Discover the Valley’s Most Iconic Vintage Matchbooks

Remember when customized matchbooks used to be customary? And, of course, complimentary. Restaurants and other businesses used to offer them at checkout. Not just good promotion (“merch,” as it’s now called), but also a customer service.

Matchbook manufacturing peaked during the 1940s and ’50s, when cigarette smoking was at a high—an estimated 45% of American adults smoked in 1954. Health concerns and antismoking campaigns lowered that percentage steadily through the years. The availability of disposable lighters was another factor in matchbook decline.

Due to their scarcity, matchbooks have become a popular collectible. The most expensive matchbook on record was purchased in 2015 by Kevin Saucier in Santa Ana. The rare matchbook was created for a Charles Lindbergh dinner celebration in 1927, the year of his solo transatlantic flight. It sold for $6,000—even though it was missing four matches.