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

4.3 cm

Width

2.9 cm

Height

1.4 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

Birks

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

City

Montreal

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

Period

C. 1918-1940+

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.). EXAMPLE OF SLIDE MADE BY WELL KNOWN CANADIAN JEWELLER BIRKS.. HENRY BIRKS & CO WAS FOUNDED IN 1879 IN MONTREAL & BIRKS STARTED HIS OWN SMALL JEWELLERY FACTORY IN 1887 TO SUPPLY IT. IN 1893 FIRM BECAME HENRY BIRKS & SONS LTD. & BY 1894 WAS PRODUCING 80% OF JEWELLERY IT SOLD (REF. 3).

Function

DECORATIVE COVER FOR BOX OF MATCHES; MATCHES 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.

Technical

EXAMPLE OF SILVER SLIDE FOR SMALL MATCHBOX. FIRST MATCHBOX SLIDES APPEARED IN BRITAIN IN 1870S. BIRKS WAS OFFERING THIS TYPE OF HOLDER IN ITS CATALOGUES BETWEEN 1918 & 1935 (REF.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

INCISED LETTERING READING "BIRKS" &"STERLING"

Missing

COMPLETE

Finish

SILVER COLOURED

Decoration

INDECIPHERABLE MONOGRAM ON ONE SIDE