a fire got out of control one day and burned not only the entire yard but also torched my next door neighbor's grand kid's fort, I was no longer a matchbook collector; I was a pyromaniac.

But many people around the world never burned a fort (or at least never got caught) and have continued collecting matchbooks. Many belong to the Rathkamp Matchcover Society, which now boasts a membership over 10,000. (Dues are $17 for the first year and $14 for every year thereafter.)

Every August, the Society holds a convention in a town sponsored by a local club. The usual attendance is about 400 collectors and their families. The event is open to the public for a charge of between $8 and $10. Attendees can expect exhibits of rare matchcovers and matchboxes, auctions, a banquet and a freebie table of donated matchcovers. Event Organizer Joe DeGennaro says that matchbook collecting used to be a real "mom and pop" hobby. "But now, with Bic lighters everywhere and with smoking on the decline, matchcovers are getting rarer and rarer. Anytime rare comes into the picture, so does money." DeGennaro boasts a "moderate collection of 100,000."