My favorite vintage purchase of all time was a giant $280 bowl filled with old hotel matchbooks that I found at Door 15 in Hudson, New York. I first spotted it on a work trip and couldn’t quite justify the splurge. But when I returned a year later for a wedding, it was somehow still there. Clearly, it was coming home with me.
And so began my matchbook fixation, a hobby I now share with countless phillumenists across the internet. Over time, my interests have expanded to include a few matchbook-adjacent treasures, too. If you already collect matchbooks, here are three more things you might want to start hunting for.
Ceramic Pyrogenes
These ceramic match strikers graced the tables of almost every French bistro around the turn of the 20th century. Filled with matches to light cigarettes—or, occasionally, cigarettes themselves—the graphic pieces featured ridged bases or necks for sparking flames and also served as strategic advertisements for aperitifs and other spirits. Today, they’re a prime find for candle lovers and Francophiles alike.
Metal Match Caddies
Made in the early- to mid-20th century, the caddies shown here kept matchboxes (and their accompanying striker strips) at easy access near stoves and fireplaces. Seek out containers made from enameled metal (especially pieces with embossed labels, like the green at center), or opt for more heft with classic cast iron (center and top right). You’ll spend $50 to $75 for pieces in pristine condition.
Figural Ashtrays
Typically measuring four to eight inches across, these metal cowboy-hat ashtrays were popular souvenirs during America’s heyday of road trips out West. Produced from the 1920s through the ’60s, they brought a touch of twang back home to dens and rec rooms across the country—and still can today as trinket trays or quirky wall art, as shown.
