Blog

Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

German Cardboard Die-cut Moon and Pumpkin Man Guaranteed Old 5" Diameter

This is a great example of this diecut in an unglazed state. As you know, many German diecuts were released after an additional "manufacturing" step of an application of a glaze coating. (Now, whether or not a diecut is glazed doesn't necessarily impact value - all else being equal.) An effect that glazing has is to better preserve the diecuts' original brighter colors. Glazed diecuts also have a sheen that tends to give them a sense of a greater depth. 

OLD HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CANDY CONTAINER

This is just one example of why Ebay has become such a lesser marketplace. These ATCO pulp JOLs are very common and not strongly desired. When they do sell, they typically do so in the range of $30-45. This seller lists one and asks $95. Reading the seller's listing verbiage it is apparent that he/she know nothing about the item. Replicate this again and again, couple it with those irritating sellers who list and re-list, never dropping their prices, and you can get a sense as to why I hardly sell on the site and am typically uninterested in browsing the listings. 

Happy New Year Everyone!

Welcome to 2014, faithful readers! I hope that your holidays were memorable - and for all the right reasons.

I've just finished trolling through listings on Ebay, icollect247 and RubyLane. The pickings are slim indeed. This time of the year tends to be pretty hardscrabble in terms of Halloween collectibles, something I'm not projecting to change for months and months. My intention is to post more often, but I am generally gated by things for sale on which I wish to comment. 

If you have specific questions or topics you'd like me to address, drop me a line and I'll do my best. 

Antique German Halloween GOOGLY EYE Candy Container Figure RARE H.C. CAPWELL

Boy, I am tired of this seller listing and re-listing this unwanted item. I could generalize and say that too many sellers simply list and re-list ad nauseum, rather than hearing the message from the market that no one wants their items at the prices offered. I feel sellers should only re-list if they drop the price substantially each time. I haven't checked, but I'll bet this piece has been offered at the same too-high price for over 18 months. Don't you think that Ebay should have a policy limiting the number of times a seller can re-list without lowering the price by a minimum percentage? Unfortunately, Ebay has become a crapyard except for a few months out of the year, and then only because of a few sellers. 

Large Dennison Floating Specter Halloween Die-Cut

Wow, another record-setting price from azpaperlady. I wonder who is bidding such large sums of money on damaged items? I wouldn't have thought that this item, with the serious tape blemish to its face, would bring such a strong price. Lately, I have seen an 8" version of this cool diecut being offered for sale. I think these smaller diecuts are fantasy items. There is no indication in any Dennison publication that this was made in two sizes. Be cautious!