Buying covers, as opposed to scrounging for them yourself, goes all the way back to the earliest clubs

(United Matchonians, etc.) in the 1930s. There‟s no doubt, though, that today that option is being

exercised much more frequently...not surprising, given the curtailed availability of covers from the

traditional business outlets. And, it‟s not just an option that is being used more by novice collectors to

enable them to get a “toehold” in the hobby. Veteran collectors are always seeking to find those particular

treasures which have so far managed to elude them, and collectors in general are more willing to buy what

they need, especially since trading has declined as well.

As a collector, you have three basic avenues open to you for buying covers: auctions, local

accumulations from non-collectors, and bulk-buying within the hobby. Auctions give you the opportunity

to zero in on specific categories and, in some cases, specific covers—a bundle of 25 Railroads, an 8-cover

Union Pacific Matchorama set, a stack of American Ace boxes numbered from 2600-2650, etc. You know

pretty much what you‟re getting, and you can be assured of the quality, since lots have to meet certain

standards and be labeled accurately.

All of the big conventions and swapfests feature large auctions, and many of the regional clubs have

very successful mail auctions with their bulletins (which is good, since those auctions are what keep these

clubs afloat financially). The RMS Convention auctions, which are the largest in the hobby, and Sierra-

Diablo‟s Bulletin auctions are examples. Additionally, there are a few private mail auctions from specific

collectors, such as Don Fisher‟s Matches n Stuff, which entail fairly large catalogs, with pictures, being

mailed out to prospective customers. Also, of course, within the last couple of years, matchcover auctions

have become available electronically, through the internet, as well. The downside of auctions is that this is

the most expensive of the three buying options. You can always hope that no one else will be bidding on

the lots you want, but that‟s not the normal way of things!

The second approach entails you canvasing your local area for accumulations that are available outside

the hobby, from non-collectors—the senior citizen who has just moved into a trailer park and no longer

has room for that big bag of matchbooks gathered from years of vacations, etc. In order to find these

sources, you have to advertise. Take out a small classified ad in a local advertising circular and then wait

for the calls to come in. Where I am, for example, we have a weekly publication called the Penny Pincher,

which is almost entirely made up of ads from people in the community either looking to sell or buy

by

Mike Prero

BULLETIN

PRESIDENT TREASURER EDITOR

John Bachochin Jack Benbrook Mike Prero

15731 S. 4210 Rd., 1328 E. Rosser St. 12659 Eckard Way

Claremore, OK 74017 Prescott AZ 86301 Auburn,CA 95603

918-342-0710 928-772-3763 530-906-4705

No. 331 ALL DUES DUE APRIL 1st August 2012

No. 331 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN-August 2012 Page 2

particular items. I‟ve tried this approach several times over the last 15 years and have found some pretty

good buys. You‟ll get some responses from people who think they‟re going to make a killing with you, of

course; you just screen those out. Most will be more than reasonable, and you‟ll probably be surprised at

the number of people who will just give the matchbooks to you outright, glad that they mean something to

someone besides themselves. It‟s important to mention your pricing right at the initial call.

Be sure to explain that, unless there are some very old and very unusual types in the accumulation, the

matchcovers are only worth a few pennies each. You don‟t want to drive all the way out to the person‟s

house only to find that his or her expectations are way out of line with yours. The downside of this option

is that much of what you‟re going to come across will be junk—struck, glued, bobtailed, nationals, and, of

course, lots of dupes. Non-collectors don‟t have the same standards that we expect within the hobby. Still,

I‟ve always found that this approach is worth the time and trouble you put into it. Upside: it‟s the cheapest

way to go, and you never know when you‟re going to stumble across a real treasure trove.

Bulk-buying [my own term] entails buying part or all of another collector‟s collection. Here, we‟re

talking about purchasing anywhere from a hundred to hundreds of thousands of covers at a time. There are

three ways of doing this. If you have the money, you can simply buy entire collections that become

available from time to time. You‟ll probably be bidding against a few other buyers, but, here, you‟re

bidding for the whole tamale, not individual lots. Another way is to contact a specific collector who you

know is selling off his collection, usually piecemeal, and offer to buy specific numbers or specific

categories. Here, the collector, perhaps because of age, is phasing out his collection. You write for details,

determine the bulk price for covers, and, when you reach an agreement, you send a check and wait for the

covers to arrive (the buyer always pays the postage, by the way, unless your specific agreement calls for

something else).

The other way you have open to you is to buy in bulk from a person who handles estate collections

within the hobby. Here, someone has been delegated to sell off the collection of a deceased hobbyist, with

the proceeds going to the family or whatever destination has been designated. There are several people

within the hobby that handle estate sales; the biggest source I know of is Bob Hiller, Santa Ana, CA. He

usually has several collections available at any one time. You can contact Bob, or any person in a similar

position, tell him what you‟re looking for, find out the bulk price of the covers in question (based on an

average price per cover), and order what you want. Downside to the bulk-buying method: you‟re using a

shotgun approach to try and find what you want. Upside: the price is intermediate between auction prices

and buying local accumulations, and you can be assured of getting quality, collectible material, not junk.

Over the years, I‟ve used all of the buying methods described above, and, as I‟ve tried to indicate, there

are advantages and disadvantages to each. Personally, I‟ve found that I prefer the bulk-buying method. It‟s

especially advantageous to a collector, such as myself, who collects in many different categories. I

purchased some 2000 F-S Banks and a 1000 F-S Motels this way, for example, and I found lots of covers

that I could actually use in my own collections—and I don‟t even collect Motels! But, I knew there would

be many conjunctives in areas that I do collect [AAA, “Duncan Hines-approved,” manumarks I always

look for, etc.], and the rest is excellent trading stock.

If you‟re thinking of buying covers, whether on a regular basis or just occasionally (perhaps when

trading has slowed down, or you just feel it‟s time for a quick infusion of new material), think about what

you want, how much you‟re willing to spend, and where you‟re going to look. Contact some experienced

collectors and get their recommendations on the best auctions, what‟s currently available, reliable people

to deal with, etc....good hunting!

No. 331 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN-August 2012 Page 3

Fraternals: F.O.E.

...That‟s Fraternal Order of Eagles, an old and much-honored fraternal organization, and, to our benefit,

an organization which has put out a long and varied line of matchcovers.

The Eagles were established on February 6th, 1898, in Seattle. Over the years, they have been very active

in community services. In 1900, they sponsored America‟s first Workmen‟s Compensation Law; in 1923,

they sponsored the first Old Age Pension Law; in 1935, when FDR signed the Social Security Law, he gave

the pen to the Eagles, as a symbol of their invaluable support. In fact, the Eagles have been recognized for

their community support by every president since FDR. In 1976, the Eagles founded their first European

chapter.

There are over 1,900 chapters, or “Aeries,” in the U.S. and Canada. There are also more than 1,700

auxiliaries. While the aeries don‟t seem to have been as prolific in their output of matchbooks as, say, the

Elks lodges, still—think of all the covers!

That‟s what first attracted me to this category. I love l-o-n-g series! I‟ve been collecting F.O.E.s, now, for

almost nine years, and I currently have 986. The largest collection I know of is Mel Garrett‟s, KS, who had

1,064 back in 1993.

Within this category, there are stock and non-stock issues, sets, Girlies, Christmas, Dated, Full-lengths,

and even some errors [see below]. There are also some „golden oldies‟—Federals and the like. Not

surprisingly, the vast majority of these covers are front-strike 20-strikes, but there are 30s, 40s, and at least

one Swedish Foil box. I have dupes. Anyone want to trade?

No. 331 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN-August 2012 Page 4

Nevada's Highway 50: The Loneliest Road in America

Nevada‟s Highway 50 runs across the state, east-west, through the Great Basin, which encompasses most

of the state. This desert road, though definitely lonely, has a lot going for it. It meanders through an ancient

lake bed, climbs over several mountain passes, follows the old Pony Express route, used to be part of the

Lincoln Highway, and is a link to the state‟s only national park.

It was actually Life magazine, in the mid-1980s, that christened the 285 miles of asphalt from Fernley to

Ely (which is most of the Nevada highway) as “The Loneliest Road in America.” Nevada residents

recognized a good thing when they saw it and ran with the idea. Local residents came up with the “Highway

50 Survival Kit” to promote attractions and services along the route. The State Legislature even authorized

highway road signs boasting of the title. As it turned out, the efforts didn‟t help much—it‟s still a lonely

black ribbon through a bleak landscape— but it does add to the road‟s character! And, it can add character

and color to part of your Small Towns collection—or part of your Famous Places collection—or part of

your Highway Signs collection (as Pete Varvis, CA, used to collect).

How about a “Loneliest Road Town Collection?” Many of the towns along Highway 50 got their start as

mining boom towns. As the mines dried up—so did many of the towns. Look for covers from Delta, Ely,

Eureka, Austin, Fallon, and Fernley (all Nevada towns). If you could find a cover from each, it might just

make a unique and interesting display (hint, hint), not to mention a nice little aside to your main Small

Towns collection.

How about a “Loneliest Road Famous Places Collection?” Highway 50 passes through, and by, some

really interesting spots. Entering from the Utah side, you go right by the Great Basin National Park (which

has a grove of 3,000-4,000 year-old bristlecone pines and Nevada‟s only glacier!). Next, there‟s Ward

Charcoal Ovens Historic State Park (six 30-foot-high kilns built in 1876 to provide charcoal for the smelter

of the Ward Mining District). On the other side of the road, there‟s Cave Lake State Park. About mid-state,

there‟s the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area (great rock art). The Sand Mountain Recreation Area

features a 600-foot high sand dune, all that‟s left of the beaches of ancient Lake Lahontan. Next, the Fallon

Naval Air Station, where “Top Gun” pilots come to train. Walking along the petroglyph trail at Grimes

Point Archaeological Area, you can unfortunately see how the graffiti of modern-day louts is gradually

defacing the ancient Indian art.

And, if you collect highway signs, as Pete did, those Highway 50 covers take on a new meaning when

you know their background and location—standing forlornly out there on this often deserted road! Again,

worthy, perhaps, of a showcase of their own!

All in all, here‟s a road that calls out to

collectors and travelers alike. All you Texans

might think about taking Highway 50 as you

pack up and head out to this year‟s AMCAL in

California. Stop and see the sights—and ask for those covers! Perhaps you could one day boast

that you travelled “The Loneliest Road in

America.”

[Note: At the last second, I couldn’t find the

Highway 50 cover I was going to run with this.

Anyone have a scan he can send me?!]

No. 331 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN-August 2012 Page 5

Easy Ways To Avoid Damaging Covers: II

Continuing with our opening theme from Part I, another “material” we use with our covers every day

that also commonly damages them is....the rubber band! [Oh no! Not the rubber band! Is nothing sacred!]

I know. They‟re so convenient, so easy, so available—but they‟re really not good for your covers. When

you rubber band a stack of covers together, it has to be reasonably tight to keep the stack intact. However,

that also means, at the very least, that the top and bottom covers of the stack are going to be creased on the

edges where the rubber band cuts into them. This often happens even when you try to get around this

problem by using extra-wide rubber bands. Also, when banding together stacks of 30-strikes, not all of the

covers may be exactly the same width, and then the rubber band will cut into the edges of the widest

covers in the stack, no matter whether they‟re on the top or bottom, or in the middle.. They stick out more,

so they take the pressure of the rubber band on the sides.

What to do! What to do! Easy—stop using rubber bands. Use paper bands. Just cut a strip of any scratch

paper and band it around your stack of covers, fastening it with a small piece of tape...just like you see on

the various bundled lots in auctions [ever wonder why you don’t see those auction lots bundled with

rubber bands?.....hm-m-m-m?]. Granted, it‟s a wee bit more time-consuming, but you can make the strips

of paper as wide as you want (thereby giving additional support to that stack of covers), and they don‟t

crease the top and bottom covers. There are a couple of other advantages to this method, as well. Using

such paper bands, you can now easily label each stack by simply writing on the band. And, although your

piece of tape may eventually lose its holding power, paper bands won‟t disintegrate over the years as

rubber bands will. Also, many of those old rubber banded bundles that may be stored away for years will

eventually have the rubber bands fuse to the surface of the top or bottom covers, permanently defacing

those covers. [Boy, I’ll bet you never realized just how evil rubber bands were!]

More materials hazardous to your covers include sharp knives, ball-point pens, and vises! It‟s usually

not a good idea to use a sharp knife to shuck your covers. When trying to open the staple on a cover, it‟s

too easy for a sharp knife to accidentally dig into the cover itself, rather than simply lifting the staple

prongs open. Also, more than a few of us have ended up with more band-aids on our fingers than shucked

covers! I usually use a letter opener. It‟s dull, and it works on all but those few covers where the staple is

actually buried in the cover.

Ball-point pens? How do they damage covers?.........guess! Right! How many times have you come

across usable covers that have been written on—in ink!—by collectors!—some, even on the front of the

cover! It‟s enough to make even the most docile of us howl in frustration. Never write on covers with ink,

and that includes stamping them on the inside with ink pad stamps. There will be times when you might

want to write on covers—say, noting catalog numbers on Girlie or Navy Ship covers—but when and if

you do, do it lightly, on the inside, in pencil.

Vises! [not “vices;” I can think of a lot of vices that would ruin covers, but that’s another article!]

Flattening your newly shucked covers offers some potential problems. Because you‟re going to be putting

pressure on a group of covers to take the bends out of them and make them nice and flat, it‟s necessary to

be careful of the materials you use. The vise in the garage works well, but most vises have “teeth” to hold

the object in place, so you‟ll need to put your covers between two small boards or other smooth surfaces

before you put them into the jaws of death! Even so, I‟ve gotten a little over-enthusiastic on tightening the

vise...only to see the boards crushed and my covers go flying all over the garage. There are better ways!

[more in Part III in our next issue]

No. 331 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN-August 2012 Page 6

New York’s Belmont Park

Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau

County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905. It is typically open for

racing throughout May, June and into late July, and again from late September through late October. It is world fa-

mous as the home of the Belmont Stakes, known as the "Test of the Champion", the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Belmont is known as "The Championship Track" because almost every major champion in racing history since the

early 20th century has competed on the racecourse — including each of the 11 Triple Crown winners. Belmont is

considered one of the elite racetracks in the sport. The largest crowd was in 2004 when 120,139 witnessed the Bel-

mont Stakes as Smarty Jones was seeking the Triple Crown but was upset by Birdstone. It‟s operated by the non-

profit New York Racing Association, as are Aqueduct and Saratoga Race Course. The group was formed in 1955 as

the Greater New York Association to assume the assets of the individual associations that ran Belmont, Aqueduct,

Saratoga Race Course, and the now-defunct Jamaica Racetrack.

In May 2007, reports surfaced suggesting that then New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was considering closing Aq-

ueduct Racetrack, which is ten miles west of Belmont in Ozone Park, New York, and turning Belmont into a nearly

year 'round race track when the New York Racing Association lease for all three of New York State's tracks expired

at the end of 2007. According to the plans being discussed, Belmont's stands would be

heated, additional barns built for Aqueduct's 400 horses, and the track modified to accom-

modate winter racing. In addition, video lottery machines would be introduced. A new en-

tity would operate Belmont from fall to spring while the New York Racing Association

would operate Saratoga Race Course in the summer. Any plans the former governor might

have had for the track alignment likely left office with him when he was forced to resign

amid a prostitution scandal in March 2008. [Did he used to be in the Secret Service?!]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belmont_Park]

An American Tour:

61

No. 331 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN-August 2012 Page 7

Emily Hiller, 714-540-8220

KEYSTONE-LEHIGH FALL

WEEKEND: October 24-27,

2012 - Holiday Inn, 230 Cherry

St., U.S. Rt 10, Morgantown,

PA 19543 (Exit 22), 1-800-339-

0264 or 610-286-3000. Make

reservations NLT Oct 1st.

Halloween Party, two auctions.

For FMI and Pre-Registration:

Gayle Hofacker at Gaylelynn13

@hotmail.com, or 7885 Stoltz

Rd, Greenville, OH 45331-

9654.

P H I L L U - Q U E B E C

SWAPFEST: November 3-4,

2012, Motel Blanchet, 225 St-

Joseph Blvd West, Drummond-

ville (Quebec) 800 567-3823 or

819 477-0222. Room: $85 +

tax. FMI: Claude Pelletier

cpelletier43@sympatico.ca

L O N G B E A C H M C

CHRISTMAS PARTY: Dec.

2, 2012. More details coming.

2013 AMCAL

Auction Lots

...Oh, my!

I had an opportunity recently

to take a peek at the auction lots

already prepared for April‟s

convention, and I certainly saw

a lot of great stuff! I saw one

bulk lot with 4,500 covers in

it...And no one puts more work

into organizing these types of

things than Loren Moore, so

you can expect another

spectacular round of auctions

when we get together next year.

If you haven‟t made plans to

Members

Reinstated

749. Carrico, Curtis, P. O. Box

34, Chico, CA 95927

Collects: Chico, CA

Ads

NEED 10 SLOTTED PAGES

FOR 20-STRIKE COVERS;

Would you like to trade RR?

Russell Potter, 19088 192nd

Ave., Spiro, OK 74959 (918-962

-5271)

ERRORS? I list them. I can

always use those you don‟t want

or color scans. Mike Prero,

12659 Eckard Way, Auburn, CA

95603 (rmsed@matchpro.org)

W E E K L Y O N - L I N E

AUCTION: 100 lots per week;

featured topic each week, but

always with good selection of

other categories. Runs Sunday-

Sunday. http://matchpro.org

Coming Up

71st RMS CONVENTION:

Sep. 9-13, 2012. Ramada/Coral

Suites Hotel, Niagara Falls, Ont.

CAN. The biggest-the best!

Comple te details always

available at Convention Central,

RMS web s i t e (h t tp : / /

www.matchcover.org)

L O N G B E A C H M C

SWAPFEST: Oct. 26-7, 2012.

Motel 6, 1717 E. Dyer Rd.,

Irvine, CA 949-261-1515. More

details available from Bob or

attend, you should do so...you‟ll

be missing out on soooo many

great covers, if nothing else!

When: April 25th-27th, 2013

Where: Heritage Inn, 201

Harding Blvd., Roseville, CA

( 8 0 0 - 2 2 8 4 7 4 7 ) . M e n t i o n

AMCAL when you make your

reservations.

How Much? $45 room rate!

Did You Know?

-that Swedish Match is the

largest such manufacturer in the

world?

-that Universal used to also be in

the armaments business?

-that the entire continent of

Australia has no domestic match

manufacturers? [of course,

Antarctica doesn’t have any,

either!]

-that in 1944 the Allies dropped

4 million matchbooks behind

enemy lines?

-that, membership-wise, the

Chinese Phillumenic Society

formed, Hong Kong, is the

largest such organization in the

world?

-that in 1972, the US match

market peaked at 550 billion

lights?

-that 1978 was the last year for

front-strikers to be issued

(except foreign issues)

No. 331 SIERRA-DIABLO BULLETIN-August 2012 Page 8

Replace with advertising text

Company Name

COMING

UP

Sep: “Tahoe Casinos”

Oct“Smaller Manufacturers”

Nov: “San Francisco

Memories”

SIERRA-DIABLO...we’re

the hottest club in the

hobby!

Our August Auction

Looking for quality? Looking for

scarce? Looking for variety? Look

at our auction!

http://matchcover.org/sierra

And, don‟t forget...we will again

have free postage for six of our

members who are successful in the

club auction.

Happy Birthday!

Hales, James.........................8-3

Eberhart, Charles..................8-6

Waite, Randy........................8-8

Rowe, Terry........................8-12

Israel, Marty........................8-15

Lund, Greg..........................8-22

Evans, Bill...........................8-24

Prescott, Bill.......................8-28

Neros, Craig........................8-29

Crill, Cheryl..........................9-5

Prero, Mike...........................9-7

Moubray, Tom....................9-17

Dixon, Bill..........................9-20

Johnk, Duane......................9-20

Grant, Alan.........................9-22

Acus, Joel............................9-25

Robles, R.E.........................9-26

The Sierra-Diablo Bulletin is a

publication of the Sierra-Diablo

Matchcover Club. Deadline for all

submissions is 2 weeks before the

issue month. Any information

herein may be reproduced with

appropriate credit line. Dues of $5

(e-bulletin); or $10 hard copy

(individual), $15 (family), $15

(Canada/Mexico) or $20 (outside

N. America) are payable to the

Sierra-Diablo Matchcover Club, c/

o Jack Benbrook, 1328 E. Rosser

St., Prescott, AZ 86301.

Visit the Sierra-Diablo Web Site

at: http://www.matchcover.org/

sierra. You can reach the Ed. on

line at RMSED@matchpro.org for

h e lp wi th Bu l l e t in /h obby

questions, concerns or problems.

phrase in the England language?

-that California has the most

cover collectors?

-that California has the most

matchcover clubs?

-that California is broken? [ha

ha]

-that Alaska, the largest state in

the US, has no known cover

collectors?

-that, for traders, the cost of

covers goes up every time the

Post Office increases its rates?

[still far cheaper than most

other collectibles, though!

Business cards would probably

be cheaper]

August’s Smile

-that 1999 was the last year for

Eddy-manufactured matches?

-that the oldest known dated

cover is OH Bankers Ass. 1898?

-that in 2010, Kevin Saucier,

CA, bought a Lindbergh cover

for $50 on ebay?

t h a t t h e r e a r e 1 5 , 4 0 0

Pocketboxes listed? [I believe

that makes it the largest listing

in the hobby]

-that 1894-1929 is the period for

which we have the fewest

covers? [not surprising]

-that in the Basil Rathbone

Sherlock Homes movie, Woman

in Green, one of the characters is

a matchbook collector?

-that, at least until recent years,

Close Cover Before Striking,

was the most frequently printed