A matchbox is a container or case made of

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light b ...

, thin

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

or metal on some models, and designed to be filled with

matches A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

. In short, is a box that contains

safety matches A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

made of wooden sticks or

stripes. It commonly has a coarse striking surface on one edge for lighting the matches contained inside. Matchboxes generaly measure 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm. For some applications matchbooks have replaced matchboxes. It is generally used to carry matches in the pocket, in the form of a cardboard box with a separate drawer that runs inside the cover, or a tiny folding binder whith a cover lid acting as a protection for the matches when folded over the other half, that holds the matches. Cylindrical matchboxes with a round cover on one end, are also available..

Metallic model

There are metal matchboxes some of which also have a hollow cylinder in which a nitrated wick is housed so that it can ignite when it is windy. The metal boxes have an

scraper Scrape, scraper or scraping may refer to: Biology and medicine * Abrasion (medical), a type of injury * Scraper (biology), grazer-scraper, a water animal that feeds on stones and other substrates by grazing algae, microorganism and other matter ...

that is usually placed on the edge, in a slot made for this purpose. a sort of file that can be machined to the same metal casing or be a metal sheet, welded or glued. In 1878.the patent document, nº 2191 class 44, was registered by Hannoversche Gummi-Kamm-Compagnie in Hannover, about a metalic matchbox, with the following text:

Other types

There are other types different from those described above, made of

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

mother of pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...

bone A bone is a Stiffness, rigid Organ (biology), organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red blood cell, red and white blood cells, store minerals, provid ...

celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common contemporar ...

, etc. sometimes with very whimsical shapes, Apart from the pocket boxes mentioned, there are tabletop match boxes, to hang on the wall, fixed in a palmarium, etc. The first are boxes of some capacity, made of fine wood, cut glass, etc., without a lid or with a hinged lid, the only condition being that they close well and have enough weight at the bottom to scratch the match don't move Match boxes hung on the wall are used in kitchens, they are usually made of

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

wood, they do not have a lid and a hook or hole protrudes from the back of the box to hang them on the wall. All matchboxes must have a scraper so that the head of the match can be rubbed against it to light it. Ordinary cardboard boxes have it on one or both sides. In tabletop or wall-hanged match boxes, the scraper is usually made of

sandpaper upright=1.35, Sheets of sandpaper with different grit sizes (40 (coarse), 80, 150, 240, 600 (fine)). Sandpaper and glasspaper are names used for a type of coated abrasive that consists of sheets of paper or cloth with abrasive material glued to ...

, attached to the most visible part and at the top of the box.

Matchbook

A book of matches is a small

folder that contains

joined at the base and has a surface to be able to rub the matches on the outside. The binder must be opened to access the matches, which are placed in a comb shape and must be torn to use.them, unlike those in a standard matchbox where they are loosely packed in the drawer that can be slided with the finger.

Phillumeny

In English there is the term Phillumeny, which is the

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing Sport, sports, or pursu ...

of collecting different items related to

, matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchbox covers, etc. In

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Teiichi Yoshizawa was listed in the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

as the best collector of matches in the world. In

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, Jose Manuel Pereira published a series of albums to catalog and display matchbox collections called "Phillalbum".

References

External links