Matchbox Holder A rectangular, three-sided case or holder made from one piece of metal bent into a U shape. The three-sided design allows the matchbox to be opened at either end, and the long open side exposes the sandpaper-striking edge. Matchbox holders were relatively easy and quick to make, and they could commemorate events that…
Wax Match Holders A match holder, a vesta case, or simply a “vesta” is a small box made to house wax, or “strike anywhere” matches. The first successful friction match appeared in 1826, and in 1832 William Newton patented the “wax vesta” in England. It consisted of a wax stem with embedded cotton threads and a tip of…
Tobacco Cutter A tobacco or plug cutter was a tabletop machine that resembled a small paper cutter, where a metal blade cutter was set onto a wooden base. They were used to cut tobacco leaf or plugs, which came in bricks, into finer and more useable samples which could then be put into a pipe…