The Forensic Examination and Analysis of Paper Matches

A brief discussion on the history and production of paper matches will be presented plus an overview of 10 key physical characteristics the analyst can determine when comparing a paper match to a book of matches. Also, a summary will be presented on the information that can be obtained by the examination and comparison of match heads and/or match stems by PLM, SEM-EDS, XRF, TLC, and MSP. In addition to these traditional techniques listed above, this presentation will discuss the value of characterizing the paper content of the match stems as well as the use of Adobe Photoshop in the comparison of the match stem color. Introduction Paperbook matches are sometimes encountered at crime scenes and submitted as evidence to a forensic laboratory. Arson and bombing incidents are the most common types of cases where matches are utilized in the commission of a crime. A match collected at a crime scene may be intact or partially burned and sometimes both types may be present. Match evidence becomes extremely important when a matchbook from a