'Eastern' match dispenser (1910s) : a light reminder

When it comes to securing your business, companies have been trying different sorts of marketing gimmicks for years and the Eastern Telegraph Company was no exception.

Although the Eastern was the biggest by far, there were other companies operating rival telegraph networks so when you sent a telegraph, you had a choice between which company you used.

This ceramic match dispenser and ashtray was given to international sales managers and dispatch managers to remind them to choose the Eastern when they sent their messages. It was a simple gift, which showed the international telegraph routes of the company on the globe.

It was definitely a gift created in a world where smoking was a much more acceptable habit than it is now and today you're more likely to receive a pen or a mouse mat with a corporate message on.