The 10 Coolest Vintage Cheese Labels

Everyone loves collecting things - from stamps to mugs, seashells to cards, and more. But have you ever heard of cheese label collecting? Well, believe it or not - it's a real thing!

The true name is Tyrosemiophilia. Breaking it down, the meaning is a bit murky: in ancient Greek, tyro means cheese, semio is a sign or label, and philos is love. The term refers to collecting the cheese labels that have been affixed to French Camembert's round wooden boxes for over 100 years.

Each label is a mini work of art! There are an immense variety of themes from animals, flowers, historical personages, and beautiful scenery.

Club Tyrosemiophile de France (CTF), established in 1960, holds yearly conferences where members can trade labels and share stories behind the cheesemakers and artists who created them!

The club now owns a collection of several million labels. It recently moved its headquarters to the Camembert Museum in Vimoutiers, Normandy, and plans to digitize is collection of labels so that museum visitors can view them on a screen and print out the ones they enjoy!

One passionate French Camembert label collector, and the current president of CTF, is Serge Schéhadé, a retired stockbroker who lives in Paris. He created a website of the history of cheese labels, detailing the background of many dairies which are no longer in existence.

Thanks to Schéhadé, there is a vast collection of art to explore at the click of a button! Here are my personal top 10 coolest vintage cheese labels! (All images via Schéhadé's website - Camembert Museum)