‘WE’RE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN!’
Lindy has learned to love her husband’s quirky collection
When Lindy Abbott opened the anniversary gift from her husband Neil, she had to laugh. It was a stylised silver matchstick necklace with the words, “You’re my perfect match,” engraved on it.
“It showed he loved me more than his matches after all,” she jokes to Woman’s Day.
The long-suffering wife of Australia’s largest collector of match paraphernalia, Lindy says she’s always kept her sense of humour over Neil’s quirky hobby.
“When we first met it was pretty controlled and he only had a couple of boxes,” says the 62-year old Canberra grandmother. “It only got out of hand about 20 years ago when he started buying other people’s collections.”
Neil is now the proud owner of more than one million matchboxes and books of matches as well as match-branded items, including coasters, clothes, bedding, playing cards and artwork. Crates fill one bedroom of their home, while another bedroom is decked out in his striking memorabilia.
“It started when I was 15 and my mum brought books of matches home from her work at the hotel,” Neil, 65, remembers. “Other friends had stamp and coin collections, so I thought I’d collect matchboxes. It grew from there.”
As a now-seasoned phillumenist, or match collector, Neil has travelled the world for his hobby, but can’t put a figure on what his collection is worth.
“Some of the boxes he has go for $10 or $15 each on ebay and he has hundreds of them,” says Lindy. “It’s a demand issue though – who would want them? I always joke that if Neil were to fall off the perch I’d have a massive bonfire!”
The couple, who have two grown-up sons, do have safety precautions in place.
“Neil has removed a lot of the matches from the boxes, but we do make sure there are smoke detectors in and just outside the bedrooms. We have a fire escape plan, too,” says Lindy. “It’s a risk we’ve lived with all our lives.”
And it’s not one Neil looks likely to be striking off any time soon. While his collection is unlikely to be matched, he’s still on the lookout for new pieces. And Lindy has space – this time in the garage!