Way back in the 1890s match-manufacturers, Messrs. S. I. Moreland and Sons, of Gloucester and Birmingham, issued a challenge to their customers to construct a model made with no fewer than 1000 of their matchboxes. Many marvelous creations were submitted and judged by a panel mostly composed of architects. Mr. G. W. Roberts, of 2 Wenman Street, Birmingham made the full size piano above using 3,200 matchboxes, 576 boxes that had contained small wax-vestas and 51b. of glue. His effort won first prize in the third competition. In 1898 The Strand magazine of London published an article on the contest complete with photographs of submissions.
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