The Rathkamp Matchcover Society had its beginning in May, 1939, although it
was not formally conceived until September, 1941. In May of 1939,
a group of enthusiastic matchcover collectors got together in
New York to go to the Brooklyn Navy Yard to pick up Navy ship
covers and also visit the World's Fair to see what covers it
might have.
Since this meeting was such a great success, it was decided that it would be a good idea if they got together once a year. This resulted in a “convention” held at the home of Henry Rathkamp in Newport, Rhode Island, in September of 1939. Plans were laid for a second “convention” to be held in May of 1940.
Unfortunately, Henry Rathkamp died in the spring of 1940, but the “convention” was still held in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, at the home of another collector. It was at this second “convention” that plans were made to organize a club the following year. During the week of September 11, 1941, at the home of Ken Riggs in Pocasset, Massachusetts, 45 collectors from 8 states and the District of Columbia met and formed the Rathkamp Memorial Society of Matchcover Collectors. In later years, the name was shortened to the Rathkamp Matchcover Society. Membership has gone up and down over the years; it reached a peak of almost 2,000 members from every state in the union, plus Canada and more than 8 foreign countries in the mid-1980s. Today, it is the largest phillumenic organization in North America and the largest in the world that focuses primarily on matchcovers, rather than boxes or labels. It's also the world's oldest phillumenic organization.
- President: Richard Giardini, 4416 W 6th St, Greeley, CO 80634-1332
- 1st V.P: John Kern, 1145 Red Maple Cir NE, St Petersburg, FL 33703-6318
- 2nd V.P: Vacant, TBA
- Secretary: Shirley Sayers, 1290 Corporation St, Beaver, PA 15009
- Membership/Treas: Linda Wolfe, 13 Creekstone Dr, Mont Alto, PA 17237
- Editor: Denise McKinney, 3681 Sunnyside Dr, #2862, Riverside CA 92506
- RMS Librarian: Marsha Smith, 2081 Upland Ave, Pahrump, NV 89048
- RMS Historian: Grant Gehringer, 4761 Parkman Ct, Annandale, VA 22003-5046
- Publicity Chairperson: Dave Carr, 967 9th Ave "A" East, Owen Sound ON N4K 6Y4 Canada
