by Bill Retskin

How do I join a matchcover club?

At last count, there were approximately 25 local matchcover collecting clubs in the United States and Canada. Most located in metropolitan areas, their publications all are accessible from anywhere. Although championed by local collectors, members' rosters should reflect interests from all over the country.

Officers and addresses change regularly, so please allow this book to act as a clearing house for information about matchcover clubs. Send a large #10 S.A.S.E. for information about a club in your area.

Traditionally, most clubs have a board of officers, a constitution and bylaws, and conduct regularly scheduled meetings. Most publish a newsletter and, when finances permit, hold an annual swapfest for local members.

Choosing your club affiliation is important. Almost 95% of the nation's matchcover collectors do not live near a local club. It is therefore to your best advantage to choose a club (or clubs) after reviewing their newsletter or bulletin.

Most clubs invite individuals with a minimal interest in the hobby. There are both specialty matchcover clubs and general clubs. The Girlie Matchcover Club, for example, offers a catalogue of girlie sets and singles beginning in the late 1930s. The American Matchcover Collecting Club specializes in pre-1960 matchcovers, the history of the hobby and the industry, and investment possibilities through matchcover auctions.

Matchcover clubs publish their newsletter or bulletin for one of two distinct collecting predilections. First, there are social newsletters. Usually filled with local, newsy comments and stories, they are less related to matchcover collecting than to the social environment of the local stalwarts who fortify the meetings and do most of the work. Who died, who moved to a different town, birthdays, anniversaries, parties, vacation talk, who is in the hospital. The list goes on.

This type of newsletter is an important link among friends and collectors in different communities. It is, however, usually lacking in hobby content and frequently devoid of pertinent matchcover information.

The second kind of matchcover newsletter is what is called a true hobby newsletter. Although not truant in social detail, its editor is aware of his or her responsibility to inform the membership about the hobby. Facts about the current match industry or historical events relating to matchcovers are featured. Editors of this type of hobby newsletter work diligently for their membership. This kind of collecting club is well worth joining, usually just for its publication.

This book is sponsored by one of the finest clubs in the hobby, The American Matchcover Collecting Club. The Front Striker Bulletin, published by the author of this book, is such a publication. Conceived and dedicated to the hobby and the match industry in August 1986, The Front Striker Bulletin delights in an international membership base of over 650 serious matchcover collectors and investors. The purpose of The Front Striker Bulletin is to publish information for serious matchcover collectors, abrogating some of the time consuming formalities of officers, a constitution and bylaws.

What about the Newsletter?

Let's take for example a typical local club. The XYZ Matchcover Club maintains a club roster of say, 100 members. It has approximately 25 local members who regularly attend meetings and other club functions, and another 75 members around the country who receive its newsletter.

The editor's job, therefore, is probably the most important single responsibility a club member can have. He or she is responsible for writing, editing, and collecting matchcover information for the newsletter. Frequently, he or she performs layout functions and liaison work with the printer, often spending long evenings stuffing and addressing envelopes. After the stamps are licked, the newsletter is mailed and the editor sits back and waits for comments and letters from the membership.

Every club editor has a similar responsibility. Too many editors complain that they do not get any help from the membership. "Send articles and information about collecting in your area," is their plea. Recommendations, reminders, and suggestions are repeatedly sent to members, but, for the most part, club editors receive little recognition. As with most hobby clubs, a few people do a majority of the work.

Start your own matchcover collecting club?

Great idea! Glad you thought of it!

There are no restrictions about starting your own club in your area. You should get a separate checking account, and, as a non-profit organization, you can apply for a state non-profit number. In many cities, banks will not charge a service fee for a non-profit organization.

A good place to start is at your local library. In order to minimize start-up expense, ask your local library if you can use a community meeting room for your club's meeting. Plan on a two hour Saturday meeting and secure a date from your library coordinator. After all, you are a nonprofit community organization, interested in the public welfare.

The only restriction that most libraries place on club meetings is that your activities must be open to the public, and, after all, what better way to attract new collectors? After the meeting is concluded, be sure to leave the meeting room clean and conscientiously follow the eating and smoking rules.

Once you've got a date, place a small ad in the personal column of a local or city newspaper nearby. The ad might say: "Matchcover Collecting! A great way to meet new friends. Men and women, boys and girls. Come on down to your local library this Saturday at 2:30 P.M.--bring your matches!!"

Go to local schools, recreation centers, the court house, and supermarkets, and ask them if you can put up a notice. Restaurants and some businesses in your area may allow a small 8 1/2 in. X 11 in. flyer in their window. Send the flyer to your local radio station, and ask them to announce your meeting during their community service segment. If this is the first matchcover club in your community, you may get invited to talk to a radio personality on the air about your activities. Don't forget, local cable channels love this kind of community spirit.

Another way to attract attention to your club and hobby is to make up a display of your favorite matchcovers. Put your name and phone number at the bottom of the display and try to put it in a prominent place, like a bank lobby or a restaurant waiting room. People will be attracted by the ingenuity of your matchcover display and the novel idea of a matchcover club forming in their area.

On meeting day, get to the library early. With their permission, place a few signs around the library so that people can find your meeting room. If you are a beginner and don't have a collection, turn your meeting into a round table discussion. Go around the room and ask everyone whom they are, if they are a collector, and if they have ever held a club office before. You will be amazed at the responses.

At this point, your job may be finished. As coordinator of this effort, you may be elected president so be prepared for more work. Once your officers are established, contact your local Chamber of Commerce for information about running meetings and advertising your club through their services. If you decide to have a formal meeting agenda, a Sergeant-at-Arms and a copy of Robert's Rules of Order will come in handy. If you want to make it an informal, social kind of meeting, then forget about Robert's Rules and just have fun.

What about dues? How much should you charge? Of course, no one can tell you what to charge, but most local clubs charge between $4 and $10 yearly for membership and a quarterly newsletter. The dues should reflect the kinds of services offered by the club. One local club boasts the lowest dues in the hobby, and puts out a social one-page newsletter that never changes. In contrast, a nationally known West Coast club puts out a monthly newsletter packed with matchcover information and some social news and events.

Check with printers or copy shops in your area. Your dues must compensate at least your newsletter expenses. If you have money remaining, think about subsidizing an annual Christmas meeting dinner or buy club matchcovers.

You mean we can have our own club matchcover?

Sure you can!

Besides sales of regular orders of matchcovers for business, special occasions, hobby clubs, etc., The American Matchcover Collecting Club offers a service to print a case of matchcovers for any new member or start-up club at a discount. A case of matches (2,500 books for the 20-stick size, or 2,000 books for the 30-stick size) costs less than you think and is a great way to advertise your club. Send a large #10 S.A.S.E. to AMCC for full details and prices.

Be sure to get everyone's name, address, and phone number for your mailing list. Start with a simple, one page newsletter. Play up the great time you are having at your meetings. Encourage other's interests in your meetings and events. Talk it up and carry on like there is nothing better then a matchcover meeting among friends.

Plan matchcover outings. Get a group of collectors together and drive to another part of town. Walk up and down the streets going into every restaurant, hotel, bank, etc., asking for matchcovers. Gather as many as you can and divide them among your participating club members at the end of the day.

As your club grows, you may want to venture out to a local restaurant and include dinner with one of your meetings. Late in the year is a great time to have a big fall gathering. Plan some special events such as an auction, a grab bag, or special games.

Investigate this route carefully and always be aware of your budget. In metropolitan areas, hotel meeting rooms can be very expensive even if you promise them 25 or so paid dinners. In less populated areas, hotel managers may be very willing to throw in a few extras in order to attract new faces to their facilities. When in doubt, contact local fraternal organizations and ask them how they arrange for dinner meetings. Chambers of Commerce can be helpful, also.

Starting a matchcover club can be fun and rewarding. Ask questions and be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. Matchcover collecting is a very friendly and fun-for-the-whole-family hobby.