1949 Truman/Barkley Inaugural Match Book--Blue Tips

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1949 Truman/Barkley Inaugural Match Book--Blue Tips Another Matchcover Connection/Matchcover Connection Too eBay store Item by C.J. & Bill Retskin and The American Matchcover Collecting Club (AMCC). PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING OR BUYING ~~ PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING OR BUYING ~~ PLEASE READ BEFORE BIDDING OR BUYING METHOD OF PAYMENT: (revised 08/01/06) We prefer a personal or bank check, money order. DO NOT SEND CASH . PayPal is accepted for all sales, ATTENTION PAYPAL USERS: For PayPal invoices totaling $10.00 or more, domestic U.S.P.S. insurance is required . Payments made without this additional charge will be refunded. If you are bidding on multiple items, please wait for an invoice from us and make one PayPal payment for multiple store and/or auction sales. SAVINGS SPECIAL: (revised 08/01/06) FREE basic domestic shipping for single or combined stores and/or auction sales of $25.00 or more if paid for with a personal or bank check , money order, or cash (although not recommended) for matchcovers & matchbooks ONLY! (see below) (>^,,^ ^,,^ ^,,^ ^,,^ ^,,^ ^,,^ ^,,^ ^,,^ ^,,^ (presd96b) This match book (see below) is form The Inaugural Dinner , held at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Photos of Harry S. Truman & Alben W. Barkley were on the front. It is dated January 19, 1949. This match book was given to me by hobby legend Bob Oliver, who was at the celebration with his wife. When we first listed this match book on eBay during the Clinton administration, we received an anonymous e-mail from someone "telling" us not to print the information which appears below. He said we could list the match book, but insisted, that the story be withdrawn. Bob Oliver, (a legend in the matchcover collecting hobby) who was happy and eager to entertain anyone with his long and fascinating stories about match books, told me the clandestine story behind the Truman/Barkley match book shown Apparently, only one case of each (gold tipped match sticks & blue tipped match sticks) were made; the gold were for the head table and other political notables, while the blue were for the several hundred who also attended the dinner. President Truman did not learn about the match books until he arrived at the dinner, and had certainly not authorized the use of his photograph. My friend Bob was a government employee during the Roosevelt & Truman administrations, and was an invited guest, with his wife, to the gathering that night. Having been an avid match book collector since the 1939 New York World's Fair and one of the original founders of the first recognized matchcover collecting club in America, he gatd several dozen of each color for his personal collection and his friends in the club. That evening, well after they had gone to sleep, t was a brisk knock at their hotel room door, answered by Bob in his pajamas. Two Secret Service men appeared and asked Bob if he and his wife, Elizabeth, had been at the dinner (as if they didn't already know). Further questioning lead to whether or not he had picked up his match book favor which was a blue tipped match book placed at each dinner setting. When the Secret Service agents insisted on confiscating the match books, Bob stood on his ground and told them to "get lost!" Apparently, the Secret Service men left without further argument. Since we are now being governed by a Republican administration, we feel that this story now can be told. This full match book ( with blue tip color matches ) is a Diamond Perfect "36" , which is a relatively scarce design, and is collected by shape as well as topic. Diamond Match Co. came out with this size match book in 1948 and used it until 1952. It was meant to compete with Universal Match Corp's Royal Flash Billboard. This match book is MINT & UNSTRUCK with all the blue tips matches retained. You are viewing both sides and the inside of the ONE match book in this sale. Need Custom Printed Match Books (click ? Please check out our newes... read more

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