What should I do with a deceased friend's matchbook collection?

Sell them on eBay to collectors. Check on how to ship them first.

Agree with zenvelo. Should the collection be worth a pretty penny, and stranger things have happened, get something for the wife too. Maybe commemorate him in some way connected, say, like planting some trees.

Put them all in a drum and start a match chain reaction á la Mythbusters.

Find a phillumenist and give them away.

Can you donate them to a museum or historical society?

Don’t use them, a collector would jump on something like that.

I would feel uncomfortable selling them. This was the guy’s lifetime passion. He picked them up everywhere he went. They tell his life story.
I would prefer to give them to other collectors with the same passion.

Sell them and do something nice. Why give them to a total stranger just because he happens to collect matchbooks.

How old is the oldest and can we have pictures?

Photograph them one at a time with the details and write a story about this mans passion. Then donate his collection to the museum. At least you would have the book full of his memories and a story to sell to other collectors and give one to the library..maybe give one to his wife.

* man’s *.
“This man’s compassion…”

Ask the man’s wife for more particulars on how he stored or displayed the matches, and if she has any information on others who participated in her hubby’s hobby. It might be well worth your while to put a minimum of research into what you have, though 60 years of matchbooks sounds grueling to comtemplate. Have you asked the wife how she is sure she isn’t throwing away a fortune?

I like the suggestion by Inspired_2write.
The photographed inventory will be interesting to have.
You might find a museum willing to pay a sum for all or part of the collection. In doing this, his efforts could be enjoyed by many.
You should not feel badly about the idea of selling them on eBay or elsewhere. After all, didn’t his wife give them to someone she thought would burn them off?
Whatever you do with them, I do support making a photo collection of them.

I like the idea of the photos, too. Unfortunately I am too lazy to write a story about them.

@Dutchess_lll There are some from the late 1950s to early 1960’s Maybe some are older.

@LuckyGuy I like the idea of the photos and story too. If you want, maybe I can help you do the donkey work of writing :)

I have a soft spot for dead people’s dearly possession and I would like to see something good coming from them too.

Donate to the Smithsonian

I like the ideas of the photos and donating to a museum if you don’t want to sell them. If a museum won’t take them then I guess gift them to another collector.

I might have missed you telling us this, but did he have children? They might not want all the matches, but they might really appreciate the book of photos. Even if they don’t appreciate it today, they might in the future. His wife might be eventually inclined to write about some of the matchbooks eventually.

I have about 20 matchbooks, and when I move they always come with me. Same as my wedding album, and an album I made from my grandma’s photos that I found when she died. I don’t let the movers move them, I don’t put them in a checked bag (probably you shouldn’t do that anyway I guess). Because of this Q I want to take photos and make a book. Thanks for this.

I used to have a match collection and now I wish I still had it. Not a lot of restaurants give out matches any more, since they don’t allow smoking indoors. I’d keep it. My other idea was to donate them to the historical society where the matches are from, but I would understand a historical society, which is essentially a museum of flammable items, not wanting to keep extra matches around their collection.

How dangerous are matchbooks? Does the combustible chemical deteriorate over time?

@LuckyGuy: is the friend your neighbor who you talked on Fluther about him hunting on your property?

Yes. Exposure to the elements will degrade everything from the paper through the images and print on the covers as well as the match heads themselves. Which is why it’s crucial to discover from the wife or someone who pays attention how the collection was stored or catalogued. And there’s no time to lose. If she is randomly passing the collection out by the bagful it may already be past the moment to avert disaster. I don’t know whether to envy or pity LG. He is either becoming involved in a fascinating topic or taking on a mountain of work. Life has dumped the responsibility to his friend squarely into Lg’s lap. He must decide whether he’s going to take on a massive project or find someone knowledgeable who is already addicted on which to unload the collection. Personally, I’m just crass enough to wonder what they’re worth.

@jca2 This is a different person. This guy was confined to wheelchair for the last 10–15 years of his life. All the matches are items he collected when he was still up and about.

@elbanditoroso i tried one pack (from a Ramada inn with many duplicates) and it lit right up. Perfect shape.

@LuckyGuy
Look at this site devoted to matchbooks & collections/collectors.
This person photographed each one and sells them online for a quite a lot!
The man who gave his wife this collection was in fact giving her an inheritance!

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/tobacciana/matchbooks

I just want to see them @LuckyGuy.

Put the pics on FB, @LuckyGuy.

I have had matches over 20 years old and they light right up, but you have to strike them, they don’t just burst into flames on their own. I don’t thnk so anyway.

Looking on ebay… I had no idea that matchbooks were such a hot item. Going forward when I see them out picking I’m going to be snatching them up!

I, too, had no idea! Thanks @Inspired_2write !

I just figured out his sorting process. One bag each for Hotels, restaurants, commercial establishments. services…. That is a good way to do it.
I’ll take a few pictures of interesting ones.

Cool.

I begged grandma for my grandpa’s matchbook collection. She threw it out, knowing I wanted them.
I think you have a treasure trove, and possibly some links to history.
There are casinos which are gone that their matchbooks would be collectable.
The Mapes Hotel in Reno was torn down a decade ago or so, amid a great deal of controversy. You might have something from places now gone that collectors would love to have, including small mercantile to restaurants, hotels or other chain businesses now gone.
It seems you have a big task there, but I would kill, er, shove through a line for the opportunity.
Photos can be groupings rather than per each to save time.

I vote to give them to her.^

Second!

Sounds like a great idea!I A co-investigator!
I need to figure out how to send stuff like this in the mail.

I’m so excited! This is a great Fluther connection. Keep us updated.

Sent! You will live them. They should arrive on Wed.
I’ll PM you the tracking number.
Enjoy!

Who did you send them to??

Nice, Lucky.

Ugh! I meant to write “you will love them” not “live” them. I hope you figured that out.

Live, love. Typical typo.

Well done! It now falls on Ms. Melt to keep us in the loop.

Pictures pictures pictures!

I wish it were possible to simply post pictures directly here.

That WOULD be nice, probably being a possibility only with owner development.

I think I remember Crow doing it in chat.
I think I will give that a look see.

I’m so excited.

Well, a box of matchbooks arrived. I will be going through it tonight.

Great! I’m guessing it will take you longer than one night! :-)

Enjoy!!!

Don’t smoke anywhere near them. :-)

@Patty_Melt What do you plan to do with the matchbox?

One of the things I loved about my grandpa’s collection was the adventures.

Looking through them, I would find some represented places I have been, and I would sort through memories. The others gave me places to imagine, imagine what they were like.

Some carried brand names, another kind of adventure.

Sometimes I pictured my grandpa compiling his assortment. He worked for the railroad, and layovers and transfers were how he added to his collection.
It was hard to think of my grandpa as an adventurous man. He was quiet, slow, meticulous.

I will arrange these in geographic order, and for product ads in chronological order. So far I only took a cursory glance, but I could see this will be a new adventure. I will need to research what or where some are, and as I go I will check to see if any have a marketable value. I think some will from what I saw. I don’t know yet whether I will part with any or not.
I took a quick look at some collections on eBay. It is the one thing I have seen that no-one lists as “from a non smoking home.”
There are some mighty expensive collections.

I can tell you something about the white matches in the box. (Panorama)
They belonged to Henry. He was a Holocaust survivor – he had the tattoo on his arm. He opened the liquor store and ran it for many years. When he passed away ~20 years ago a good friend of his asked me to help clean out some of the stuff in his garage to prepare for a garage sale. His family gave me the boxes. They were afraid of them.

I’m speechless.

Afraid of them how?

Is he in the Holocaust survivor registry?

They were so old and there was a large quantity. He is in the registry and was a speaker at certain events. .

See? Every matchbook tells a story.

I guess the survivor part could make the matches more valuable, but then also I feel like I would want the family’s approval to use his name in that way.

Once they are sorted take photos. The photos could be put in a book with the history about the places they came from if anyone ever had the time. The family might want the book. I want to do that with my matchbooks now. I really liked that idea.

Still enjoying them.
Again, thanks!