Cobra Match Book On Ebay And So Much More.
Come on Baby, Light my fire!
You know I have a thing for matchbook art. I really don’t want the book itself since I just lose them. But the art is the magic. The texture of bad printing, and simplistic lines. There is a crude yet very sophisticated approach to the art. YA! WARNING: I am about to go all art critic on a matchbook.
Very mid century.
The design of these little fire starters is critical. You need to communicate your message in 2 inches. And all this while someone has it in their pocket or someplace, glove compartment etc. And of course sadly, most of all this was disposed of quickly. So oddly, a little matchbook like this is very very rare. And thus now art. Reproduced in the thousands, and yet. more valuable to me than all that fake crap made to look like old signs.
Oh hell ya! Love me some good old starbursts.
To replicate these you would have to have the type of press used, the crappy paper, and well.. no one needs matchbooks anymore. So see, these are somewhat obsolete. So they are art. small little art for your daughters, granddaughters doll house. MOOOOOOOOMMMM Grampy keeps trying to put boat art in my doll house. Ya. Okay maybe that isnt such a good idea.
Deck of cards from older story. Was this the same base art for the matchbook?
Sure looks like it. The artist would have worked from a supplied art.
BUT! If you own a Cobra, and if it was purchased in ATLANTA. Holy mother of god, you have a cool thing to put someplace to tell the complete story. Maybe laminated as a key ring?
When you went into the dealer to drool, they would have given you a matchbook, for your smoking habit. Which would kill you eventually if your wife did not for coming home smelling like Scotch and Camels. The sig, not the animal. BTW
Maybe your kids got one in their cereal?
Maybe some bruskys?
The Model Prototypes found in an attic by the Ramsey Bros. OH HELL YA!
Cal Smith was the artist for these models. Father of the Late Captain Krunch. Cal, did many of these for Sterling, and other magazines back in the day
A better look at the art.
Original Mold. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I Love these old molds. Not to be confused with whatever old mold is spewing toxic spores into the Railway.. WOW, that went dark.
WAIT, WHERE WERE WE? OH! YA MATCH BOOKS AND LIGHT MY FIRE! HIT IT!
What’s a brusky? I couldn’t resist.
Brewski? Typo! HEY! Dam it you made me go search for the correct spelling.. Thats 1 minute I will never get back. HA
A brewski spelled any other way, is still a brewski. I like the matchbook covers. However I like the beer sign with the cobra on it better. There’s something about a brewski lighted sign and a boat. Probably couldn’t do that now.
Inured to listen to the Strohs music station from a Chicago station when I was at Notre Dame in 1964 and enjoyed the beer too! Those were the good days
Regarding yesterdays post, I think Mike M is on to something. We are all Woody Boater junkies who might have a real problem if you missed a day after 5,555 stories. Since you already have “Repeat Header Day” why not go with “Repeat Story Day” and take a day off. Somedays I can’t remember my dogs name so I’m sure I won’t remember a story from 5 years ago. You deserve a break.
Neat stuff…I did not know that about Crunch’s dad! Figures…both artist…miss him…a real character!
John in Va.
No match books but I have two of the Cobra models, one in the box and one built……and yes they are available.
51+ years ago I started my internship as a programmer for Ga Dept of Revenue just blocks away from 192 Broad St SW. I wandered out that way occasionally from the office but never saw Atlanta Outboard Marine. Of course, this was no where near water, could have been just their business office. Its 5 blocks west from Ga state capitol and 5 blocks south of Five Points area, ground zero for d/t Atlanta, Woodruff Park (named after the Coca Cola family), Ga State University and alot of the banking businesses that have moved to Charlotte, NC. That Broad St area was a hangout for drunks, derelicts, soul food markets, and sketchy businesses. I fit in pretty well, lol. My project office moved there temporarily and if you watch the move “Sharky’s Machine” with Burt Reynolds, one of his better movies by the way, they used our project office as the homicide division as we had burglar bars on the ground level windows (to give you an idea of how sketchy the area was). This segment was also filmed on outside our office as the whole street was shut down for weeks. There’s a great scene on Lake Lanier houseboat that’s cringe worthy and humorous at the same time. Filmed outside our office (some ruff language): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf3APwmbxZk
Fantastic story today Matt. Got me searching for matchbooks. Never thought about till now.
Atlanta Outboard was still in business in the early 90’s. They worked on my 90 hp johson on a 17 foot Make I had. Great people.
In a 1946 Johnson o/b publication, Atlanta Outboard Marine address was listed as 311 Spring St which was still just blocks away from the center of d/t Atlanta and currently adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park Dr. In a 1952 July Motor Boating article they indicated strong sales in Chris Craft kit boats and their close location to the new Lake Allatoona reservoir (35 miles to closest point).
I restored a 27 foot open Sea Skiff for a customer. (Cruiser hull with no main cabin. Just a minimal V berth.) It was sold at Browns marine in Sandusky, Oh. I came across a matchbook from them on ebay 20 years ago while restoring the boat. I made a small shadow box for it and attached it the the bulkhead in front of the passenger seat for display. The owners absolutely loved it.