vintage Saul Bass matchbook covers for Hunt-Wesson

Back in 2008, a link on Grain Edit introduced me to a set of matchbook covers designed by the legendary Saul Bass. Jonathan Turner (a.k.a. insect54) took a photo of the full series of matchbooks at a Saul Bass retrospective held at the Design Museum in London in 2004. The designs were likely commissioned by the Hunt-Wesson food company for The Ohio Match Co. sometime around 1964 (please comment with further info).

Ever since I saw these designs I loved their simplicity and wanted a set of my own. I always assumed they were rare and unattainable within my budget constraints. Last month, Scott Lindberg shared that he made a lucky find at a thrift shop in Illinois, scoring two Saul Bass matchbook designs. I was instantly jealous and commented that I would probably never have such luck in New York City. Sure enough, while rummaging the Chelsea Flea Market with no particular agenda, I had a hunch I recognized a few Saul Bass designs peering out of a randomly assorted box. What made the Saul Bass designs stand out instantly is that they were the only matchbook covers in a pile of hundreds sans advertising-related text or graphics.

Once I got home to double check online, I was excited to confirm that I did come home with Saul Bass designs. Then the disappointment set in that I only nearly found the full set of 16 designs. I'll have to settle for just 14 (and lots of duplicates, bringing the total to 35 covers). My new goal will be to find the last two. I could make my life easy and splurge on the $300 Ohio Blue Tip box, but that's not nearly as fun.

All the photos and scans in this post are from my one-time find at the flea market. I've included the duplicates because it is interesting to see how the color hues vary from one to the next (maybe just due to aging). Seeing all of these side by side, aren't they begging to become wallpaper designs?