Country of Issue: USA
Year of Issue: 1930s
Color/B&W:
Number of Cards in Set:
Card Size: 1 1/2" x 4 9/16"
Issued as insert with what product: Matches
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Issuing Company: Diamond Match Company Country of Issue: USA Year of Issue: 1930s Color/B&W: Number of Cards in Set: Card Size: 1 1/2" x 4 9/16" Issued as insert with what product: Matches |
Notes: There were many different sets of Diamond Matchbook covers issued in the 1930s, featuring movie stars, baseball players, football players, hockey players, and other subjects. The different film star sets are listed in the checklists below.
Fancy Rectangular Frame Set
This set shows the picture of the star in a fancy rectangular picture frame. There are 10 match covers in this set, unnumbered.
Richard Arlen - green
Constance Bennett - silver
Frances Dee - purple
Irene Dunne - silver
Anne Harding - silver
Katharine Hepburn - silver
Zasu Pitts - green
George Raft - blue
Gloria Stuart - purple
Slim Summerville - red
Rectangular Frame - Diamond Match Co. New York 2 Lines Set
This set shows the picture of the star in a rectangular frame. It can be distinguished from the other Rectangular Frame set because the manufacturer's identification is in two lines - THE DIAMOND MATCH CO. in the first line, NEW YORK in the second line. There are 32 match covers in this set, unnumbered.
Arlene Richard - green
Lew Ayres - dark blue
Lionel Barrymore - red
Wallace Beery - dark blue
Jackie Cooper - silver
Joan Crawford - purple
Richard Cromwell - silver
Richard Dix - red
Marie Dressler - green
Irene Dunne - silver
Jimmie Durante - green
Betty Furness - red
Clark Gable - silver
Wynne Gibson - purple
Cary Grant - green
Ann Harding - silver
Jean Harlow - purple
Helen Hayes - red
Katharine Hepburn - silver
Jack Holt - red
Dorothy Jordan - light blue
Boris Karloff - green
Joel McCrea - dark blue
Lillian Miles - purple
Robert Montgomery - dark blue
Jean Park - light blue
Zasu Pitts - red
George Raft - dark blue
Gloria Stuart - purple
Slim Summerville - silver
Lee Tracy - red
Fay Wray - light blue
Rectangular Frame - Diamond Match Co. N.Y.C 1 Line Set
This set shows the picture of the star in a rectangular frame. It can be distinguished from the other Rectangular Frame set because the manufacturer's identification is in one line - THE DIAMOND MATCH CO. N.Y.C. There are two match covers from this set that do not show the stars in a rectangular frame, the Frank Buck green and Ginger Rogers green covers. For only those match covers, the star is shown in a circle. Counting all the color variations, there are 95 different match covers in this set.
Adrienne Ames - light blue, purple
Richard Arlen - red
George Arliss - light blue, purple, red
Robert Armstrong - green
Fred Astaire - silver
Lew Ayres - light blue
George Bancroft - red
John Barrymore - silver
Lionel Barrymore - green
Wallace Beery - green, light blue, purple
Constance Bennett - light blue, purple
John Boles - light blue, green, purple
Clive Brook - dark blue, silver
Frank Buck - light blue
Frank Buck - green (star appears in circle)
Walter Connolly - green, light blue, purple
Jackie Cooper - green, light blue, purple
Buster Crabbe - dark blue
Joan Crawford - dark blue, purple
Richard Cromwell - dark blue (last line of bio reads "the clouds.")
Richard Cromwell - green, purple (last line of bio reads "thing in life.")
Frances Dee - silver
Richard Dix - dark blue (last line of bio reads "RKO.")
Richard Dix - silver (last line of bio reads "Stingaree for RKO.")
Marie Dressler - light blue
Irene Dunne - green, purple (last line of bio reads "Stingaree.")
Irene Dunne - silver (last line of bio reads "Free.")
Jimmie Durante - dark blue, red
Ruth Etting - light blue
Betty Furness - light blue
Clark Gable - dark blue (last line of bio reads "dancing lady.")
Clark Gable - red (last line of bio reads "Metro")
Ann Harding - light blue
Jean Harlow - light blue (last line of bio reads "LARCENY" for MGM.")
Jean Harlow - light blue (last line of bio reads "Sorcery" for MGM.")
Jean Harlow - light blue (last line of bio reads "WAY" for MGM.")
Helen Hayes - silver
Charlotte Henry - purple
Katharine Hepburn - light blue, purple, silver
Jack Holt - green, purple, red
Leslie Howard - light blue
Evelyn Knapp - light blue
Jack LaRue - green (last line of bio reads "Fane's Baby is stolen")
Jack LaRue - silver (last line of bio reads "Baby is stolen")
Charles Laughton - red
Francis Lederer - light blue, dark blue, purple
Baby LeRoy - green
Abe Lyman - silver
Ken Maynard - silver
Joel McCrea - silver
Robert Montgomery - dark blue (last line of bio reads "OVERLAND BUS")
Robert Montgomery - orange, red (last line of bio reads "for MGM.")
George Raft - red
Ginger Rogers - light blue
Ginger Rogers - green (star appears in circle)
Randolph Scott - red
Margaret Sullavan - green, purple (last line of bio reads "sal.")
Margaret Sullavan - purple (last line of bio reads "day.")
Lee Tracy - silver
Spencer Tracy - green, purple (last line of bio reads "tury Pictures.")
Spencer Tracy - red (last line of bio reads "Pictures.")
Toby Wing - purple (last line of bio reads "The Search for Beauty")
Toby Wing - purple (last line of bio reads "Paramount")
Fay Wray - green, orange (last line of bio reads "WOMAN" for Columbia.")
Fay Wray - light blue (last line of bio reads "MASTER OF MEN.")
Loretta Young - green, purple (last line of bio reads "HOUSE OF ROTHSCHILD")
Loretta Young - purple (last line of bio reads "20th Century Pictures")
Oval Frame - Set 1
This set shows the picture of the star in an oval frame. In the background of the biography, there is a cameraman and director in a chair. The appearance of this set is the same as Oval Frame - Set 5 and Oval Frame - Set 6, but the difference is that for Set 5 and Set 6, each of the match covers can be found in four different colors, and the biographies are different for the different sets. Counting all the color variations, there are 48 different match covers in this set.
George Arliss - green (last line of bio reads "ture, latest films.")
Fred Astaire - red (last line of bio reads "be "FOLLOW THE FLEET")
Wallace Beery - light blue (last line of bio reads "be AH WILDERNESS")
Wallace Beery - light blue (last line of bio reads "MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY")
John Beal - red (last line of bio reads "Porter story "LADDIE")
Sidney Blackmer - green (last line of bio reads "hobbies, all athletics.")
Grace Bradley - green (last line of bio reads "Harmony" for Paramount.")
Ronald Colman - green (last line of bio reads "ful "Clive of India")
Joan Crawford - blue (last line of bio reads "be "NO MORE LADIES")
Frances Dee - purple (last line of bio reads "RKO.")
Richard Dix - light blue (last line of bio reads "for RKO")
Robert Donat - purple (last line of bio reads "weighs 185 pounds")
Frances Drake - green (last line of bio reads "a Paramount picture.")
Madge Evans - green (last line of bio reads "Mayer.")
Clark Gable - light blue (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn Mayer.")
Cary Grant - purple (last line of bio reads "studio will be "JUNGLE")
Jean Harlow - purple (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn Mayer")
Katharine Hepburn - light blue (last line of bio reads "BREAK OF HEARTS")
Katharine Hepburn - purple (last line of bio reads "Pictures.")
Miriam Hopkins - light blue (last line of bio reads "Artists.")
Miriam Hopkins - red (last line of bio reads "and a splendid actress.")
Leila Hyams - green (last line of bio reads "ming and tennis.")
Rod Larocque - green (last line of bio reads "hair.")
Charles Laughton - red (last line of bio reads "also of the screen")
Charles Laughton - red (last line of bio reads "CYRANO DE BERGERAC")
Fredric March - red (last line of bio reads "Centery's "Les Miserables")
Ethel Merman - purple (last line of bio reads "hair and weighs 118 lbs.")
Frank Morgan - red (last line of bio reads "for Metro Goldwyn Mayer")
Frank Morgan - purple (last line of bio reads "Meyer.")
Edward Nugent - light blue (last line of bio reads "antique collecting.")
Jack Oakie - red (last line of bio reads "of the "WILD")
Merle Oberon - purple (last line of bio reads "releases.")
Merle Oberon - green (last line of bio reads "chestnut hair-hazel eyes")
George Raft - light blue (last line of bio reads "GLASS KEY" for Paramount.")
Esther Ralston - red (last line of bio reads "124 pounds.")
Ginger Rogers - light blue (last line of bio reads "RKO Radio Pictures.")
Randolph Scott - purple (last line of bio reads "to handle the avoirdupis")
Ann Shirley - green (last line of bio reads "Stratton Porter's FRACKLES")
Ann Shirley - red (last line of bio reads "will be CHATTERBOX")
Barbara Stanwyck - purple (last line of bio reads "RKOL Radio Pictures.")
Onslow Stevens - green (last line of bio reads "pounds.")
Lewis Stone - light blue (last line of bio reads "Metro Goldwyn Mayer")
Franchot Tone - red (last line of bio reads "Ladies")
Franchot Tone - red (last line of bio reads "ON THE BOUNTY")
Helen Twelvetrees - green (last line of bio reads "FRONT")
Toby Wing - light blue (last line of bio reads "productions.")
Toby Wing - purple (last line of bio reads "hair, blue eyes")
Loretta Young - purple (last line of bio reads "20th Century.")
Oval Frame - Set 2
This set shows the picture of the star in an oval frame. This set differs from Oval Frame Set 1 in that there is no cameraman and director in a chair in the background of the biography. Counting all the color variations, there are 16 different match covers in this set.
Fred Astaire - green, purple (last line of bio reads "be "FOLLOW THE FLEET")
Wallace Beery - blue, red (last line of bio reads "be "AH WILDERNESS")
Clark Gable - blue, red (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn Mayer")
Jean Harlow - green, purple (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn Mayer")
Miriam Hopkins - green, purple (last line of bio reads "Artists.")
Ginger Rogers - blue, red (last line of bio reads "RKO Radio Pictures.")
Barbara Stanwyck - blue, red (last line of bio reads "RKO Radio Pictures.")
Franchot Tone - green, purple (last line of bio reads "ON THE BOUNTY")
Oval Frame - Set 3
This set shows the picture of the star in an oval frame. In the background of the biography, there is a cameraman and director in a chair. Set 3 and Set 4 differ from the other Oval Frame sets in that the name of the star is shown in a white box in the saddle part of the match cover. Most of the stars in this set can be found in four different colors (blue, green, purple, salmon), but 8 of the match covers from this set have been seen in only one color. Counting all the color variations, there are 152 known match covers in this set.
Fred Astaire (last line of bio reads "Gay Divorcee" for RKO")
Binnie Barnes (last line of bio reads "EXCITING ADVENTURE")
Lionel Barrymore (last line of bio reads "for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer")
Wallace Beery (last line of bio reads "Mayer")
Jack Benny (last line of bio reads "Century Pictures.")
Grace Bradley (last line of bio reads "WAY" for Paramount.")
Evelyn Brent (last line of bio reads "4 in. tall; weighs 112 lbs.")
Maurice Chevalier (last line of bio reads "Mayer Production.")
Marguerite Churchill (last line of bio reads "Children.")
Ronald Colman (last line of bio reads "India.")
Joan Crawford (last line of bio reads "for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Reginald Denny (last line of bio reads "out Children")
Richard Dix (last line of bio reads "OF THE PECOS" for RKO")
Irene Dunne (last line of bio reads "ROBERTA")
Madge Evans (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn-Mayer")
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (last line of bio reads "Century Pictures.")
Sidney Fox (last line of bio reads "is 5 ft tall and weighs 196 pounds")
Clark Gable (last line of bio reads "FORSAKING ALL OTHERS")
Ann Harding (last line of bio reads "will be "ENCHANTED APRIL")
Ted Healy (last line of bio reads "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Katharine Hepburn - seen in green only (last line of bio reads "is THE LITTLE MINISTER.")
Henry Hull (last line of bio reads "pectation.")
Baby Jane (last line of bio reads "in "I've Been Around.")
Buck Jones (last line of bio reads "Sees Red.")
Boris Karloff - seen in purple only (last line of bio reads "ENSTEIN.")
Roscoe Karns (last line of bio reads "The Dark" for Paramount.")
June Knight (last line of bio reads "Wake Up and Dream.")
Edmund Lowe (last line of bio reads "Gift of Gab.")
Paul Lukas (last line of bio reads "man and "Gift of Gab")
Fredric March (last line of bio reads "Pictures.")
Douglas Montgomery (last line of bio reads "cent Obsession" and Zest")
Robert Montgomery (last line of bio reads "for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer")
Dickie Moore (last line of bio reads "Children.")
Chester Morris (last line of bio reads "Pictures "I've Been Around")
Anna Neagle (last line of bio reads "Pictures.")
Roger Pryor (last line of bio reads "The Hearet" for Universal.")
George Raft - seen in purple only (last line of bio reads "Paramount will be RHUMBA")
Ginger Rogers (last line of bio reads "appearing.")
Onslow Stevens (last line of bio reads "again in "Life Begins.")
Lewis Stone - seen in green only (last line of bio reads "Copperfield.")
Margaret Sullavan - seen in purple only (last line of bio reads "will be "THE GOOD FAIRY")
Kent Taylor - seen in purple only (last line of bio reads "Blues" for Paramount.")
Toby Wing - seen in purple only (last line of bio reads "Without You" for Paramount.")
Jane Wyatt - seen in purple only (last line of bio reads "picture "Great Expectations")
Oval Frame - Set 4
This set shows the picture of the star in an oval frame. This set differs from Oval Frame Set 3 in that there is no cameraman and director in a chair in the background of the biography. Set 3 and Set 4 differ from the other Oval Frame sets in that the name of the star is shown in a white box in the saddle part of the match cover. Counting all the color variations, there are 16 known match covers in this set.
Fred Astaire - green, purple (last line of bio reads "be "FOLLOW THE FLEET.")
Wallace Beery - blue, red (last line of bio reads "be "AH, WILDERNESS.")
Clark Gable - blue, red (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Jean Harlow - green, purple (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Miriam Hopkins - green, purple (last line of bio reads "Artists.")
Ginger Rogers - blue, red (last line of bio reads "RKO Radio Pictures.")
Barbara Stanwyck - blue, red (last line of bio reads "RKO Radio Pictures.")
Franchot Tone - green, purple (last line of bio reads "ON THE BOUNTY.")
Oval Frame - Set 5
This set shows the picture of the star in an oval frame. In the background of the biography, there is a cameraman and director in a chair. The appearance of this set is the same as Oval Frame - Set 1 and Oval Frame Set 6, but the difference is that for Set 5 and Set 6, each of the match covers can be found in four different colors, and the biographies are different for the different sets. Each of the stars in this set can be found in four different colors (blue, green, purple, red).
There is one oddity in this set, and that is a match cover of Janet Gaynor with the photo in full color, showing a scene from "A Star is Born" with Gaynor and Fredric March in the picture. Counting all the color variations, there are 185 different match covers in this set.
Edward Arnold (last line of bio reads "through United Artists")
Jean Arthur (last line of bio reads "United Artists release")
Elizabeth Bergner (last line of bio reads "Artists.")
Eric Blore (last line of bio reads "Quality Street" for RKO.")
Charles Boyer (last line of bio reads "HEIGHTS.")
Helen Broderick (last line of bio reads "also for RKO.")
Virginia Bruce (last line of bio reads "Mayer.")
Larry Crabbe (last line of bio reads "latest is "King of Gamblers")
Joan Crawford (last line of bio reads "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Marlene Dietrich (last line of bio reads "Donat.")
Johnny Downs (last line of bio reads "mount's "Turn Off The Moon")
Nelson Eddy (last line of bio reads "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer")
Leif Erikson (last line of bio reads "ding.")
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (last line of bio reads "Artists releases")
Henry Fonda (last line of bio reads "ONLY LIVE ONCE.")
Preston Foster (last line of bio reads "ils" for the same studio")
Janet Gaynor (last line of bio reads "Artists.")
Janet Gaynor (full color picture showing Gaynor and Fredric March in a scene from "A Star is Born")
James Gleason (last line of bio reads "Girls" for RKO")
Margot Grahame (last line of bio reads "goff" for RKO")
Porter Hall (last line of bio reads "Tomorrow")
Katharine Hepburn (last line of bio reads "Street" for RKO")
Harriet Hilliard (last line of bio reads "Of 1937" for RKO")
Miriam Hopkins (last line of bio reads "leased through United Artists.")
John Howard (last line of bio reads "ly in Lost Horizon.")
Allen Jones (last line of bio reads "Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Roscoe Karns (last line of bio reads "Paramount picture.")
Elissa Landi (last line of bio reads "Mayer.")
Charles Laughton (last line of bio reads "United Artists.")
Vivien Leigh (last line of bio reads ""Dark Journey")
Myrna Loy (last line of bio reads "Mayer.")
Jeanette MacDonald (last line of bio reads "Mayer.")
Fredric March (last line of bio reads "Artists.")
Burgess Meredith (last line of bio reads "studio.")
Una Merkel (last line of bio reads "for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Ray Milland (last line of bio reads "for Paramount.")
Victor Moore (last line of bio reads "same studio")
Jack Oakie (last line of bio reads "R.K.O.")
Merle Oberon (last line of bio reads "ists releases.")
Lynn Overman (last line of bio reads "College.")
Eleanor Powell (last line of bio reads "for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.")
William Powell (last line of bio reads "for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Luise Rainer (last line of bio reads "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.")
Ginger Rogers (last line of bio reads "pear with Fred Astaire.")
Sylvia Sidney (last line of bio reads "leased through United Artists.")
Margaret Tallichet (last line of bio reads "so another star was born.")
Colin Tapley (last line of bio reads "Saw")
Oval Frame - Set 6
This set shows the picture of the star in an oval frame. In the background of the biography, there is a cameraman and director in a chair. The appearance of this set is the same as Oval Frame - Set 1 and Oval Frame Set 5, but the difference is that for Set 5 and Set 6, each of the match covers can be found in four different colors, and the biographies are different for the different sets. Each of the stars in this set can be found in four different colors (blue, green, purple, red).
There is one oddity in this set, and that is a match cover of Sigrid Gurie with the photo in full color, showing a scene from "The Adventures of Marco Polo" with Gurie and Gary Cooper in the picture. Counting all the color variations, there are 85 different match covers in this set.
Edward Arnold Jr. (last line of bio reads "Benny.")
Gene Autry (last line of bio reads "Merry-Go-Round.")
Kenny Baker (last line of bio reads "of George Ballanchine.")
Cab Calloway (last line of bio reads "dice, in that order.")
Leo Carrillo (last line of bio reads "Round" for Republic.")
Bobby Clark (last line of bio reads "Balachine.")
Frank Coghlan Jr. (last line of bio reads "comedy roles.")
Jackie Cooper (last line of bio reads "Devil is a Sissy.")
Inez Courtney (last line of bio reads "MacDonald.")
Ann Dvorak (last line of bio reads "Round.")
Sigrid Gurie (full color picture showing Gurie and Gary Cooper in a scene from "The Adventures of Marco Polo")
Tom Keene (last line of bio reads "riding.")
Dorothy Lamour (last line of bio reads "the peaceful island of Samoa.")
Andrea Leeds (last line of bio reads "George Ballanchine")
Ted Lewis (last line of bio reads "Round.")
Ella Logan (last line of bio reads "Balanchine.")
Charlie McCarthy (last line of bio reads "others.")
Florine McKinney (last line of bio reads "ming.")
Adolph Menjou (last line of bio reads "of George Balanchine.")
Movita (last line of bio reads "Isle.")
Jack Randall (last line of bio reads "MacIntosh")
Phil Regan (last line of bio reads "Go-Round")
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