Fellow list readers:

Our museum was recently given a very large collection of 20th-century
American political campaign items.  The donor was a delegate at 5
Republican Party conventions and one of the things he brought home
from the 1960 convention was a book of matches with joke candidate on
it  (a horse named Joe Smith).  The piece is in mint condition--the
cover has hardly been opened and there is a little calendar (January,
1961) with inauguration day circled, which acts as a cover for the
matches.

This is my problem:  what do I do with the matches?  The book is in
such beautiful condition, I hate to remove the matches, but on the
other hand, we're all a touch wary of live matches in our collection.
  Has anyone ever read anything on this topic, or has anyone had any
experience with, say, a matchbook collection in a museum collection?

Thanks for your help!

Christine Mouw
Assistant Curator
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum
West Branch, Iowa  52358
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