1927 Captain Charles A. Lindbergh Matchbook Cover. From June 14th Dinner in New York City. Fine--Struck. 38 x 123 mm cardstock. Printed in blue, black and gold ink on white cardstock. <strong>Obv</strong>: a profile of the young Lindbergh with short, curly hair and black coat framed by gold and blue frame, SAFETY FIRST CLOSE COVER BEFORE / STRIKING MATCH below. <strong>Rev</strong>: DINNER / TO / CAPT. CHAS. A. / LINDBERGH / --*-- / NEW YORK CITY / --*-- / TUESDAY / JUNE 14th 1927 printed in gold with blue, black and gold border, LION MATCH Co NEW YORK below. The striker shows signs of being struck by a few matches, and creases in the paper are noted in multiple areas, though Lindberghs portrait remains largely unaffected by these. Staple holes where matches were once secured are noted and confirm the cover was indeed used in circulation. The backside of the cover reveals a small area of paper loss (on the opposite side of NEW YORK CITY from the reverse), this from presumably being glued in a scrapbook at one time. Fortunately this damage is absolutely undetectable from the front-facing side. The Lindbergh matchbook cover has been considered the Holy Grail of covers among phillumenists (persons who engage in the hobby of collecting matchbooks, matchboxes and other associated material). Its rarity has long been recognized, but interest began to really grow in 1970 when one reached the then record price of $160 at auction. By 1991 one had sold for $4,000 which held the record until 2015 when one was auctioned for $6,000. That remains the record holder for highest price paid for a matchbook cover and it is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records . In 2011, 11 examples were traced. This example could be a newcomer and the total number known may be higher today, but demand remains strong and most collectors have never even seen an example. As such, we anticipate strong demand and vigorous competition. In May 1927 Captain Charles Augustus Lindbergh won the Orteig prize for being the first aviator to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris. He accomplished the 3,600 mile flight in 33 1/2 hours and found success where many others had failed and even lost their lives. He arrived in Paris to a crowd of an estimated 150,000 people and was immediately launched into worldwide fame. After a brief tour in Europe he returned back to the United States on June 11th and was awarded The Distinguished Flying Cross by President Calvin Coolidge. He flew from Washington D.C. to New York City on June 13th where he participated in a tickertape parade along the Canyon of Heroes. On June 14th he was honored with a grand banquet attended by 3,700 people, the occasion for which the matchbook we offer here was printed. Soon after, Lindbergh was promoted to the rank of Colonel and awarded the Medal of Honor by President Coolidge. In January of 1928 he was honored by Time magazine as their first Man of the Year (now Person of the Year). From the Wendy and Harris Lefkon Collection.
