Vesta Cases

What is a vesta case?

A vesta case is a matchbox. Usually made in metal and most often seen in pocket size, they come in a wide variety of forms. Some have jump rings for attachment as a fob on a chain, some are also referred to as 'go-to-beds' because, like Mr Punch above, they have a holder so that a match can be lit and placed in the holder, giving just enough light to climb into bed before it burns out.

There are also table vestas. Larger than the pocket vestas, these are intended to sit on a table, mantelpiece or beside the stove for daily general use.

These are not to be confused with matchbox holders, which are intended as no more than a cover for an ordinary large box of matches, a table vesta will have matches decanted into it and there will be an integral strike on the container itself..

To the right above is a brass table vesta in the form of a fly approximately 3.5 inches from nose to wing tip, these are not uncommon and can usually be bought for under £10. The match strike is an etched area of brass on the underside of the wing, shown below.

As you can see, the wings lift up to reveal the match container and strike.

Who is he?

Perhaps someone can help me identify this gentleman.

The vesta case is silver plated and doesn't look as if it was ever used. Perhaps it's a commemmorative vesta, but who is the man?

I have been told this is a vesta of Gladstone. If you think otherwise, let me know by leaving your message in the guestbook.

Pocket vestas

By far the majority of vesta cases are pocket vestas and they range in form from the purely functional to the amazingly decorative, taking on all manner of unusual appearances on the way.

Most pocket vestas measure about 2 inches by 1.5 inches or thereabout.

To the right is a very plain and functional vesta case. It is a sturdy metal container, covered in what was once dark green leather (now almost black) and fairly heavy duty. Rather than an integral strike, this clever little box has the facility to renew / replace the striking surface, simply by changing the strike paper. There is a very small screw missing from one end of this (see below) which would tighten and hold the strike surface in place. You can also see the compartment for storing the matches is underneath the srike.

This has a concealed button opening on the narrow side which, after years of use, now has a hair trigger. You can see how worn the green paintwork is on the interior of this vesta. Nevertheless, it is in good condition, probably early 20th century and examples of this kind can usually be bought for under £15.

Often these are imprinted on the top with 'LIGHT' and this can be an indication that the item once came from a gentleman's travelling set, there would be a matching item imprinted 'INK' on top and probably various useful grooming items in the set.

Below are more examples of basic pocket vestas.

This is a silver plated flip-top vesta, a bit dinked and with the plating wearing off. It is stamped just inside the lid 'The Beacon' and has the strike on the bottom (see below). Dating from the 1940s - 50s, usually priced under £10.

The Independent Order of Foresters dates to the end of the 19th / beginning of the 20th century. Vestas such as this, commemorating a specific event or organisation, can be well sought after and can achieve prices of around £25.

Below is an example from Punch Magazine, dated March 4th 189(5?)

On both the above vestas, the strike is on the bottom narrow end.

Lucky Horseshoe

Eeeek a mouse

Creatures of all kinds figure in vesta cases and this one is a little mouse.

You'll see in the picture below that the striker is on the bottom. He has a ring where his tail would be so that he can be attached to a chain and I feel I'll have to find a bit of chain for him so he can regain a tail.

Made in brass, examples of this kind of vesta usually fetch between £10 and £20.

Do frogs eat mice?

This is a gorgeous little vesta case in the shape of a frog. As you can see from the small photo to the right, the mouth opens to hold the matches ... but not wide enough to swallow the mouse.

This little frog has what could be garnet eyes, or they could be glass, I'm not prepared to pay a jeweller to tell me at the moment. If I ever get around to selling this little chap, I will ask an expert what the eyes are as it isn't possible to tell without being able to see through the 'stone'. It's likely to be a very long time before he's for sale again.

He's entirely made in silver and bears a small mark 925 which tells us he is probably continental in origin but conforms to the Sterling standard.

Matchbook vestas

To the right you will see a very swish matchbook vesta dressed in tartan, to see it open just glance below.

The matchbook can be placed into the holder which has two metal corners to hold the book in place with the strike on the book available to use as normal. Often when these are found in the back of a cupboard or drawer, they still have the old matchbook contained inside and these can help to date the vesta case.

In this case, they are Bryant and May matches but the top of the matchbook has been torn away. On the back of the matchbook there is printed a golf score card on a light green background so I can hazard a guess that the book of matches came from a golf club ... possibly in Scotland.

American Red Cross Matches

The matchbook vesta to the right is chrome and very masculine in looks. The matchbook vesta case is not quite as common as the usual pocket vestas but they are still mainly available for less than £15.

Below is the chrome vesta case shown open with the American Red Cross matchbook intact. I haven't eased this out of the case to look at the back and if anyone can help to date this matchbook for me I would be a very happy little bunny.

This vesta has a sprung opening and, I would guess, probably dates from the 1940s - 50s.

I must admit, I do wonder if the Red Cross still gives away books of matches.

Specialisation in this type of vesta may be an interesting and worthwhile area all on its own. Below is another example, this time it is covered in snakeskin.

Unfortunately, most vesta cases don't carry any maker's mark unless they are silver and even silver vestas are frequently anonymous.

Leather vesta cases

Leather vesta cases are a little more difficult to find. This may well be due to the fact that leather deteriorates faster than metalware.

To the right is a leather vesta, probably dating from the 1940s or perhaps a little earlier. I picked this one up quite cheaply but if you can find one, you ought to be able to get it for under £20.

Below is a much more unusual vesta case in the form of a leather purse. This is smaller than the usual size, being just under 2 inches long by one inch wide. Inside the purse it is strengthened with a metal band to hold the shape and prevent the matches from being broken, and on the bottom end there is a metal strike, shown in the second picture below.

This purse vesta case dates from late Victorian times, prbably last quarter of the 19th century, and would set you back up to around £30, possibly more, if you can find one for sale.

Treen Vestas

Treen (wood) vestas are not uncommon and vary from Mauchline Ware through to some very sophisticated table vestas. Very few treen vestas are pocket vestas but there are a few.

The picture to the right shows a set comprising tobacco jar, vesta case, ashtray and tray, all carved from a hardwood with detailing as barrels.

The tobacco jar and vesta holder both have blue glass liners and the set dates to around Edwardian times.

Below are a couple of photographs of the vesta case on its own. The strike is on the underside in the form of a paper attached under the barrel. This has worn away but could be replaced if an owner really wanted to use it.

A very unusual Go-to-bed Vesta

I got this at a bargain price at auction recently so can't really assess its value accurately. It is a go-to-bed vesta with a difference.

In the shape of a horseshoe and engraved with a horse and rider going over a jump, this has some of the most unusual features I have seen so far.

In the picture to the right you can see it looks just like a pocket vesta but when you open the top cover there is an immediate difference. Either side of the strike plate, which is hinged to reveal the match holder below, there is a hole, more correctly the two ends of a tube which runs all the way round the inside of the horseshoe. This is made to take a wick or taper of some kind and you will notice the brass wheel on the side which can be turned to adjust the height of the flame or length of burning time.

There is, however, a little more to this clever little go-to-bed as you can see in the picture below. The top cover can also serve as a stand so that you can safely place the vesta on your nightstand while you climb into bed.

I have made a wick by twining a couple strands of cotton string which I then soaked in wax.

As to date of this item, there is some smoothing of the engraved design so my best estimate of age would put this around 1930s - 40s.

Solid Silver Vesta Cases

Solid silver vesta cases are fairly commonly available and I have set up a feed below the guestbook which should show a selection of the vestas available on eBay at the time you are reading this.

In my small collection I have only a few examples in solid silver, one of which is the Mr Punch Go-to-bed used for the lens picture. In the photographs below are (top to bottom) another Mr Punch vesta, Toby (Mr punch's dog), a snail shell, and a novelty suitcase shaped vesta.

Mr Punch opens at the bottom with the strike being on the outside of the cover. He marked '925 Sterling' on the strike plate.

As you can see, Toby's bottom half opens to store the matches and the strike is on his underside. He is marked 925 with a diamond shape beside that and weighs over 40 grams.

The snail shell is very decorative and. although not hallmarked, it is solid silver. As you can see below, the flat plate is both cover and strike plate for the matches.

The suitcase below has a jump ring so that it can be attached as a fob to a chain. It is marked on the lip inside the opening 925 and a diamnd shaped mark.

The strike is on one end of the case.

All of these are pocket sized vesta cases. They are probably continental in make and range in value from around £30 (suitcase) to around £90 for the Mr Punch Go-to-bed. These are rough prices as it will depend just how many people are after the particular vesta you are interested in whether you get it for a bargain price or must pay over the top. I have seen the Mr Punch Go-to-bed fetch well over £100.

A Classic Go-to-bed Vesta Matchsafe

This is a delightful Go-to-bed vesta which normally sells for around £40. The height of this vesta case is a total of almost 3 inches, including the finial on top which holds a single vesta to enable it to fully burn down giving a few minutes of light whilst the individual gets settled in bed.

The exterior of the case is engraved with a design resembling damask and the lid fits as perfectly as the day it was made. The entire underside is the striking surface. Highly collectable, these pretty and practical vestas are not too uncommon and the price is fairly well established for them.

Around the lid it says 'Patent Wax Vestas Warranted'

Table Vestas

Here are a couple more table vestas. The little frog on the right is rather crudely made but the larger bug, shown below, is quite a stunner with wonderful detailing on the wings.

I am not entirely sure whether this is a beetle, moth or butterfly but it is the same size as the fly near the top of this page.

There are hundreds of table vesta designs, many in brass but also a good number in silver. If you want to start a collection, you should have no trouble finding examples in online auctions.

A little vesta history

After the invention of the friction match around the 1830s vesta cases began to be produced but, coinciding with a huge increase in tobacco smoking, they were in production in their greatest numbers from the last decade of the 19th century through to the 1930s when production of the traditional vesta / match safe all but ended.

Friction matches were a huge advance in their time but they were volatile and could burst into flames if carried loose in a pocket and so a non-flammable case was needed to make them portable. Of course, as advances were made and lighters came into favour, the vesta case must have seemed so old fashioned.

There are vestas which carry advertising for companies, there are vestas which are works of art with painted enamels on the sides, vestas made of gold, silver, and of woven straw, there is a category of vestas for every interest whether it is in figural items, royalty, trench art, humorous miniatures, erotica, you name it and there is a vesta for it.

Value Antiques

For more information on auctions for vesta cases visit this page at the Value Antiques website.

You'll find information on many collectables on the Value Antiques website, if you are interested in collecting in any category, you might want to bookmark the site and visit frequently.

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