{"id":1724,"date":"2025-11-20T22:07:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T22:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillumeny.com\/johnwalker\/?page_id=1724"},"modified":"2026-05-29T07:49:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T07:49:44","slug":"on-line-exhibit-spanish-match-industry","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/phillumeny.com\/johnwalker\/on-line-exhibit-spanish-match-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish match industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image credit : OCHA, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exhibitor :<\/strong> Jes\u00fas Mar\u00eda Bollo Garc\u00eda <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

On 31st<\/sup> March 1836 the first patent for phosphorescent matches was filed with the Office of Privileges of Invention, an Office which had been created in 1826 by King Ferdinand VII (now the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office<\/strong><\/a>). The application <\/span>included a sample of the matches and the label that identified them. <\/span>The label displays the inventor’s name (Don Pedro Gonz\u00e1lez) and address (Barcelona). This label, now located in the Historical Archive of the Patent and Trademark Office in Madrid, can be considered the earliest surviving Spanish matchbox label.<\/p>\n

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1836 patent application, matches and the first Spanish matchbox label<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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1837 notice in El Guardia Nacional newspaper and matchbox label (30 x 45 mm)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second oldest documented label is now in my possession, which I was lucky to have won at auction where nobody else noticed it. I asked the former owner how he had preserved the label and if he was a collector. His answer was very curious: it had remained in his house, being used as a bookmark in the books of the family library.<\/p>\n

The way I located it was also curious, because at that time I was preparing my book on Spanish Matchbox Manufacturers and I remembered the name of said manufacturer through the many clippings I found in the archive of the Spanish National Library<\/strong><\/a>. The surprise was seeing that the phrases included in the press article exactly matched those on the label, as you can see. Also, the design of both labels is very similar.<\/p>\n

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Three “Lucifer” labels from Agust\u00edn Zarag\u00fceta, 38 x 53 mm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1850s to 1860s<\/h2>\n

One of the most unusual series I own is from the Agust\u00edn Zarag\u00fceta Factory in Ir\u00fan<\/strong><\/a> (Guip\u00fazcoa) and features Lucifer as its sole central figure, a character I haven’t seen in any other series.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, it’s curious that it depicts Lucifer in a position that creates the corresponding letter shape.<\/p>\n

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Matchboxes from Yurrita and Garay & Arregui<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1860s to 1880s<\/h2>\n

Advances in manufacturing, as well as influences between different manufacturing countries, resulted in imitations in the presentation of matches, both in the themes, in the vignettes and in the formats.<\/p>\n

For example, the manufacturer Jos\u00e9 Yurrita imitated the French format for export boxes, while Garay and Arregui also did so with the Italian ones.<\/p>\n

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Three “El Sacamuelas” (the Tooth Puller) all-round-the-box labels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The beautiful series “The Tooth Puller” by Dionisio Lasa y Hijos is an imitation of the series of advertising cards that were made for the Labbey department stores in Paris, published by Vallet Minot.<\/p>\n

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Three-part label, 1880s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1880s to the start of the 20th<\/sup> Century<\/h2>\n

In Spain this period is characterized by the appearance of springflap matchboxes (cajas de gomitas) with three-part labels. At first I didn’t understand the latter, as I was used to seeing springflap boxes but didn’t quite grasp their significance until the mystery was solved when I was able to obtain a complete box, something which is very difficult to find nowadays.<\/p>\n

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A complete springflap box from Eduardo \u00c4lvatrez in Cordoba, showing the three-part label<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Gremio labels depicting Cuba and Philippines Wars of Independence (1895 and 1898)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1892, nationalisation<\/h2>\n

The Spanish Government needed to raise funds and decided to nationalise the match industry by passing a law on 30th<\/sup> June 1892 creating a state controlled monopoly – the Gremio de Fabricantes de F\u00f3sforos de Espa\u00f1a<\/strong>, which would run for 15 years. This reduced the number of match factories to around 55 and gave a quota to each factory based on their production capacity. Matchboxes of this period were labelled “Gremio” but also showed the family\/factory names of the manufacturers. This is the period of the famous Spanish Inserts<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

1908 to 1956, Monopolio, Hacienda P\u00fablica and CAF<\/h2>\n

When the Gremio contract expired in 1908 the Government created a new Monopoly to be run by the Exchequer. Only 21 factories survived, and boxes of this period show “Monopolio de Cerillas y F\u00f3sforos”. But by 1911 the Exchequer found it difficult to run a commercial company and a new law granted it more powers. Nine factories were closed, leaving 12 operating.<\/p>\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n

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Label from Compa\u00f1\u00eda Arrendatar\u00eda de F\u00f3sforos (CAF)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1922 the government saw that revenues were not satisfactory, and an auction for a new state-controlled company was won by the Compa\u00f1\u00eda Arrendatar\u00eda de F\u00f3sforos (CAF). Boxes from this period show “Hacienda P\u00fablica” and “CAF” but no factory names. The boxes were made of card, some used the old springflap design with all-round-the-box-labels others had the images printed directly onto the card.<\/p>\n

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Labels from Compa\u00f1\u00eda Arrendatar\u00eda de F\u00f3sforos (CAF)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1956 to 1992, privitasation<\/h2>\n

In 1956 the Government decided to place the industry back into private ownership, and the auction was won by Grupo Fierro. Two new companies were formed : Fosforera Espa\u00f1ola and Fosforera Canariense, and the factories in Alcoy, La Coru\u00f1a, Palma de Mallorca and Sevilla were closed.<\/p>\n

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Labels from Fosforera Espa\u00f1ola and Fosforera Canariense (the Animales Domesticos series was never issued)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1975 two more match companies were formed : General Fosforera and F\u00f3sforos del Pirineo.<\/p>\n

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The first skillets issued by F\u00f3sforos del Pirineo, and the first bookmatches from General Fosforera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1992 to 2001, Swedish Match<\/h2>\n

Ownership of the industry transferred to Swedish Match in 1992, Fosforera Espa\u00f1ola disappeared, the first series of matchboxes began to be manufactured in Valencia by Swedish Match. Here we present the first and I believe the only series, in which, as a tribute to its predecessor, it included the image of some of the Fosforera Espa\u00f1ola series, even the “Fosforera Espa\u00f1ola” logo.<\/p>\n

ngg_shortcode_1_placeholderIn 2005 the last factory operating in Spain, Alfara del Patriarca in Valencia, closed its doors for the final time.<\/p>\n

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Cornelio Garay Zuazubizcar. Ref : aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus\/es<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bonus exhibit : Garay, five generations of a match dynasty<\/span><\/h1>\n

Cornelio Garay Zuazubizcar was born on September 16, 1842 in Arechavaleta<\/strong><\/a>. His father, Jos\u00e9 Pablo de Garay, founded a match factory in the city in 1854 with the company name Echeverr\u00eda, Garay y Lasa.<\/p>\n

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Business card from Garay y Arregui, La Minerva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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When his father died Cornelio remained in charge of the business, but in 1864, at the age of 22 and together with two other partners Vicente de Arregui and Francisco J\u00e1uregui, they created a new match factory in O\u00f1ate<\/strong><\/a>, La Minerva<\/strong>, under the company name Garay y Compa\u00f1\u00eda. <\/span><\/p>\n

This factory would go on to become the second largest match factory in Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Business card from Garay y Compa\u00f1\u00eda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In August 1869 Francisco J\u00e1uregui sold his shares to his two partners and the company changed its name to Garay y C\u00eda. J\u00e1uregui moved to Madrid when their factory in Fuenterrab\u00eda \u201cLa Cant\u00e1brica\u201d suffered damage during the 3rd Carlist War<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Labels from the three Garay factories<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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This same war gave rise to Cornelio Garay, in turn, having to leave O\u00f1ate and move to Valladolid<\/strong><\/a> for the duration of the war (1872-1876), where he created another match factory. Cornelio had received death threats, as had the mayor of O\u00f1ate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A Carlist coin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Between 1872 and 1875 the factory became the Royal Mint of the Carlists, minting coins the size of one duro (1 duro = 5 pesetas).<\/span><\/p>\n

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After the war ended in 1876, Cornelio returned to O\u00f1ate and resumed the manufacture of matches.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A matchbox from Garay y Arregui<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When J\u00e1uregui left, the Garay family name had become strengthened because Vicente Arregui had married Cornelio’s sister. Then when Vicente died his widow left the management of the company in the hands of her brother.<\/span><\/p>\n