Big Boy Restaurant Matchcover Collector Michael Samuels Interview

When not collecting matchcovers, Michael Samuels runs an international trade and political consulting company based in Washington, DC.  Recently, I spoke with him about his unique matchcover collection, which focuses on matches from the Big Boy chain of restaurants.

ephemera: When did you begin collecting Big Boy matchcovers?

Samuels: As a youth growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, I began collecting matchcovers. My family would occasionally go to Cleveland to visit relatives, and one of my favorite stops was at a Manners Big Boy Restaurant--for a great hamburger. As I grew older, I moved from Youngstown , and I stopped collecting matchcovers. Many years later, in the 1980s, I began collecting matchcovers again. I came across a couple of Big Boy covers and added them to my new collection. Eventually, after adding some more Big Boy covers, I noticed that there were several different Big Boy franchises. I started making a list of the covers I had and let other matchcover collectors know what I was doing.

Over time, other collectors shared copies of covers they had that I did not, and the list began to grow. More and more collectors expressed an interest, and we created a club that meets annually at the annual convention of the Rathkamp Matchcover Society, the national club of matchcover collectors. So far, we have been able to identify 513 different Big Boy matchcovers from 23 different franchises, and I have 451 different covers. Five franchises have three or fewer matchcovers, while a few have very many. The two with the largest number are Shoney’s (103) and Bob’s (77). Quite a few matchcovers do not identify a specific franchise, but are generic Big Boys.

ephemera: Who knew there were so many Big Boys! What challenges or obstacles do you encounter in finding new items for your collection?

Samuels: The hobby of matchcover collecting, called Phillumeny, has suffered in recent years. First, during the 1980s, there was an expansion of the use of disposable lighters, and the demand for matches diminished. Subsequently, with the reduction in smoking, there has been a significant reduction in the tradition of restaurants giving out matchcovers as advertising. There has also been a significant reduction in the number of Big Boy franchises and restaurants. Thus, new covers are not being produced at all--or, if they are, only infrequently. However, every year a dozen or so previously unknown older covers appear, as their previous owners pass them to collectors of Big Boy matchcovers.

ephemera: Which, I gather, makes the existing Big Boy matches more valuable with each passing year. What are your favorite items?

Samuels: Covers from Big Boy restaurants outside the U.S.--so far, I have covers only from Japan and Canada. Also, covers from the early days--1930s and early 40s--that show the Big Boy logo as a fat boy with his trousers only half hanging on. Also, a few of the covers were features, meaning the match sticks themselves had art on them.

ephemera: What's your advice to achieving success as a collector?

Samuels: It is important to interact with other collectors of Big Boy matchcovers and look for opportunities to trade. Such trades can be Big Boy matchcover for Big Boy matchcovers, Big Boy matchcover for a matchcover with another theme or Big Boy matchcover for some other unrelated collectible. On-line auctions, such as eBay often have Big Boy matchcovers for sale. Finally, occasionally estates with matchcover collections or just accumulations may have these matchcovers.

ephemera: What resources and tools do you recommend?

Samuels: Probably the best tool is the listing of Big Boy matchcovers that is available to members of the Big Boy Matchcover Club. Membership is open to anyone, and the cost is very reasonable -- $5.00. This will also lead to knowledge of other collectors, and trading becomes more possible. Today, most collectors keep their matchcovers in special plastic pages, designed for the various matchcover sizes to fit into them.

ephemera: Thanks, Michael. The Big Boy is one of America's most endearing brands. I've been a fan since Bruce Springsteen referenced Bob's Big Boy in the song, Open All Night.