This is a patented iron case panel for “Race Match” matches, made by the Barber Match Company. The panel features the portraits of five women of different races titled Indian, Mongolian, Negro, Malay, and Caucasian. The text reads “5 races, 5 colors, 5 cents.” The Barber Match Company was founded in 1864 in Akron, Ohio. In 1881, the Barber Match Company united with eleven other match manufacturers to create the Diamond Match Company, which remains the company’s current name.
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