The Butler Did It!

And he used wax matches.  Which are tiny (1 1/8 inches) and made (in this case) in Italy, and not like the typical wooden matchbox matches we use in America.  You see, the splints (sticks) are made of wax blended with tissue paper, which makes them damp-proof and thus more useful than wooden matches.

This seemingly boring-looking box is actually quite interesting.  Following the clues, we find the box itself is made in America- New York to be exact- then filled with the Italian wax matches.  There were 60 at one time, and they lay in the box vertically.  A typical matchbox of this size holds 32 wooden matches laying horizontally.

Additionally, this box has a mechanism, which was broken when I  recently got it- it's just a cardboard box and these things do happen!  But this is how it would work if it did: pull the tab of the inside box, as it slides out, a rubber band attached to the outside cover opens a flap to reveal the matches.  The flap closes as the inner box is pushed back in.

The Butler logo is indeed the same company that manufactures the popular metal buildings that are commonly called "Butler Buildings".  The company started in 1901 when Charles Butler wanted to invest in a galvanized stock tank created by Emanuel Norquist.  They added grain bins in 1907 and metal buildings in 1909.  In 2004, the company was purchased by an Australian firm, Blue Scope Steel.

The small print above the logo reads, "Celebrating 60 Years".  Doing the simple math using the year 1901 + 60 years, the date for this matchbox would be 1961.  And despite the box's appearance, the matches look brand new, and still light with a single strike on the worn striker.