General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

STERLING SILVER

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

5.9 cm

Width

5.0 cm

Height

1.1 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Domestic Technology

Category

Environment control

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

GORHAM

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Rhode Island

City

Providence

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Canada

ITEM FROM COLLECTION OF DENIS B. ALSFORD (1929-2004). BORN IN BRITAIN, MR. ALSFORD WORKED AT BRITISH MUSEUM UNTIL EMIGRATING TO CANADA IN 1968, BECOMING WELL KNOWN FIGURE IN CANADIAN MUSEUM COMMUNITY. HE WAS CURATOR OF COLLECTIONS FOR ETHNOLOGY DIVISION OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MAN IN OTTAWA FOR TWENTY YEARS, PLANNED ARTIFACT STORAGE FACILITY IN NEW MUSEUM OF CIVILISATION IN GATINEAU WHICH OPENED IN 1989, & WAS FELLOW OF CANADIAN MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION. HIS COLLECTION OF MATCH HOLDERS NUMBERED OVER ONE THOUSAND; HE WAS ACTIVE MEMBER OF INTERNATIONAL MATCH SAFE ASSOCIATION & AUTHORED SEVERAL BOOKS & ARTICLES ON SUBJECT (SEE BIOGRAPHY IN 2004.0024 SUPP. INFO.). POCKET MATCH HOLDER COMMEMORATING CANADIAN NEWSPAPERMAN. GEORGE HAMM WAS JOURNALIST WHO BECAME ADVERTISING MANAGER OF CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY (REF. 2).

Function

CONTAINER FOR MATCHES WHICH COULD BE USED TO LIGHT CANDLES & LAMPS, START FIRES IN STOVES & FIREPLACES FOR HEATING & COOKING, FOR MELTING SEALING WAX FOR LETTERS, & FOR LIGHTING CIGARETTES, PIPES ETC. THIS EXAMPLE, OF TYPE CARRIED IN POCKET FOR PERSONAL USE, WAS SOUVENIR OF PRESENTATION DINNER.

Technical

EXAMPLE OF AMERICAN MFD. POCKET MATCH HOLDER MADE OF STERLING SILVER. IT WAS ORIGINALLY PLAIN ON BOTH SIDES & WAS ENGRAVED FOR SPECIAL OCCASION; PLAIN FORM OF BOX WAS PRODUCED UNTIL AT LEAST 1911. GORHAM MFG. CO. OF PROVIDENCE, RI, WAS FOUNDED BY JABEZ GORHAM IN 1865 & CONTINUES TODAY AS GORHAM CORP. FROM 1868 GORHAM USED DISTINCTIVE TRADEMARK DERIVED FROM BRITISH HALLMARK SYSTEM (REF. 2).

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

INCISED LETTERING ON BEZEL READS "B5" [GORHAM TRADEMARK] ON ONE SIDE, WITH THREE HALLMARKS/ INCISED LETTERING ON ONE SIDE READS "Souvenir/ Dinner/ Tendered/ Geo. H. Hamm/ BY THE/ NEWSPAPER MEN/ OF/ MONTREAL/ Dec. 13th/ 1905"

Missing

APPEARS COMPLETE

Finish

Finish: POLISHED SILVER

Decoration

ON ONE SIDE ENGRAVED REPRESENTATION OF TELEGRAPH PUBLISHING CO. BUILDING IN MONTREAL