Match Striker
Gallery 
Match Striker
Gallery
Manufactures
(click to view match strikers and company history)
Charles Allerton &
Sons
Arkinstall & Sons Ltd (Arcadian China) Beswick Birks, Rawlins & Co W.T. Copeland & Sons Ltd (Spode) Doulton & Co Ltd Dudson Empire Porcelain Co (Ltd) Fieldings & Co Grimwades Ltd (Royal Winton) F. & W. Goebel Co Gouda Ralph Hammersley & Son  Edward Jones & Co Ltd Lister Lovatt & Lovatt James MacIntyre & Co Manor Ware Mintons Olivant Potteries Ltd F. & R. Pratt & Co (Ltd) Price, Bristol Prinknash Abby Pottery A.G. Richardson & Co Ltd (Crown Ducal) Salopian Art Pottery Co "Victoria" Schmidt & Co (GEMMA) Shelley Potteries Ltd Soho Pottery Ltd Taylor, Tunnicliff & Co Unknown Makers Watcombe Wedgwood Wiltshaw & Robinson (Carlton Ware) (1) Wiltshaw & Robinson (Carlton Ware) (2) W. Wood & Co Composite Section
(brings together information on types of match striker from elsewhere on the site) Advertising Match Strikers Crested Match Strikers |
Company History
MarksTaylor, Tunnicliff & Co (also known as Taylor, Tunnicliffe & Co) was founded around 1867 by Thomas Taylor and William Tunnicliff in Shelton. Operations soon expanded and moved to Hanley, Staffordshire. It is reported that after 1898 the company manufactured only "useful wares", however I am unsure whether this indicates moved entirely into the production of electrical insulators etc at this point. In 1938 a number of companies in the Taylor Tunnicliff group were brought under the control of Taylor Tunnicliff (Electrical Industries) Ltd. Some examples
of marks seen on Taylor, Tunnicliff & Co match strikers are
shown
below. The first two are examples of the most common "queens crown"
type dating from ~1875-98. The last also incorporates the mark of the
retailer the striker was made for (Alex Jones & Co, Regent
Street
London). Their products also often carry a model number (usually in
red).
    Ball
style Match Strikers
Taylor, Tunnicliff & Co made a variety of styles of ball type match striker, some of which are shown below. Many have gilded interiors, or other gilded decoration.      Advertising
Match
Strikers
Match strikers were used to advertise a wide variety of products and businesses. The first example is for Parker Brothers of Drighlington gold medal winning Mineral Waters. The second is for Bodeca which I presume is a brand of beer (advertised as by the bottle, dozen or cask).   This is an excellent example advertising W.D. & H.O. Wills Ltd 'The Three Castles Tobacco' (thanks to Paul Broomfield for the picture and permission to use it on the website).  Floral
Pattern Match Strikers
The firm also produced match strikes with floral decoration, some of which appears to match that seen on their fairy lamp bases made for Sammuel Clarke . Similar designs are seen in a range of sizes (the first striker shown is ~7cm high, the second ~ 5cm high). 
 Crested
Match Strikers
Match strikers with a variety of crests can also be found (representing Universities, Colleges, Schools, etc).        Dome
style match strikers
The firm also produced dome style match strikers. The silver mounted basket style match striker in the second image has a registered design number (RD NO. 135875) dating it to 1889.    Match
strikers with ash
trays
These match striker incorporates an ash tray to put spent matches or cigarette ash in. The latter two advertise Apollinaris mineral water (still on sale in Europe, and on sale in the UK when these match strikers were made)    |
