A First War German “Gott Mit Uns” War Captured Matchbox Cover With Matchbox

A First War (Imperial) “Gott Mit Uns” (God with Us) war captured matchbox cover; constructed of pressed brass; depicting the centerpiece of a First War German belt buckle; uniquely stamped with “Like Hell He Was” in response to the motto on the belt buckle centerpiece; with “France 1918 1919” scratched into the side of the cover; consisting of three sides slightly bent to pinch the matchbox and thereby hold it in place; the fourth side is left open to strike the match on the igniter strip; measuring 60 mm x 41 mm x 19 mm; better than very fine condition. Accompanied by a wooden matchbox; with two igniter strips and a label on the obverse, reading “The Viking Ship - Special Impregnated Safety Matches - Manufactured at Uddevilla Tradstickfabrik, Sweden”.

Footnote: Prior to the invention of the safety match, the production of matches was extremely dangerous due to use of white phosphorous in the production process. The modern safety match utilized red phosphorus, but not in the head of the match, but rather on a specially designed striking surface. These matches were deemed true “safety matches” due to the separation of the reactive ingredients between the match head and the striking surface. The head of the match was specially paraffin-impregnated, and would only ignite if struck against the igniting strip on the matchbox. Matches were invaluable to the war, as smoking was a past time amongst soldiers and worked to calm the nerves. As matches were a rare, and valuable commodity, soldiers would plunder the uniforms of fallen enemies for matches. Often, allied soldiers found German matchbox covers that protected the matchboxes from being crushed, broken, and partially from moisture, explaining why the matchboxes found in some of these bringbacks contain matchboxes with english labels.