Not 100, not 1,000, not even 10,000; Souvik Roy from Sonarpur has a collection of over 30,000 matchboxes, including some dating back to the early 19th century.
Most people discard matchboxes as trash, but the 62-year-old has spent over a decade collecting what he calls “rare gems” — tiny boxes carrying fragments of Kolkata’s history through old visuals, advertisements and designs.
All pictures: Soumyajit Dey
A retired corporate employee, Roy preserves these pieces of nostalgia as part of an ever-growing archive.
His journey as a collector began long before he understood the scale of the world he would eventually enter.
“Back then, we only knew about collecting stamps and coins. We didn’t realise there was an entire world of collecting beyond that,” he recalled.
The habit remained a quiet childhood fascination until around 2009, when he was introduced to a wider network of collectors and rare memorabilia. That discovery slowly drew him towards the overlooked world of matchboxes — what Roy saw as tiny time capsules carrying stories of art, trade, politics and everyday life across generations.
Now his house brims with keepsakes from the past, finely preserved from a bygone era.
It took Roy nearly 15 years to stitch together a historical archive of matchboxes, most of which survive today only through their labels. Pulling out file after file, he proudly flaunted his enormous collection — not merely old boxes tucked inside transparent sleeves, but carefully documented pieces of history.
“The ones we call matchboxes today are actually skillets,” he said.
Each matchbox in his archive carries research on its origin, manufacturer and design evolution. “If someone wants to learn a quick lesson on Bengal’s history, just glancing through these matchboxes in sequence would be enough,” he told My Kolkata.
He said that in India matchboxes arrived through imports from England in the 1870s and the early specimens were made of wood.
He said that he bought an old matchbox-label collection containing around 6,000–7,000 labels.
“Its condition was horrifying. Nobody in India wanted to buy it. But after spending some lakhs I bought it and then spent six months studying it. That’s when I realised how vast this world actually is.”
This was the turning point of his life as a collector.
Roy repeatedly explained that matchboxes are not “small disposable objects” — they are social documents.
“Every matchbox tells a story… These tiny labels preserve fragments of social change and history. My collection boasts specimens from the then mostly imported matchboxes from Japan, Sweden and Russia,” he said.“Foreign manufacturers adapted designs for South Asian markets. For example, elephant imagery became common despite elephants not being culturally linked to countries like Japan.”
He also said that In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan (along with Sweden) was a major exporter of matchboxes to India. To cater to the Indian market and beat out local competition, Japanese manufacturers frequently printed Indian faces, deities, and cultural icons on the matchboxes.
Roy’s collection ranges from early wooden drawer-style and paper matchboxes to matchbooks, promotional and casino matchboxes, decorative luxury designs, imported specimens and matchboxes carrying old excise stamps.
Most historical records say matchboxes were not manufactured in Kolkata, but after extensive research, Roy found that two companies existed here around 1892 and 1893.
“I possess labels and documents connected to those companies. I can prove it!"
“According to my research, Kolkata once had nearly 136 match factories, though many gradually disappeared over time,” he said.
“One of the factories was allegedly destroyed around the India-Pakitan war period in the 1960s, and nearly 400 people worked there at one point. Even today, advertisements from some of these factories can still be found,” said Roy.
“Eventually, Bengal lost the industry to Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu as labour became much cheaper there, printing infrastructure developed rapidly and distribution networks became stronger. Bengal had early potential, but it failed to build a strong distribution system.
“Entrepreneurs from Sivakasi reportedly came to Kolkata in the 1920s to learn the trade before setting up their own factories, printing units and distribution networks back home. With extremely cheap labour and a stronger business-oriented distribution system, Sivakasi slowly took over the market, leading to the decline of Bengal’s once-thriving matchbox industry,” he added.
The visuals on old matchboxes evolved into tiny canvases reflecting India’s political, social and artistic shift, Roy said, starting by replicating paintings of Raja Ravi Varma to nationalist symbols or slogans like Ashok Chakra and Vande Mataram to depictions of Kolkata’s tramways or historical monuments or locations.
Roy does not care about numbers.
“It doesn’t matter if I have 30,000 or 1 lakh matchboxes, numbers are not important. Quality and archiving are important. If these are properly archived with government support, we can preserve an entire social history.”