Striking their fancy

SCRANTON — All week long at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, the nation’s most passionate and prolific matchbook collectors will display their books, buy and sell inventory and bond with their fellow collectors at the Rathkamp Matchcover Society’s annual convention.

The Society is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, and after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out last year’s convention, the large group of collectors that made the trek to Scranton were thrilled to be able to gather once again.

“It’s nice to see everyone again,” said Society president Nancy Smith, who’s been a member of the Matchcover Society for 21 years and the group’s president for the last three years. “We have a lot of great displays and some great collections up for sale.”

Smith said that the Matchcover Society numbers over 300 members in total, and while not all made it to the Sheraton for the convention, the hotel’s ballroom was definitely buzzing with activity as collectors browsed, chatted with one another and made their way into the auction room to see what was up for sale.

“A lot of people sell their doubles if they have two of a particular book,” Smith said. “Or sometimes it’s part of an estate sale if the owners have passed away.”

The floor down on the ballroom level was sectioned off into three separate rooms with the help of some curtains, with one room dedicated to special displays.

Framed collections spread out along the tables included matchbooks related to sports, to the original Star Wars trilogy, to political candidates and more.

It seemed to be one of the biggest allures for the Society’s collectors, the ability to find some really unique and interesting books to build a collection around.

Smith said that she herself has a collection of over 8,000 matchbooks from golf courses all around the country.

Besides the display room, there was also a room for “freebies,” matchbooks piled high that were free for the taking, and a room where the Society’s designated auctioneer sold off collections and special offerings to bidding collectors.

In the freebie room, New Jersey native Joe Danon had his own little table set up to show off his collection of matchbooks, and Danon also had a line of t-shirts featuring a special type of design for sale.

“They’re what’s called ‘stock cut’ shirts,” Danon explained. “The art already exists, and you could pick which stock art you want to press on the shirt.”

Danon’s a relative newcomer to the Rathkamp Matchcover Society, with just about a year of membership under his belt, but he’s been collecting and creating matchbooks for close to four decades.

“My background is in advertising, so collecting these is really a reflection of where my interests are,” Danon said. “I’ve been selling them since 1987.”

While the drive across state lines from New Jersey must have been a long one for Danon, it’s nothing compared to Steve Moldovan’s trip.

“It was a 16-hour drive, a long drive for sure,” said Moldovan, who journeyed up to Scranton from his home in Missouri. “But I try to get to these conventions every year.”

Moldovan said that he had gotten into matchbook collecting about 30 years ago, and his reasoning was simple.

“Some of the graphics, especially on the older ones, are really cool,” he said, before adding jokingly “I don’t even smoke.”

Wednesday marked the third day of the convention, which began on Monday and had some collectors arriving at the Sheraton ahead of time on Sunday. The convention will run through the rest of the week, and is open to all current and aspiring matchbox collectors.

“It’s such a fun thing to get into,” Smith said. “You see so many interesting designs, you’re reminded of places you’ve visited — you never know what you’ll see.”

IF YOU GO

The Rathkamp Matchcover Society convention continues through Saturday ‘all day’ each day at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, 300 Meadow Ave., Scranton.