The Matchcover Storyteller

“Insurance”  — this is one of those super-deep categories rich with both aged front-strike and more contemporary rear-strike matchcovers in all sizes.    Here are a half-dozen of the latter; if you collect “eagles”, or just “birds” or “sets”, you’re in luck with this one.  More on the covers later.

There’s a venerable Eagle Star Insurance Company in Britain, founded in 1807  — this isn’t it; this one’s Canadian.

The story begins with the British Northwestern Fire Insurance Company founded in 1906, and Eagle Star, founded in 1904.  British Northwest was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and only acquired its name in 1910 after two previous identifiers. It was in turn acquired by Eagle Star & British Dominions together in 1920 followed by more name changes before it became the Eagle Star Insurance Company in 1970.  British Northwestern business was transferred to Eagle Star Canada and disappeared in 1978.

There are what I can only describe as “insurance stories” littering the internet and seem (to me, at least) not easily translated for our purpose.   One sentence on a page did intrigue me, noting in 1975 that Eagle Star was withdrawing from the province of Alberta.  I did not learn what that was about!

So on to these covers  —  this is a set of 6 in a “Protected Eagles Series” that let the company share that it is “for your protection”.  You can see the very small “Protected Eagle No. 1”, etc. on the footer and each has some description inside.  Methinks you’d want 2 sets to display them properly.

Finally, what I’d like to know now is whether this is the only “Protected” series this insurance company put out.  If you know – if you have them, I hope you’ll share the info!