Welcome at the English website of the Dutch Study and Documentation Group Matchbox Labels.

Here you will find everything you need to know about collecting Dutch and Belgian matchbox labels.

Introduction

The Dutch Study and Documentation Group Matchbox Labels is an asssociation aimed to promote collecting matchbox labels, covers and booklets and match boxes particularly in the Netherlands and Belgium. Additionally and evenly important, the goal is to study the origin and age of matchbox labels produced, imported and issued in the Netherlands and Belgium and the history of Dutch and Belgian match industry. The Study and Documentation Group Matchbox labels documents in articles, catalalogues and in documentation.

History and Vonkvrij

The Study and Documentation Group Matchbox Labels dates back to the year 1955 when Dutch collectors started documenting Dutch labels, at that time under the umbrella of the Dutch collectors association "De Nederlandse Vereniging De Verzamelaar". Since the establishment in 1955, Dutch collectors gathered at locations across the Netherlands and started to document and issue documentation lists. Until the beginning of the seventies over 100 documentations lists were compiled. As of then the Study and Documentation Group Matchbox Labels issued a quarterly magazine, Vonkvrij, loaded with information about collecting matchbox labels and new documentations about matchbox labels, from that time on, not only in text, but gradually more visualised with photo copies. From the beginning of the nineties, the Study and Documentation Group Matchbox Labels started with documenting and depicting every single matchbox label issued in the Netherlands in its magazine Vonkvrij. Also, many catalogues were issue.

At present and in the future

Mid 2016 the last issue of Vonkvrij as a quarterly magazine was published. Since then, the work of the Study and Documentation Group Matchbox Labels has gone digital through this website.