Sparks is the collector’s nickname for the match trademark. In a broad sense, sparks collection refers to the collection of physical sparks, matches and related items.

There are many types of sparks, which can be divided into:

Soft stickers, hard cards, labels, glass cards, mother-child cards, special-shaped cards, and book-style cards.

From the perspective of time, it can be divided into: early flowers (before 1949), mid-term flowers (1950s and 1960s), Cultural Revolution flowers (10 years of the Cultural Revolution), modern flowers (after the Cultural Revolution), etc. In addition, there is also a type of fake flowers, which are imitations of early flowers that are reprinted and released without obvious signs that distinguish them from early flowers.

Sparks can be collected in categories, generally by country, province, city, or autonomous region. For example, there are nearly 20 match factories in Guangdong Province; or by spark theme, sparks of the same theme can be grouped together. categories, such as scenery, sports, characters, animals, etc.; it can also be classified according to the type of sparks, which can be divided into three categories: soft stickers, hard cards, and labels; it can also be classified according to art forms and genres to facilitate the exchange between the same art forms. Compare. In short, how to classify sparks depends entirely on personal personality, interests and hobbies, and there is no unified and fixed model.

Collecting sparks, like collecting stamps, also pays attention to the condition. The quality of the sparks not only directly affects the value of the sparks, but also affects the score of the exhibition. When collecting sparks, you need to take "four precautions", including mildew prevention: in humid weather, you should browse as little as possible, keep the room dry and ventilated, and check the collection regularly to see if it is sticky or mildewed. Once it becomes mildewed, do not Sun protection; Dust protection: Do not leave the collection exposed, hide it in a paper bag, and then hide it in a box; Insect prevention: Put moth repellent in the boxes and bags where the collection is stored; Fire protection: Keep away from fire sources and organize the collection Don't smoke either.

Once the sparks are stained with oil or sweat, you can place a piece of rice paper on the sparks and gently press the iron back and forth a few times. When the sparks have moldy spots, you can add a small amount of salt to the boiled milk, soak the sparks with moldy spots after cooling, then rinse them with clean water and drain them. If there is some dirt on the sparks, you can use absorbent cotton dipped in alcohol to wipe it gently.

Sparks collection investment has potential

Sparks is the elegant name of the match trademark, also known as matchbox stickers. It was originally a trademark paper affixed to the matchbox and only served as a logo. In recent years, sparks have become a highly priced art collectible in the collectibles market, with prices skyrocketing. Nowadays, the price of a spark from the late Qing Dynasty or the early Republic of China is more than three digits; the general price of a single spark during the Republic of China is 30 yuan to 300 yuan; the market price of each spark before the "Cultural Revolution" is 5 yuan to 150 yuan. Yuan.

The Sparks can be roughly divided into three periods: the early period (the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China), the middle period (the Republic of China period), and the recent period (after the founding of New China). Different historical periods form different price systems, and then market prices are formed based on the rarity, artistry and smoothness of circulation channels.

China’s spark auction has just started, and abroad, the auction of rare sparks continues to hit new highs. At the Royal Spark Society's auction in 1992, 15 war-themed sparks had a reserve price of US$1,500, and were finally sold for US$1,760.

The most valuable spark in the world so far may be the "Thomas Lawton" sparkle distributed by the Manderson Revue in 1895 when advertising to pedestrians on the streets of New York, with a portrait of the singer Thomas Lawton printed on it. , is now treasured in the vault of the American Diamond Match Co., Ltd., and its insurance amount is as high as 25,000 US dollars.

The currently highest-priced spark in the Chinese spark market is only 4,000 yuan a piece. It is a box of matches produced by the New York Match Company in the 1930s and appeared in the Huabao Building Cultural Relics Market in Yuyuan, Shanghai.