TABLE OF CONTENTS HISTORY THE TIMELINE MANUFACTURER'S HISTORIES THE PATENT PAGES THE PRE-ELECTRIC ERA VINTAGE ADVERTISING THE LIGHT SET GALLERIES RELATED LINKS
LEARN MORE ABOUT: MATCHLESS WONDER STARS! The Matchless Wonder Stars are some of the most highly collected of all vintage Christmas lights, and it takes only a brief look at these wonderful lights to see why... |
Series Number | Point Configuration (each single row having 9 points) | Approximate Diameter | Lamp Used | Picture (click to enlarge) |
100 | single row | 1-15/16" | miniature base (series) | |
200 | single row (frosted) |
2-1/16" | miniature base (series) | |
300 | 5 Point Tree Top | 3-3/8" | miniature base
(series) *PLEASE SEE NOTES AT THE END OF THIS CHART! |
|
400 | single row
(Lucite) produced after WWII |
2-3/4" | candelabra (multiple) | |
410 | single row
(Lucite) produced after WWII |
2-3/4" | intermediate (multiple) | |
420 | single row
(Lucite) produced after WWII |
2-3/4" | standard (household) | |
500 | double row | 2-1/16" | miniature base (series) | |
700 | double row | 2-9/16" | miniature base (series) | |
900 | double row | 3-1/8" | standard (household) | |
910 | double row | 3-1/8" | intermediate (multiple) | |
*This extremely rare amber colored Matchless Star Tree Topper is kindly shared with us from the collection of Jim Sloss. While there are several examples of clear Matchless tree top Stars in various collections, this is a unique item with only one other example reported amongst collectors. A green tinted tree topper has been rumored to exist as well, but has not been confirmed with certainty to reside in any major collection. |
This page from a late 1930s hardware supply catalog features double Stars with various lamp sizes and color combinations. Also note the replacement lamps-something collectors would kill to get their hands on today, as the lamps with the bakelite backs have not been made for many years. Matchless Stars were some of the first Christmas lights offered with the ability to easily change the light bulb. NOMA had earlier offered their Dresden figural lights with changeable lamps, but the system was flawed and the socket parts froze together, making lamp exchange impossible. Collectors who have researched these lights say that the Matchless Company did practically no advertising of this product, and references to the Stars can only be found in catalogs of the time. The 1939 and 1940 editions of Montgomery Wards Christmas catalogs feature them, and several hardware trade catalogs show the Stars as well. Matchless sold their Stars through the Marshall Fields stores as well. A major downside to these beautiful lights was their price-usually between 18 and 20 cents for a single row series 100 Star. While seemingly inexpensive in today's dollars, keep in mind that America was dealing with the effects of The Great Depression, and money was tight. An average Christmas tree of the time would feature between 40 and 48 miniature base series wired lights, and to fill the tree with Matchless Stars would have cost about $7.60. A typical boxed set of eight standard Christmas lights with the electrical cord sold for 65 cents in 1937, and a dozen eggs went for 12 cents. Spending almost $8.00 on Christmas lights was beyond the reach of many, so the Matchless Company wisely offered their Stars for sale singly as well as in sets of eight or ten. The company offered their Stars in many different color combinations, with both clear and frosted crystals. The frosted varieties are by far the hardest to come by. The colors making up the various combinations are shown in the chart below. Although many colors appear in the chart, they are actually manufacturing variations of only 8 basic colors. The points were offered in red, green, aqua, steel blue, amethyst, pink, amber and clear. The center jewels were produced in red, green, amber and blue. Milk glass center stones are occasionally seen, and are almost certainly Canadian products, and most of the Canadian-produced Stars are of a deeper color than those sold in the United States. In the chart below, variations of basic colors are grouped in parenthesis and shown in the first section only, although these variations appeared in all series of Stars. Due to the Communist occupation of Czechoslovakia after World War II, the Matchless company found it difficult to obtain the proper quality glass crystals needed for the manufacture of their Stars. A redesign became necessary, and the larger Stars were then made in Lucite, and molded in one piece instead of individual points. |
STAR TYPE | COLORS |
Series 100 single, miniature base lamps | PINK, RED, (DARK AMBER, ORANGE, AMBER), (EMERALD GREEN, DARK GREEN, GREEN), (LIGHT AQUA, DARK AQUA), (STEEL BLUE, COBALT BLUE), AMETHYST, CLEAR |
Series 200 frosted |
PINK, RED, AMBER, GREEN, BLUE, AMETHYST, CLEAR |
Series 100, 200 and 500 Center Stones | RED, AMBER, DARK AQUA, BLUE, AMETHYST, GREEN, WHITE |
Series 500 Doubles miniature base lamps | PINK, RED, AMBER, GREEN, BLUE, AMETHYST, CLEAR |
Series 700 Doubles miniature base | RED, AMBER, GREEN, BLUE, AMETHYST, CLEAR (NO PINK) |
Series 900 Doubles standard base | PINK, RED, AMBER, GREEN, BLUE, AMETHYST, CLEAR |
Series 910 intermediate base | PINK, RED, AMBER, GREEN, BLUE, AMETHYST, CLEAR |
Series 900 and 910 Center Stones | RED, AMBER, GREEN, BLUE, WHITE |
All of the above colors are also seen in the frosted variety of Stars. |
Here are two boxed sets of Stars. The container on the left is a countertop unit, designed to sell Stars individually. The box on the right is a complete outfit which includes the cord. This box is a Canadian set, branded with the NOMA name. NOMA was the exclusive licensee for the sale of Matchless Stars in Canada. Although the box art shows double Stars, the contents and printed item number are for single Stars. Little is known about the Canadian Matchless Stars, but it has been reported that many of them were sold in the Lucite versions. |
An interesting side note here is that the Matchless Stars were used in several pinball machines produced in the very late 1930s and early 40s. On the right is a page from The Billboard magazine, proudly showing the Exhibit Supply Company's new Avalon model, featuring 17 Matchless stars as the bumper lights. The ad describes the game as "the most gorgeous, most beautiful, most brilliant game in all the world!' and is dated July 29, 1939. Other models of machines using the Stars were named Airliner, Flash and Contact. Matchless Stars that were used in the pinball machines have unusual bakelite backs that screw off, enabling the bulbs within to be changed easily. these backs also have permanently attached wires that allow the socket to be electrically connected to the machine's wiring harness. In the years following World War II, The Matchless Electric Company also produced Stars with prisms made of Lucite. There were quite susceptible to heat damage, however, and many of these Stars found today have distorted points. The Company produced the lamps for NOMA's earliest bubble lites as well, providing 15 volt clear, round lamps. (Later bubble lights used flat topped General Electric lamps). Production of all Stars, both acrylic and glass, ceased in the mid 1950s. The corporation was dissolved in 1954, but the company itself continued in business until 1961. It is unknown what products the company produced during their last years. (Much of the information on this page is from a paper published by Bill and Treva Courter entitled "The Matchless Electric Company and Their Wonder Stars". Additional information kindly supplied by James Dittman and Jim Sloss. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS HISTORY THE TIMELINE MANUFACTURER'S HISTORIES THE PATENT PAGES THE PRE-ELECTRIC ERA VINTAGE ADVERTISING THE LIGHT SET GALLERIES RELATED LINKS |
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