A 19th c. match holder in original pigmented varnish finish.
Constructed of Eastern white pine wood. Its backboard is elaborately decorated with scrollwork scallops and pierced at each lobe. A canted frontal applied pocket features a scalloped top and is joined with tiny iron nails.
During the Golden Age of match holders from approximately 1870-1920 matches had become a solidified means of lighting source for lighting standards. The demand for quick and easy lighting sources had evolved to mass production of cast iron and stamped sheet metal holders to keep friction matches in their respective place. 
This wooden example exemplifies the demand of the time and is embolden in its design. 
Survives in superlative condition with a fine surface. 
New England. Ca. 1880. 8 11/16"T.