According to Packaging Nature
Label: Refers to the label paper on one side of the match boxes.
Intermediate label: A larger package of 10 match boxes attached to the outside of the match boxes.
Box label: A large package attached to the outside of a 100-match box outer packaging box. (The spark starts from the label, then the intermediate label, and lastly the box label.)
Card label: The pattern is printed on hard card paper, folded into complete the match boxes.
Roll label: The same size as the card label, paper rolled and pasted onto the surface of the match boxes.
Book-style card: A special way of packaging introduced from other countries. The matchsticks of book-style match boxes are generally made of paper and are connected at the bottom of each matchstick. They are often fastened together with a staple like a book cover. Because advertising match boxes need to be opened like a book cover, they are called book-style card match boxes.
According to Historical Periods
Early flower
(1879-1949) During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, match factories were established by both foreign and Chinese capitalists. They were characterized by private ownership, mainly manual or semi-manual production. The factories were small and easily went bankrupt, and the owners changed frequently.
They have the characteristics of ancient printing, simplicity, symmetry, and other characteristics of the times (including the match factories in anti-Japanese democratic bases and liberated areas). Due to their age and frequent wars, there are fewer surviving ones, making it difficult to collect.
Middle flower
(1949-1979) The match industry developed rapidly, and Chinese factories gradually took the dominant position with increasing production volume. In 1958, they began to realize mechanized production and launched a complete set of match products, breaking through the scope of simple trademarks and gradually entering the realm of art.
This period can be divided into pre-Cultural Revolution and Cultural Revolution match boxes stickers. Due to the "destruction of the Four Olds" during the Cultural Revolution, many precious match boxes were destroyed in one fell swoop. Because of their special nature during the Cultural Revolution, the value of match boxes from that time has now increased exponentially.
Recent flower
(1979-present) After China's reform and opening up, the situation has greatly improved, and the production and collection of matches have ushered in a bright spring. They broke free from many limitations of the early and middle periods in terms of paper quality, printing, style, color, expression techniques, layout, etc., showing great advancement.
Trademark function
Refers to the matches that serve only as trademarks, which is a means for match factories to promote and create famous brands. Most of the matches are single pieces, and their names are usually the factory name, auspicious phrases, or registered trademarks.
Advertising function
The matches are closely related to people's lives, with a large sales volume and wide publicity. Many manufacturers fully recognize and make use of the advertising media of match boxes stickers.
They compete to appear on small matches, entering thousands of households as an effective means of promoting circulation, communicating information, and booming the economy. Hotels and other establishments cooperate with match factories to produce special advertising matches as gifts for customers in order to establish their corporate image.
Knowledge transmission function
Unlike trademarks, which are registered and protected by the government, the patterns on match boxes stickers can be changed. This makes matches a carrier, like a book or an album, for various kinds of knowledge dissemination.
Propaganda function
Government departments use matchsticks to popularize policies and legal knowledge, spreading them to thousands of households. Therefore, "matches" play an important role in promoting spiritual civilization construction and propagating the rule of law.