Phil Gordon has a unique hobby related to Route 66. As an engineer, he's very careful not to let even his closest acquaintances know that he is passionate about collecting historic Route 66 matchcovers. With a collection beyond 5000 matchcovers, Phil has painstakingly scanned and uploaded his collection online to share with the world and Route 66 fans.
Join The Route 66 Podcast host Anthony Arno as he talks with Phil about one of the most unusual hobbies as a phillumenist. Highlights include:
Matchbook versus matchcover Collecting
Does the absence of matches in a matchcover collection diminish the value?
Earliest history of matches and matchbook advertising
Most popular configurations of matchbooks
Philuminist by definition
Transition from collecting postcards to match covers
The original 10 matchcovers in Phil's collection
The most coveted Route 66 matchcover: Peach Springs Garage
What do people think of someone who has collected over 5,000 matchcovers?
Developing an organized system for collecting and cataloging Route 66 matchcovers
Motels and lodgings
Cafes and restaurants
Gas stations
Background knowledge needed for collecting matchcovers
Ebay scammers selling matchcovers
Current demand for matchbooks
Rear striker versus front striker matchbooks design changes (1973)
Back striker safety versus rear striker
Discovering unknown Route 66 history through match cover collecting
The ultimate Route 66 matchcover that Phil has spent 20+ years searching for
Scherer's (estimated value $50)
The holy grail of matccovers outside of Route 66: Charles Lindbergh (estimated value several thousand)
The very first advertising: hand written matcbook covers
First commercial matchbook ever printed
Initial interest in posting matchovers online: Whiting brothers
Sharing matchcovers online with the whole world
Step by step process for uploading matchcovers
Popularity of matchbooks today with the decline of smoking
National organization of matchcover collectors
The Route 66 Matchcover Collector - Search wide variety of Route 66 establishments for matchcovers
Phil's Route 66 Website: Personal website containing both postcards and matchcovers
