What to do with dad's old matchbook collection?

Woah there step away from the matches! Lets not make any rash decisions. Please do not burn them! If matches are not your thing there are plenty of collectors(myself included) out there who would love to take on this collection.

collect them If you decide to keep them as a hobby here is what you want to do. CAREFULLY remove the staple making sure to not gouge the paper and dispose of the matchsticks (you can burn these if you like). Put the covers in to stacks of roughly 50 covers and flatten them in a vice. Place pieces of wood on the jaws of the vice to protect the covers on the top and bottom of the stack. Leave them in the vice for a few days and they come out nice and flat, perfect for putting into clear pages in a binder or for trading with other collectors. Almost all collectors flatten their books like this for display, storage, and safety reasons. Do not strike any of the matches on the striker strip on the covers, doing so renders the cover "less than mint condition" and please do not cut the strike strip off the bottom, this is called a "bobtail" and they are considered worthless at that point.

Age When it comes to matchbooks most collectors consider "old" to mean WWII era and earlier. The practice of using matchbooks as a form of advertising has been dead for awhile now so most of the matchbooks out there are going to be from 20+ years ago and are not considered exceptionally old. I personally collect books from any decade, I am more into the designs and a new cover is just as cool to me as a super old one.

Value You will not get rich selling matchbooks. Besides some very old very specific covers most are worth 10-75 cents. You can look on ebay all day and see people asking for huge sums for similar collections. They will repost the same listings for months or even years without any sale. However there are some people on ebay who make a tidy profit selling individual (flattened) covers on ebay for 1-2 dollars a piece. I myself have bought a few of these individual covers knowing I am paying well over what they are worth just so I can have a specific match cover from a place that holds sentimental value or to quickly fill a hole to complete a collection. While the guy selling individual covers is getting a few dollars a cover I cant imagine someone making all those listings and trips to the post office without it becoming a full time job. I get my matchbooks through trading and buying small collections like this on ebay (for a reasonable amount of course). If someone near you offers 25-50 bucks take it, but make them promise not to burn them first!

But this place doesn't exist anymore! Yea the vast majority of businesses that gave out matches do not exist anymore. If it was just your families favorite dinner spot that closed down in the 80's no one cares. Unless the matchbook is from a place with some historical significance like the World Trade Center or the last place Jimmy Hoffa was seen alive (my personal favorite) the business being extinct adds no value. .

I really hope you take another look at those matches and consider keeping them. If you or anyone reading this also collects matchbooks and would like someone to trade with send me a PM I would love to hear from you!

Don't burn them. Please don't.

This is so much history that is just gone. Local bars that are no more, and this kind of advertising no longer exists. Maybe a local museum would like them. They are too cool to just destroy.

Honestly it feels like a waste to burn them, wouldn't it be nice to continue the collection? :)

Frame and mount them, but don't damage the integrity of them.

I would store and sort them into baseball card sleeves in a binder! From there it would be easy to catalog or sell, or shove out of sight on a bookshelf.

sell them to me

For reference, there's probably a few thousand in here, all collected 20-45 years ago, mostly from Texas. Dad was in the air force and collected them from all over though.

Put them in a big jar(s). They looks pretty cool when displayed.

I always put one or two on the tank of the toilet as well.

Set aside your favorites. Set up a station to photograph each one. Compile the images into a poster size array(s). Print at any print shop and enjoy with your family.

I know someone who collects these! Would you be willing to ship these to Europe? I have to ask him first though...

Whatever you do, do not throw them away, and do not burn them. They are very collectible, nice, little pieces of history. If I were you, I'd frame them. If you do it nice enough, maybe you can put it up on eBay.

OP what did you do with the match books?!?

Got a huge collection from my late grandfather, I plan to add to it

Pull out the most interesting ones to you, and frame them in a shallow, large shadow box. You don't need to keep all of them IMO. Sell the rest on ebay, collectors might be looking for some of these.

I'd sell them or find a way to display them in my home. It would make a very interesting art piece.

My mom collects matchbooks too, she bought a big clear glass vase that she keeps them in for display. It looks pretty cool

You could put them on a table, then put glass over them! Would be a sweet way to display them and they'd stay intact as long as you were careful.

Do what my brothers and I did after my mom inherited her grandmother's match collection. Use them to light off fireworks in the backyard all summer....god we sucked as kids...

I WILL TAKE THEM

I have a small box of matches of my grandpas.

I have a matchbook collection of more than 8,900 brand new matchbooks from most European countries, including ex Communist countries (Hungary, East Berlin), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia & Philippines. I started collecting them in 1964. I always popped them into a 20 litre old Indian Tea bottle for display. All Matchbooks are in original, pristine condition. I got them all from restaurants, discos, nightclubs, bars, pubs, hotels, holiday resorts, brothels, car and motor bike dealerships and from souvenir shops all over the world.

I say group and sell them on Ebay if you have any that are un struck, don't have oil stains, dents, scratches, rips, edge bending and price them reasonably. People like me are always looking for matches in good condition. You will have folks listing smushed, scratched, dented and oil stained matches for ridiculous prices and then when they are still sitting there, they wonder why.

I doubt there are many collectors saying, "Let me go look for oil stained match books." If it's rare or a special place that is a hot collection area....maybe, but when you factor in shipping, tax etc. Likely few people are going to pay you much.

Some people collect matchbooks simply for the artwork or subject matter.

I would gladly give all my match books to any collector who wants them. They are mostly from the Chicago area and So. Suburbs. Some from different States. I would mail them at my expense. Hate to throw them away. [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

I would love for somebody to take a look at my collection I've got a whole case on some of them are lamination you look like they've been took real good care of some of my world war II or earlier all over the United States I got a lot of hotel ones and business ones they're pretty cool I would love for somebody to tell me what they think about him I'll take a pic

* About 200 diff books. Pristine. Unstruck. Any one want a look inbox me

https://preview.redd.it/v3e88f5ow2tf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=779841cc7459c7fc8b3e8763c0e61e6683c378be

Hallo, ich habe 159 Streichhölzer, die ich gerne abgebe. Sie stammen aus Deutschland (die meisten), Schweiz, USA, Japan, China. Sehr unterschiedliche Formate und Bilder. Wer hat Interesse?

https://estatesales.org/estate-sales/ca/santa-clara/95051/january-2026-collectibles-midcentury-ephemera-2418686 Big lot of pre WW2 matchbook covers available in this auction ends Feb 5 2026

I just discovered my grandmothers matchbook cover collection. I would love some feedback.

Not Sure what you mean by don’t “burn them” ?

Moi j'en au plusieurs de marques de bière et de cigarettes et bien plus encore dans un état exemplaires! Que cela peut il valoir?

Best thing you could do is cut off the pictures of the coolest ones and frame them in a collage. Then you'll remember your dads work forever. Then burn the rest as a christening as you hang the collage on the wall that day.

Viking funeral? Pile them on plywood, with 2x4's or logs underneath to float, lit one and push it out into a pond. And be sure to shoot footage of it. Could be beautiful.

Give them to a bar to hand out

I have lots from Airlines pilot around the world.. Hotels, Restaurants, Bars,…all for sale!! How do I go about selling them? Thanks

Hi there, I have a collection that is over 100 years old trying to find out the value of it. If you could give me a call to discuss that would be absolutely wonderful. As an example I have four covers from the 1933 worlds fair and Wrigley’s, Kal-can etc. all in all I have over 1000 pieces

Have slot of vintage matchbooks for sale

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyKAyVErr3I/

Very interested in these. Message me