There are several things I don't like about this listing. The seller, with zero feedback even though they've been an Ebay member for over two years, claims that this celluloid item is "...Hard to find in such good condition these days..." even though the condition is demonstrably poor. Also, the seller has weirdly included a redacted photo of me with a redacted caption taken from an article some years back on vintage Halloween collecting. I guess the intended implication is that I was referring to the same item being sold. I wasn't. Turn to page 116 for a photo of a duplicate of the item to which I was referring. That one was worth the price it fetched because it was interesting, possessed great detailing and was in mint condition. This one - not so much.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
1910's Vintage HALLOWEEN DIE CUT CAT Decoration - Tabletop CREPE Luhrs,Beistle
Actually, this great Beistle decoration was made only from 1951-56. As I write on page 245, "Beistle adopted the hand-lettered instructions look during this time period. Although generally not marked, most Beistle items from this era can be safely identified by this hand-lettered design element."
22 Asst. VINTAGE 1950's-60's HALLOWEEN Witch/Black Cat/Owl TRICK or TREAT Bags
This result surprises me because there has never been much of a market for these bags. When they sell at all, they typically don't bring more than a dollar or so each.
vintage Halloween early Dennison diecut Candle w/Cat face flame & spooky face
I may be exaggerating, but this has to be one of the finest single designs Dennison ever produced. The detail and the care with which this little gem was obviously endowed sets it apart from so many other things Dennison produced. As I point out on page 214, notice the cat face in the flames, the candle's expression and how the cats along the base skew to give the effect of a rounded base. These typically trade for strong dollars. Given the condition (There seems to be only two flakes of surface paper off of the flame section.), I suspect this will be also true with this particular listing.
8/23 Update: This brought very strong dollars indeed: $193.51.
Vintage 1940s Halloween Decoration Collectable Black Cats w/ Pumpkin
This listing made me laugh out loud. The seller states that it is in "...really nice condition" with "...no flaws to report." Can anyone else "see through" the mistake?
Antique German Halloween Clown Jack O Lantern
For you newer collectors, this design, along with seven other designs, suddenly began appearing for sale at shows in the middle 1990s. Although possibly made in Germany, these otherwise have no history prior to that time and are known as fantasy items. They have no collectible value. Unfortunately, lots of collectors have bought these faux items. They have percolated into many collections throughout the country.
VINTAGE DENNISON BEISTLE ? DIECUT CARDBOARD CUTOUT HALLOWEEN WITCH MINT
I don't agree with the seller that this diecut might very well have been made by Beistle. Although Beistle did produce a remarkably similar diecut in the 1960s, this one for sale has little of its predecessor's charm or detail. I suspect this diecut was made by a local manufacturer in the 1960s with little marketing or distribution muscle to widely disperse the design.
09/04 Update: As I now know from a listing now active on Ebay, this rather plain diecut was produced in the early 1960s in Japan and packaged as an offering by Favorline, a small firm out of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
UNIQUE VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CUTOUTS
Although I've seen small diecuts surface quite often over the years, I have never seen them fetch such a high price. I would have thought they should have brought no more than about $40 each on a very good day. Congratulations to the seller!
Vintage Halloween Ephemera Black Cat Place Cards Deco Lady Nut Cup Candy Holder
Note that the three black cat place cards (made by Gibson with a stock number of 1889) are all missing the small flower tassel at the end of the hat. Although this great seller most assuredly does not have a complete example to which to refer, keep these missing tassels in mind when deciding on the amount of your bid. A photo of a complete place card can be found on page 213.
11 Antique Die Cut Halloween Jack O'Lantern Pumpkin Cardboard Cut-Outs w/ String
These are JOLs issued by Beistle in the early 1920s. There was at least one packaging iteration. Beistle sold these dual-sided JOLs five to an envelope with a stock number of 592.
VINTAGE / ANTIQUE BEISTLE HALLOWEEN HAT W/ HONEYCOMB CREPE PAPER TOP - FAIRIES
It is heartening to see some rarer items popping up on Ebay of late. This hat with a fairy motif was made by Beistle in the 1920s. It is one of a set of 6 that were packaged together in a very colorful envelope. I have only seen the envelope surface twice and have never been able to obtain one for the collection. Others from the set can be found on page 203. The prices for these hats have increased fairly substantially since 2007. I would expect this hat, which appears to be in excellent condition, to fetch in excess of $200.
08/14 Update: The hat brought a remarkably strong $260, showcasing just how hot early and rare Beistle items remain.
Antique Halloween large Beistle lantern ICONIC!! 1930-31 STUNNING!
Wow, I love this listing for so many reasons! First off, this is an awesome piece. Second, the seller, someone who I am quite impressed with and whom I will add to my list of endorsed dealers tonight is selling this the right way - with an itty-bitty opening price, no reserve and with an auction format willing to entertain zero behind the curtain BIN offers. Third, this great seller details the imperfections minutely, even though the imperfections are, in fact, minute. (As an aside, this has to be one of the finest such examples of this lantern that has come up for sale in this venue in years. Oh if it was the smaller version!!) Lastly, I appreciate the care he is showing toward this piece in explaining that it will be shipped as is so as not to "...stress the old cardboard any more than I have to." Sir, you have provided me with quite a spark indeed. Collectors, if you don't have this item in your collection, now is the time to pony up.
08/14 Update: The final gavel price for this simply superb lantern was $1,613.00, which according to my records is a record price with the next lower selling price significantly below this level. I think the lessons here are several: near-mint items carry a huge premium, the auction format works if engaged properly and being a seller with a good reputation is a strong factor. Congratulations!
VNTG DIE-CUT halloween decorations 2 Jack-o-lanterns w/ HATs excellent Condition
These two small diecuts were made by Beistle in the early 1950s. They are two to a set of eight. The JOL witch face is one of the harder to find pieces to the set. The smoking JOL is my favorite simply due to the fact that depictions of smoking in such genres is exceptionally rare. The complete set can be seen on page 140.
German Composition Halloween goblin witch candy container
OK, the dearth of quality items on Ebay recently has been dispiriting, but does that explain this astounding result? Whomever the buyer was on this rather common German composition candy container will not soon be able to recoup the purchase price, which was about triple what this candy container typically brings. Another jaw-dropping aspect of this auction was that the condition of this diminutive witch was far from perfect given it was chipped and quite dirty. Who would actually drop that kind of money on this kind of item?
Early vtg Halloween German paper litho JOL Pumpkins Horn w/crepe paper TALL
It is amazing that this horn brought $80 with two significant condition issues: a missing wood mouth piece and a hole. This horn is hard-to-find and came in several sizes. The largest such horn I have seen is ~19".
