Save the Date!
57th AMCAL CONVENTION

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Hotel Lafayette
April 19-21, 2012
SDMC TO HOST 2012 AMCAL AT HOTEL LAFAYETTE

 

The 2012 AMCAL convention will be hosted by the San Diego Matchcover Club April 19-21 at San Diego’s Hotel Lafayette. The event will be cosponsored with the Angelus and Sierra-Diablo Matchcover Clubs.

Located at 2223 El Cajon Boulevard just south of Interstate-8, the colonial-style Lafayette dates back to old Hollywood days and is now being refurbished as an attractive boutique hotel. It is close to
Balboa Park with poolside rooms and many restaurants nearby. Right next
door is the Red Fox steakhouse. restaurant.

Other nearby San Diego attractions include the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Mission Beach, La Jolla, Coronado Island, and shopping in Mission Valley. It is an event you will not want to miss. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!

For More Information:

2011 AMCAL A BIG SUCCESS IN MONROVIA

By Doug Fouquet

Over 70 people attended this year’s convention of the Associated Matchcover Clubs of California (AMCAL) in Monrovia, CA April 28-30. The two host hotels were the Doubletree Inn Monrovia and the adjacent Oak Tree Inn.

In addition to many California collectors, attendees came from Arizona, Nevada, Washington State, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and even the UK. The attendance totals included many local residents who came to the meeting for just a single day. The convention was sponsored by Angelus Matchcover Club in conjunction with the San Diego and Sierra-Diablo Matchcover Clubs.

Some impressive convention statistics: 53 displays by nine different individuals; 250 daily auction lots with at least 25 members bidding each of the three days; and ten hobby and professional dealers selling both matches and paper collectibles. There also were 36 attendees at a Sunday luncheon hosted by Cheryl and Chester Crill at their Pasadena home, honoring Angelus’ 60th Birthday.

Display winners included:

Best of Show, John Boal, “Golden Gate Exposition”;
Best Combo, Denise McKinney, “Sambos”;
Angelus Club Best Owl Display, Tom Meek;
Sierra-Diablo club, Best Small Category, Mark Quilling, “Trail’s End”;
San Diego Club Most Unusual Group, Tom Meek, “Drive Carefully”;
and Best Single, Tom Meek, “USS New Jersey.”

Be sure to catch the photos from this year's meeting!

There was one sad note. J.R. (“Mitch”) Mitchell of Prescott, AZ died in an auto accident in Parker, AZ while en route to the convention. Before the last auction, Chester Crill of Angelus paid tribute to Mitch,
remembering his spirit of fun and the many thankless tasks he performed for AMCAL.



Check info from AMCAL 2010 below.

Loren Moore AMCAL 2010

Collecting History a Little Bit at a Time!

Matchbook Covers hold Their Own as an area of Memorabilia Collecting.

If you're not familiar with matchbook cover collecting, you might want to browse this site and see what all the fuss is about. AMCAL is an organization or collector's club that has been around for more than 50 years!

Who knew that when you picked up a book or box of matches from your favorite restaurant that someone out there covets it.

I was at this year's AMCAL Meeting and came face to face with some big time matchbook cover collectors. Loren Moore who acted as president at this year’s meeting was interviewed by The Roseville Press Tribune and revealed how he got so into collecting these little works of art. To quote Loren "it doesn’t have the allure or popularity of collecting coins or baseball cards – stamps even,” Moore said. “But, as with any hobby like this, it’s like collecting history, a little bit at a time.” and therein is the fascination for most collectors.

By the way, Loren represents a little bit of history himself, his resemblance to a California 49er is uncanny!

But, back to Loren, he made a trip to Denio's, which is a Farmer's Meet, and Swap place in Roseville California back in the 70s and saw a matchbook cover collection someone was trying to sell. He was amazed by the matchbooks' artistic quality and detail and was forever hooked on the hobby of collecting matchbook covers! Moore now has probably 200,000 matchbook covers and loves every one of them. That's a lot of love, as there are at least 3,000 different categories.

Loren also said “These match covers give us a glimpse of what life was like back then,” he said.

“I’ve seen and collected some match covers I’m sure some would be considered politically incorrect. Well, that’s how things were back then – that’s how far we’ve come.”

There has been somewhat of a revival in the printing of matchbooks and matchboxes, as even today's businesses recognize there is still a use for matches beyond lighting a cigarette. They are still one of the best forms of advertising as people put your business name in their pocket or purse...and if a collector gets hold of it, who knows where it can go.


Please Take a Look at other Meetings across the country. There just may be one in your neck of the woods and we would love to see you there!