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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The 75th Rathkamp Matchcover Society Convention


111 miles outside of Arlington, Va is Wolfe's Diner in Dillsburg, PA. Check out their Facebook page!



Denise tries out a booth at Wolfe's Diner.


An amazing wintertime photo of the Wolfe's Diner sign from their Facebook page.


Perfect name.


The 75th RMS convention was held at the Best Western Plus Lehigh Valley.


We had perfect pool weather during the convention.


The proof sheet for the MARVA 2015 RMS matchbook that was available at the convention.


"Ain't no place, child."




I bought these these fantastic navy ships with cartoon characters from RMS President Carry Van Tol.



The two wolf covers are fantastic.


Matzo ball soup at the Carnegie Deli in the Sands Casino.


Enough sandwich to feed a couple people. The potato salad was great.


I won $100 on the quarter machine. I'm a degenerate gambler, now!


A few of the really nice, unstruck full length covers I found.


Weird room in our hotel where dirty, old phones and blankets live.


San Diego Zoo matchcovers.



Some great work clothes covers I found.



Senator Jack Barnes found this on the freebie table. If you've never seen one of these, they're very cool. Instead of matches, they're nude Kodachrome pin ups. He was nice enough to let me take a photo of it before he tucked it away in his pocket.



Best restaurant name, ever.



A pretty amazing collection of French matchboxes advertising videotapes of older movies.



Making faces at the Red Zone Lounge.


A convention isn't complete without my Matchbook Twin, Denise McKinney and I making a trip to the Waffle House. They pay employees in cash, did you know that?


The many faces of eating; trying to look upset while Pac Man comes to life on my plate.



Lenny Kaye stopped by to sell his father's matchbook collection. We're hoping to make a matchbook collector out of him.


Angelus President Denise McKinney and her badass rental car, a new Dodge Charger.



My convention mustache.


You can see downtown in the distance as Denise and I head to Philadelphia for her book signing of her new book Morrissey FAQ. Get your copy at Amazon.




We had excellent Chinese food at the Golden Bowl in Market East.



Huge scoops of ice cream at L.D. Bassett.


The Wanamaker Organ inside the Macy's in downtown Philadelphia.



"Meet the Angelus president at The Eagle"
"German sculptor August Gaul's 2,500 pound bronze bird came to America for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. When John Wanamaker purchased it for his famous department store, he had to strengthen the floor with extra girders. Soon "Meet me at the eagle" became a catchphrase for Philadelphians as well as suburbanites who came downtown to shop."

The historic Manayunk Bridge spans the Schuykill River between Bala Cynwyd and the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia.



Angelus president Denise McKinney answers questions about Morrissey and her new book, Morrissey FAQ in the upstairs bar at Lucky's Last Chance.









At home, going through the thousands of covers picked up at the 75th RMS convention.



Monday, June 29, 2015

More Matchcovers

Hair Products






Feminine Hygiene


The term feminine hygiene had a different meaning in the 1930's when this matchcover advertising Birconjel was produced. Also called marriage hygiene, these synonyms for birth control and the ads that went with them were quite radical for the time. From A History Of Birth Control In America

Food Products




That the water is or has been electrified is a bit of a misnomer; it was an electrical process that was used to remove the contaminants.



This is a gorgeous cover for Healthy Vita Bread. It's a flat, but that doesn't bother me.




The best cover I found at the Southern Swapfest, this Guatemalan Twinky cover with the one and only Twinky the Kid (that's Twinkie to us here in the states).





American statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852) earned fame for his staunch support of the federal government and his skills as an orator. Originally a lawyer, Webster was elected a New Hampshire congressman in 1813. He later served as a Massachusetts congressman and senator, becoming a leading proponent of federal action to stimulate the economy through protective tariffs, transportation improvements and a national bank. As U.S. secretary of state, he helped ease border tensions with Britain through negotiations of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842. Despite his standing as a Whig leader, Webster was never able to secure his party’s nomination for the U.S. presidency.



Look at that lazy orange. Just look at him.