matchbox labels

Phillumeny is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. more...

Home
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
machine embroidery
madame alexander
magazines
magic the
mannequin
marc jacobs
mary kate
mary kay
masterpiece
matchbox labels
maternity
maternity clothes
maternity medium
mazda 323
mazda rx7
mcdonalds
mcfarlane
memory stick
mens diamond
mens dress
mens rolex
mens wedding
mercedes-benz cls
mercury montego
metal gear
metallica
meteorite
michael jackson
michael jordan
mickey mouse
microdermabrasion
microphone
microscope
microsoft office
microsoft xbox
microwave
mid century
mighty morphin
milwaukee
mini sd
minnesota
miss sixty
missionfish
mississippi
mitsubishi
moonstone
mother of
motherboard
mothers day
motorcycle
motorcycles
motorola a630
motorola bluetooth
motorola l7
motorola q
motorola razr
motorola slvr
motorola v3
mountain bike
mustang cobra
my little
my pay
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Phillumenism is an archaic form arising from its early use from the mid 1940s into the 1950s; the internationally accepted word is phillumeny. A person who engages in phillumeny is a phillumenist. These two forms have been adopted by many other languages, e.g., philuméniste, fillumenista, Filumenist and филуменист.

This hobby was widespread before the computer age, and was at its peak from the 1960s to the 1980s. Use of the Internet, allowing enthusiasts scattered around the world to cooperate, seems to have raised the level of interest again.

Phillumeny worldwide

In the Eastern bloc countries phillumeny was very much alive with the collaboration of the local matchbox manufacturers. The decline of phillumenism in the former Soviet Union was caused by the technology change in the production of matchboxes. Previously the boxes were made of wood with labels pasted onto them. This was replaced by cheaper cardboard boxes with pictures stamped directly onto the cardboard. This resulted in a significant deterioration of the quality of pictures and was accompanied with a decrease in diversity.

Famous phillumenists

In Japan, Teichi Yoshizawa was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's top phillumenist. In Portugal, Jose Manuel Pereira published a series of albums to catalog and display matchbox collections called \"Phillalbum\".

Read more at Wikipedia.org