JOIN THE ROUTE 66 MOTOR TOUR WITH PODCAST HOST ANTHONY ARNO
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 7500 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
- What exactly is a Philuminist as a hobby?
- Transition from collecting postcards to match covers
- The original 10 matchcovers that Phil owned
- The most coveted Route 66 matchcover: Peach Springs Garage
- What do people think of someone who collects matchcovers?
- Developing an organized system for sorting
- Motels and lodgings
- Cafes and restaurants
- Full length matchcovers design
- Gas staitons
- Trading posts
- Background knowledge needed for collecting matchcovers
- Buying and selling matchcovers on eBay
- Current demand for matchbooks
- Rear striker versus front striker matchbook covers design changes (1973)
- Back striker safety
- Discovering unknown Route 66 history through matchcover collecting
- The ultimate matchcover that Phil has spent 20 years looking for
Scheers (estimated value $50)
The holy grail of matchbook covers: Charles Lindbergh
- Hand written matchbook covers
- First commercial matchbook ever printed
- The Honus Wagner of matchcover collecting
- Initial interest in posting matchcovers online
- Whiting brothers
- Sharing matchcovers with the whole world
- Step by step process for uploading every matchcover
- Popularity of matchbooks today with the decline of smoking
- National organization of matchcover collectors
- Thematic matchcover clubs: Girlie Covers,
The Matchcover Collector: Over 7,500 Route 66 matchcover images
Phil’s Route 66 Website: Phil’s Personal website containing both postcards and matchcovers