Pocket Match Safes - Reflections of Life & Art 1840- 1920 - An Awesome Published Book in Print by W. Eugene Sanders Jr. & Christine C. Sanders

Feb 122 min read

Pocket Match Safes - Reflections of Life & Art 1840- 1920 was published by Schiffer in the year 1997. It is an awesome Book in Print authored by W. Eugene Sanders Jr. & Christine C. Sanders. It is considered the bible amongst match safe collectors. It virtually lists every possible known match safe that is out there to collect that is worth something.

The book illustrates this married couple's collection of over 3,000 match safes that they acquired over a lifetime by attending and visiting flea markets, antique shops, antique shows, coin shows, auctions, coin shops, and towards the end some on-line purchasing. It is thoroougly organzied by category into sections based on types of boxes like military, art nouveau, wine and spirits, Native Americans, Women, Heraldic, Nautical and so forth. Each match safe shown has a description along with a suggested value.

The book is not only a value and identification guide to antique match safes, but also is a testament to how a complusion to collect a certain item category can turn into something huge. You start with just just buying one item and then became so fascinated that next thing you know, you are are spending all your free time and money in the pursuit and hunt to acquire and learn as much as you can and ultimately build a collection that is well over the top. In this case, the collectors took things to the next level and wrote this incredible must have book which now serves greatly to help others in collecting match safes which are in many cases mini works of art.

We highly recommend this book.

Available on Ebay from $10-35 depending on condition: