Vintage Military Matchbook Covers – Lot of 11 – RCAF Station Moose Jaw, RCAF Trenton & St. John's – NATO HQ Metz – Canadian Legion – CFB Clinton – USAF Thule, Travis & Mather

Eleven Cold War air-force matchbook covers from the mess halls and clubs of the RCAF and USAF. The star is the RCAF Station Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan cover — deep blue with the RCAF crest and a bright yellow Harvard trainer in flight. Around it: RCAF Station Trenton and RCAF St. John's, Quebec; a black NATO cover from 1 Air Division Headquarters, RCAF, at Metz, France; a Canadian Legion recruiting cover ("More than 2200 Branches"); CFB Clinton, Ontario, "The Heart of Telecommunications"; and from the American side, NCO club covers from Thule, Greenland — billed as the "northern-most NCO Club in the world" — plus Travis and Mather Air Force Bases in California, and an Air Forces Europe Exchange cover "Serving USAFE on 3 Continents." A serious little squadron of service history.

Details
Type: Matchbook covers (covers only — matches removed, flattened for collecting, as is standard)
Quantity: 11 covers

1. R.C.A.F. Station Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan — RCAF crest and yellow Harvard trainer aircraft artwork; Strike Rite Matches Ltd., London, Ont.; "Strike on the back cover"
2. R.C.A.F. Station Trenton, Ont. — royal blue cover, RCAF crests at both ends; Eddy Match Company Limited, Canada
3. R.C.A.F. St. John's, Que. — light blue cover, script lettering and RCAF crest; Premier Matches Ltd., Montreal, Canada
4. Royal Canadian Air Force — generic dark blue cover with gold RCAF crest and script lettering
5. NATO / 1 Air Division Headquarters, Royal Canadian Air Force, Metz, France — black cover with NATO compass star and RCAF badge
6. Canadian Legion — "Join the Canadian Legion for Service, Welfare, Sports and Social Activities"; "More than 2200 Branches"; British Empire Service League crest; Strike Rite Matches Ltd., London, Ont.
7. Canadian Forces Base Clinton, Ontario — "The Heart of Telecommunications"; atom-and-wreath emblem; Strike Rite Matches Ltd., London, Ont.
8. NCO Club, Travis Air Force Base, California — club building illustration; Universal Match Corp., San Francisco
9. NCO Open Mess, Mather Air Force Base, California — lists package store, barber shop, stag bar, snack bar, cocktail lounge and dining room hours; Sacramento Match Co., West Sacramento
10. NCO Open Mess, Thule, Greenland — map of Greenland with Thule marked; "Northern-most NCO Club in the World"; Encore Sales Corp., N.Y.C.
11. Air Forces Europe Exchange (AFEX) — "Serving USAFE on 3 Continents"; USAF missile artwork and star emblem
    Age/Era: 1950s–1960s (Cold War era; RCAF station covers predate the 1968 unification)
    Materials: Printed card stock
    Completeness: Lot as found and pictured
    Functionality: Collectible military and advertising ephemera; suitable for framing or album display
    Included: 11 x military matchbook covers as listed above

Condition
Fair to good collectible condition, sold as pictured. All eleven covers are complete and legible, and the Moose Jaw Harvard cover keeps strong colour. Honest service wear throughout: creasing, striker wear and scuffing (a dark scuff band across the Trenton cover, a nibbled top edge on the AFEX cover), staple marks from match removal, and plain backs — one carries a printed "Prevent Fires — Save Lives" safety panel, another faint pencil notes. Nothing is missing its main artwork or lettering.

Pickup and Shipping Information
Local pickup in Saskatoon is available by arrangement, and cash is accepted at pickup.
Shipping is available throughout Canada and the United States, calculated at checkout by the total weight of your order (Canada from $5, US from $18 — full rate chart in the shipping policy). Oversized items may be quoted separately.
For shipped orders within Canada, payment is by Interac e-Transfer or PayPal. For US orders, payment is by PayPal. US buyers are responsible for any duties, tariffs, taxes, brokerage and import charges.

JAY'S MERCANTILE
Recycling the past, one item at a time.
Pacific Heights, Saskatoon, SK