RO68b W. D. Curtis Match Co., Oshkosh

This die was afterwards sold to the Cannon Match Co. The die of the Cannon Match Co. stamp is the same as that of W. D. Curtis, excepting only that the firm name and address have been changed to read “Cannon Match Co., Stillwater, Minn.” The change in the firm name may not represent a change in the actual ownership of the die, because Mr. Curtis was an organizer of and a partner in the Cannon Match Co., and may have retained legal ownership of the die while allowing the company to use it.
“Mr. Cannon had no connection with the match factory, but as the head of the bank in Stillwater, he loaned W. D. Curtis money to purchase the revenue stamps, which were sold in quantities at a discount. The name Cannon Match Company was a compliment to Mr. Cannon, and as Mr. Curtis owned the die, the name was changed on them and used for the Stillwater company. “Mr. Cannon says the match factory did not last very long. The match company was a small concern and was not in business more than a year. “The matches were absolutely no good — They would only flare up and go out.

Christopher West, Mekeel’s Weekly Stamp News