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1936 Diamond Matchbooks Featuring Baseball Players Purchased

Rare Collectables Discovered in The Nebraska Collection

April 18, 2025

Baseball players on matchbooks? Matchbooks? Yes! We're going back to 1936 with this collection of rare Diamond Matchbooks from almost 90 years ago!

You have heard about the famous 1909-11 T206 tobacco set. The famous set with the most valuable card in the world, Honus Wagner, could be found inside of packs of tobacco and cigarettes over a hundred years ago. It took a few years, but a company paired those cards with MATCHBOOKS!

1936 DIAMOND MATCHBOOKS COLLECTION

In 1936, you could pick up a book of matches and on the cover were baseball players! Black and white images on the front with the strip to light your match just below each image. On the reverse is a writeup about each player. Players include Jim Bottomley, a baseball Hall of Famer who won the 1928 NL MVP award. The set also has Kiki Cuyler, a four-time stolen base champion and member of the HOF. Two-time MVP and Hall of Famer, Carl Hubbell is here. Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, and Gabby Hartnett, all Hall of Famers, all in the 1936 Diamond Matchbooks!

As you see in the photos below, each book is still in-tact! These rare pieces belonged to Uncle Curtis, a life-long collector in Nebraska. When he contacted us through our eyes-to-use form on our Just Collect website, booked a flight out to see these treasures in-person! After reviewing the cards and making Uncle Curtis a fair offer, we paid $77,000 for the collection!

Checking the PSA population report, only 116 Matchbooks have been graded! One Diamond Matchbook, ever, has been graded higher than a PSA 6 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being Gem Mint perfect. There a a single PSA 7 with zero PSA 8, 9, or 10. This collection with multiple books still in-tact with a strip might be adding some high-grades to the population! We are proud to share this collection with you, the first time being show publicly!

Here are photos of the 1936 Diamond Matchbooks:

Do you have 1936 Diamond Matchbooks you'd like to sell and you'd like a free appraisal? Just click HERE:

The Nebraska Collection was so massive, we are still going through it! Keep checking back here on our Just Collect blog as we feature different sets and items.

Here is an interview Leighton did with Uncle Curtis:

WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING

Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879 to 1979 as well as select modern cards. If you have a collection that you are considering selling, contact us today to discuss or get our industry-leading purchase offer. If you have a collection that you want appraised, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss your collection and help you understand the real cash value of your collection in the current marketplace. Check out the Just Collect Buy List.

We always offer a FREE APPRAISAL for your collection here at the Just Collect site. Just click here:

We offer may ways to evaluate your cards other than or using our website, too.

Travel to Us

If you can make the trip here like the son from my hometown did for this collection- we can make a deal at the office. We once met a father-son duo that drove eight hours from Virginia to meet us to sell a Michael Jordan rookie card stored in Tupperware since 1986 - great read here.

Come to convention

We keep a LIST of card shows we'll be attending. Come stop by the Just Collect table and chat.

Meet in-person

If you have a valuable collection and want us to come to you, we'll hop on the next plane out.

Meet in New York City

If you're near New York City and would like to meet in a public place, our owner, Leighton, would be happy to meet you; read all the information here.

SHIP your collection

If you choose to mail your cards for an appraisal, we will evaluate your cards for FREE still. If you choose not to sell the cards, we'll ship them back shipping fees paid by us! We can offer our FedEx account with 2-day shipping, fully insured, all covered by us. Simply contact the office to set up this option.

OUR BUYING PHILOSOPHY

We've run into a wide range of people and collections over the last 25 years. Although Just Collect is known for buying vintage sports cards and especially vintage baseball cards, we are also extremely interested in buying non-sports cards, too!

Every collection and every collector is different and we treat EVERY collection with the respect and attention that we show for our own collections. We understand that many have put their heart and souls into building their collections. So when you're ready to sell, we understand the feelings that you're going through and will work with you to help you reach a decision that is a WIN/WIN, because if you're not happy, we're not happy.