C.O.C.A. Times

was depressed a single match would
raise up through a slot in the ma-
chine's top. When the customer
grasped the matchstick and pulled,
the match head would rub against
an abrasive strip and ignite. The
customer could then enjoy the hos-
pitality of the saloon without being
The Yankee Clipper
able to take advantage of the sa-
Making Matches Safer
loon keeper's generosity. This device became
known as the Yankee Clipper, named for a cigar cut-
ter that Emerson conveniently built into the device's
actuating lever.
Bolen contracted with the Coleman Hardware Com-
pany, located in Morris, Illinois to make the new de-
vice. The small river town of Mor-
ris had a total of 23 saloons, the
perfect place to put the Yankee
Clipper to the test. Within a few
days of its introduction, 21 of the
23 saloons had bought Emerson's
invention and the success drew
the attention of local investors. As a result, it was
on August 1 2, 1 909, that Emerson Bolen, along with
Earl D. Fuller and Frank H. Hayes, formed the
Northwestern Novelty Company, with
$3,000 capital. Bolen had read the mar-
ket's need correctly because the company
sold about 100,000 Yankee Clippers in the
first nine months; the unit retailed for $2.
Unfortunately, Bolen could not have an-
ticipated the 1 91 0 development of the
even safer, cheaper "safety match"
(rather than the strike anywhere version
his machine had used) that took the
country by storm. The matches came in
cardboard boxes or matchbooks, making
the free kitchen matches virtually
obsolete. Undeterred, Bolen decided
to produce a coin-operated device to
sell the match boxes at a penny each.
He brought out the machine in 191 1,
patenting the design in 1 91 9. The box match
vender listed at $2. 70, and it is estimated that the
company sold half a mil-
lion of them before the
model was discontinued.
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1
' '
The idea of selling matches from coin-operated
vending machines and the idea of packaging
matches in small boxes predates Emerson Bolen's
vendor by many years. Matches before 191 0, had
more caustic chemicals, could be struck anywhere
and had a reputation for unpredictability and flair-
ups, including exploding in one's pocket. These at-
tributes made having some form of "match safe" to
house them both a practicality and a necessity.
During their long history, match safes were con-
structed in every conceivable material. While small
cardboard boxes were sufficient for sales, various
other metal forms to fill the void for individual use
made their appearance in the 1 830s. Match safes
were made in an impressive variety of shapes and
designs, but the match safe's central fu nction re-
mained the same; the provision of a ec ure con-
tainer for matches together with a striki ng surface.
The earliest match safes were not decorative but
utilitarian, and later these personal safes
became a form of jewelry; personalized,
decorative and not a vehicle for com-
merce. In the United States, one of the
most prolific manufacturers of match
safes was the Gorham Manufacturing
Company (the name used from 1865
to 1961, the period when most match
safes were made in the United States) in Provi-
dence, Rhode Island. They made more than 1, 1 80
different varieties of match safe.
Vending a Commodity
With the rise in vending generally, cigar vendors in
particular, and a robust economy providing willing
consumers, the idea of vending
boxes of matches was an obvious
..... .,,
one. In 1 892, James M. Hunter
of Chicago, Illinois patented
the progenitor of the Interna-
tional Match Vendor. This
wood and glass
machine con-
tained four
columns to
,,, . hold the match boxes and was
11--1+--, _
copied in many aspects by Peter
1: Schroeder, in 1 91 4. This design
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21
Peter Schroeder, I 914