Blog
Welcome to our Blog page, where you will always be able to find the latest news about the Society and our wonderful hobby of Phillumeny.
If you have any comments on the Blog or news that you want to share please email us on blog@phillumeny.com. You can also follow us on Instagram using @ukphillumeny
Eu-Regio collectors’ meeting 1st June 2024
Our friends in Belgium have organised another collectors’ meeting, on 1st June in Bolderberg. Contact Danny Robben for details : danny.robben@pxl.be
2024 Society Award Winners announced
The Society makes two Awards each year, and the Award Winners for 2024 were announced at the recent AGM.
- The Tony Gallaher Memorial Award for the Best Article published in the Society magazine in the previous year was awarded to :
Jerry Bell and Barry Sturman for their article ‘Sulphur Matches’ (published Oct 2023) - The KC Literary Award for the Best Publication reviewed in the Society magazine in the previous year was awarded to :
Tom Gibbard for his book ‘British Bookmatches’
April magazine
The April magazine has now been posted to members. It includes full details of the Society AGM and all the latest phillumeny news.
Third on-line Phillumeny Exhibition from Associação Portuguesa de Filumenismo
Our friends in the Portuguese Phillumeny Society (Associação Portuguesa de Filumenismo) have announced that they will hold the 3rd APF on-line Phillumeny Exhibition in April 2024
More information can be obtained from aspofilumenismo@gmail.com and the deadline for receipt of exhibits is 31st March 2024.
February 2024 magazine
The February magazine has now been posted to members. It includes all the latest phillumeny news plus details of our Auctions.
Bangladesh Online Exhibition 2024 – now open
Our friends in the Bangaldesh Matchbox Collectors Club have opened their fourth International On-line Exhibition which runs until 15th January 2024. All details can be found here on their web site
Society Facebook pages
Thanks to Tom O’Key the Society has now joined Facebook.
Tom has set up for us two Facebook Groups’ :
- “British Matchbox Label and Bookmatch Society” is intended as a general Group for those interested in the hobby of phillumeny. Anyone wishing to join this Group does not need to be a member of the Society.
- “BML&BS” is for Society members only, and to join this Group members need to supply their BML&BS membership number.
Facebook Groups are designed for people to connect with each other around a common interest or topic. They are a place where people can have discussions, ask questions, and share information, including pictures and videos, and ideas.
To participate in these Facebook Groups you would have to be registered with Facebook. Both these groups are registered as private with only members of the group being able to see who is in the group and what they post, although, the group itself is visible to anyone so that they can find this group. Anyone seeking to join either group will be required to abide by the Group rules.
To find either Group log into your Facebook account and use the Facebook search (top left of any page on Facebook) by typing the Group title, and choose what you are looking for from the results:
December 2023 magazine
The December magazine has now been posted to members. It includes all the latest phillumeny news plus details of our Auctions.
Australian Match Cover Collectors’ web site has been refreshed
The new AMCCS website was launched last week and can be found at https://amccs.org.au
This follows a lengthy update and refresh, and the web site is now much improved.
Bangladesh Online Exhibition 2024
Our friends in the Bangaldesh Matchbox Collectors Club have announced their fourth International On-line Exhibition which will take place in January 2024. All details can be found on their web site
Award Winners announced : 2023 On-line Exhibition
We are pleased to announce the Award Winners in our 2023 On-Line Exhibition :
- President’s Award : Extraordinary Matches by Phil Stringer
- Members’ Award : French matchbox labels (1830s-1870s) by Stephane Pinaud
- Committee’s Award : The Portuguese presence in India by Joel Viana de Lemos
You can see these Exhibits in our Permanent Gallery
On-line Exhibition 2023 is now closed
Our 2023 On-line Phillumeny Exhibition ran from 1st to 31st October 2023 and was a great success as you can tell from reading our Visitor Book.
We will be holding our fourth On-line Exhibition in October 2024, details will be published in our June magazine and here on our web site.
If you have any questions about the Exhibition then please contact us at onlineexhibition@phillumeny.com
Auction Rules updated
Following feedback from members who sell items in our Society Actions we have changed the Auction Rules in respect of Reserves on Lots that do not sell. Previously the seller would be charged a 15% commission with no upper limit. Now the same commission applies but there is a fixed upper limit of £10. We hope this will encourage sellers to enter more high-value Lots in our Society Auctions.
The Rules affected are : Meeting Action Rules 9.4 and 11.1, Postal Auction Rule 9.3 and On-line Auction Rules 9.3 and 11.1
UK postage costs increased in October 2023
Postage costs have risen with effect from 2nd October 2023. The new booklet, RMOP48 Our Prices, provides details.
Please note that we will charge the higher prices from that date, superseding RMOP46 prices.
On-line Phillumeny Exhibition 2023 is now OPEN
Our third On-line Phillumeny Exhibition opened its doors at 07:00 UK time on 1st October and runs for the entire month. It is jam-packed full of beautiful, exciting Exhibits from all over the world showing the full breadth of our hobby. Visit the Exhibition here.
October 2023 magazine
The October magazine has now been posted to members. It includes all the latest phillumeny news plus details of our Auctions.
Bangladesh Matchbox Exhibition
Our friends in the Bangladesh Matchbox Collectors’ Club are holding their first face-to-face exhibition from 22 to 24 September 2023. We wish them every success with the show.
August magazine
The August magazine has now been posted to members. It includes full details of the Northwich meeting and more details about our third On-line Phillumeny Exhibition in October.
200 year anniversary of the invention of the lighter
Exactly 200 years today Johan Wolfgang Döbereiner invented the first lighter, also known as Döbereiner’s Lamp.
Extended : On-line Phillumeny Exhibition from Associação Portuguesa de Filumenismo
Our friends in the Portuguese Phillumeny Society (Associação Portuguesa de Filumenismo) have extended their second on-line Phillumeny Exhibition until 31st July 2023.
June magazine
The June magazine has now been posted to members. It includes full details of the July On-line Auction, the Auction of the Bill Greenwell Collection, and important announcements about our 2026 celebrations for the 200th anniversary of John Walker’s invention of the Friction Match, plus an invitation to participate in this year’s On-line Phillumeny Exhibition in October.
2023 Society Awards announced
The two Society Awards for 2023 were announced at the recent AGM, and details of the winners can be found on our AWARDS page.
Phillonex 2023 announced : June 2023
The Swiss Match Museum is organizing for the second time an international online exhibition about phillumeny. There are great prizes to be won. Participation is free and possible immediately.
The motif this year is: flowers. The exhibition starts on June 1st and ends on June 30th 2023.
For more details visit the Phillonex web site.
Second on-line Phillumeny Exhibition from Associação Portuguesa de Filumenismo
Our friends in the Portuguese Phillumeny Society (Associação Portuguesa de Filumenismo) have curated their second on-line Phillumeny Exhibition which opened on 8th April 2023. Their first Exhibition last year was really good, and we encourage everyone to visit their new Show which we are sure you will enjoy.
April magazine
The April magazine has now been posted to members. It includes all the latest Phillumeny news plus details of our AGM.
Meeting Auction Catalogues – web site has latest additions
The Catalogues for Meeting Auctions are always printed in the Society magazine, but more Lots always arrive after printing and before the Auction.
We are now updating the Catalogue on the web site with these additions, so it’s always keeping an eye on the listings.
Facebook Groups
More and more Phillumeny-related groups are appearing on Facebook and we want to provide links to them from our website, so have created a new page which you can find here.
Although the Society does not yet currently have a Facebook page it is something we are actively looking into.
February magazine
The February magazine has now been posted to members. It includes full details of the March Live On-line Auction and all the latest phillumeny news.
Third annual online exhibition by Bangladesh club, until 15th January 2023
The Bangladesh Matchbox Collectors Club (BMCC) have organised their third annual on-line exhibition which can be viewed here from 1st to 15th January 2023.
Portuguese Association’s on-line Exhibition extended to end of January
The Associação Portuguesa de Filumenismo (APF) organised an on-line exhibition to celebrate its 50-year anniversary. The Show opened on 3st July 2022 and has been extended to the end of January 2023. You can visit the Exhibition here