...I don't even like to buy matchbooks (or collect them, for that matter) if there are no matches in the matchbooks.

I know about the safety factor and all...but for me, I would rather have a matchbook with only ONE match left in it (or none, with the bottom cardboard and staple left in) than to have an unstapled, flattened matchbook.

For me, and in my humble opinion, if a matchbook is unstapled and flattened out, it's no longer a matchbook...it's just an interesting piece of printed cardboard.