Match cover or a matchbook cover is a thin piece of cardboard that is folded around a set of match sticks. Chemist, John Walker (1781-1859) invented the match stick in 1827. Joshua Pusey (1842-1906?), an inventor and attorney patented matchbook covers in 1892. The largest manufacturer of matches at the time was the Diamond Match Company which purchased the patent in 1894.

Some of the earliest adopters of advertising on matchbook covers are the Mendelson Opera Company and Pabst Brewing Company. Within a short time hotels, restaurants, airlines, and all kinds of stores began advertising using matchbook covers. The 1940s through the 1950s are considered the golden age for matchbooks. The match industry began to decline during the mid-1980s/early 1990s as anti-smoking campaigns, disposable lighters, and high labor costs began to rise.

Matchbook cover collecting was a hobby akin to stamp or coin collecting. The official term for match cover collecting is Phillumeny.