Kenmore Hotel Drink List and Matchbook Collection

I am starting to get an organization system going for all of Madeline's little paper collectibles.  I set up a hanging file system to get me started on sorting it all.  I pulled a few items out of the "Memories" folder for today's posting.

I thought this little book was fun to look at with the types of drinks people ordered back in the late 30's and especially the prices!  Here is a pic of the Hotel Kenmore in it's heyday:

Hotel Kenmore has been described as: "One of Boston's newest and finest hotels; 400 large luxurious rooms all with bath, circulating ice water, radio & emergency sound system for guests' safety; 10 air-conditioned public rooms". Located on Commonwealth Avenue at Kenmore Square, the hotel is home to the famous "Mural Lounge" and "Sportsman's Bar & Grill"; rendezvous of celebrities from the radio and sports world. (William T. Bigler, General Manager - Boston, Massachusetts, 1940's.)

These are some of the many matchbooks Madeline collected.  Did you know that phillumeny is the hobby of collecting matchbook covers?  Collectors are called phillumenists.  Have to say I did not know that fact!  One thing I learned in my research about collecting matchbooks in the 30's and 40's is that many of the most collectible ones are sports related.  The Diamond Match Company of New York put out several series of sports related matchbooks over the years. A black and white photo of the player was on front with a short write-up and stats on back. The player's name and team was also printed on the 'saddle'.  You will notice that one of the matchbooks above lists the Boston Bruins schedule on the inside, with an ad for the Union Oyster House restaurant on the cover.  It states "compliments of" the Union Oyster House so we can assume Madeline picked it up at the restaurant. 

I'm Not the Only One Who Loves Old Things

One of the blogs I like to visit on the subject of old things is "Vintage Rescue Squad".  This gal is always scoring great old items when she is out and about.  She also has a booth where she sells these items.  Today she has a post about explaining her love and appreciation of old items to a five year old.  I loved the way she expressed her feelings and wanted to share with my readers.  Please check out How Come Everything You Have Is Old?

New York Stock Exchange/ Its Functions and Operations

This is a booklet published in 1936 by the Press of A. Colish, Inc. which describes for the layman the function and operation of the New York Stock Exchange.

Although many procedures have changed since 1936, it does give the average investor of today a good perspective on the exchange.

This booklet was part of a campaign to resell Wall Street to the public.  Advertisements were taken out in newspapers that informed the public that this booklet was free for the asking.  It was also passed out to visitors to the Stock Exchange and that is how I believe Madeline received her copy.  It is interesting to note that this booklet is available today at the National Library of Australia.

New York City "A Book of Modern Views"

This is a 16 page soft cover book published in 1935 by I. S. Seidman & Co.  It was published exclusively for Rockefeller Center, Inc.  The book is a compilation of black and white snapshots of different neighborhoods in New York City. 

The foreward tells us that the book was inspired by the development of Rockefeller Center.  Here are a few pages: