The Matchcover Storyteller

“Minor Political” as a collecting category  —  I have never been able to quite figure it out.   There is a ton of material to choose from, and the sub-categories are rich indeed.  And yet, auction offerings of “minor political” matchcovers are very often underbid, very unlike, say, “Presidential Politics”.  Nevertheless, in my belief that every matchcover (almost) tells a story, I needed to know more about Greg Wilson whose 40-strike, rear-strike cover I encountered while disassembling some 800+ 40s.   The problem with “minor political” is, if the subject is a failed candidate, there may not be as much as one would hope.

And so it is with Greg Wilson;   running as a Democrat for the Arkansas State Legislature, he apparently didn’t get the votes  — this despite quite a self-described record of accomplishment that we find inside the matchcover.  So what do we know?

Greg Wilson served on the town council of Diamond City, population 787, in Boone County, Arkansas.  It’s way up north, about 3 miles below the Missouri state line in the Ozarks (45 minutes southeast of Branson), and the only Wilson reference I can find is in quite the 2019 article on political turmoil in the town.  

A sheriff was stabbed with a pen during a 1994 scuffle to prevent an Alderman (councilor) from leaving and quashing a quorum.   In 2018, the mayor resigned in the face of a theft charge from the community center.   Then in July 2019, the next mayor at the time sued all of council for having a meeting without her.  Council had mutinied because of her continued absence, citing town business grinding to a halt.   A former mayor said “There are a lot of good people in Diamond City.  Diamond City is an awesome place.  But the government just can’t function!”

Even with a fulsome newspaper story, it’s hard to fathom exactly what all happened.  Greg Wilson of our matchcover was one of three councilors present at the “mutinous” meeting; they installed city recorder Tina Jackson as interim mayor.  They appointed at least one new councilor and approved some ordinances vetoed by the otherwise absent mayor.   There were lawsuits and trials galore apparently pending.  And that’s all there seems to be of Greg Wilson.

I cannot tell just when he ran for the Arkansas State House; I’d love to date this cover.   There are so many “Greg Wilson’s” around, from athletes and businessmen to Arkansas inmates and more just “Wilson’s”, including a nearby Missouri town.

So in the end, what I have maybe bears out the unclear popularity status of “minor political” matchcovers.   I have a cover for a guy who ran, apparently never got elected, was a minor player in some political turmoil in his home town, and that seems to be about it.

I’m keeping it, for now.   I’m just not sure what to do with it.