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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

HTF Beistle Mechanical Bat & Hoot Owl Diecut Decorations in Original Envelope

If this is an example of the delights that await us all in late 2015 when this seller begins to sell in earnest, them I am chomping at the bit! What makes this exceptional, of course, is its condition. Just look at it! I have two envelopes in the collection, one shown on page 145 and one on page 219. Neither one is identical to the one being sold here. (It is interesting that there were at least three variations.) In any event, these sellers are top-notch. I wish many other Ebay sellers would take a page out of this seller's playbook in that they supply many high-quality photos, have razor-sharp descriptions and stand by their merchandise. I have been one of their customers and can personally attest that they'll treat you right. Significantly better than the set in the collection, I may very well be a bidder! 

1920's Vintage HALLOWEEN Pumpkin Girl CAT Die Cut Embossed Germany Decoration VG

This mini-diecut in one from a set shown on page 185 in the upper left. If you look carefully, you'll see that this is a variant from the ones typically seen. The one in the book shows a cat with much more definition to its fur and a somewhat longer tail. The edges of the cat of the one listed are much smoother. There are other, more subtle differences, so look closely. This is a variant I have not seen before, so even with its less-than-perfect condition, it should fetch some bigger dollars if there are at least two knowledgeable bidders involved by the end. 

08/14 Update: As I suspected, this variant did quite well, raking in $249.50. 

Rare ANTIQUE VINTAGE MADE IN GERMANY HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CHILD'S TEA CUP & SAUCER

I have always coveted pieces from the surprisingly varied porcelain tea set made in Germany beginning in 1908. The handled cups are harder to find than the non-handled variety, and the saucers are always a good score. For loads of information and photos of pieces in this set, please refer to pages 119-121 of my newly published third edition. 

Great candy container with glass eyes papermaché Halloween

I see a Germany-based seller is trying to off-load this fantasy piece. (Regular readers know never to buy any Halloween item from a Germany-based seller who claims the item is vintage. German artisans pre-1950 sold everything they made for export. Know your history.) This seller has the unimaginative Ebay handle of candycontainer. Why not change it to buymyfakecandycontainers? 

Vintage Halloween Fortune Teller Game HTF Halloween Witch and JOL Party Game

As I write on page 125, "Because of how this game was meant to be used, less than ~40 complete examples are known. (About 20 of these were discovered in an old drugstore in Kentucky and were sold at auction in Ohio several years ago. These have been filtering into the marketplace since, greatly reducing the value of this item for the short and medium terms.)" This may be a good "parts" item to pick up. 

1920s Beistle vintage Johnny Pumpkin w/owl 11 in. stand up Halloween decoration

I hope to see many more Johnny Pumpkin iterations listed this season, as I've always liked them. The seller has pointed out several condition issues with this item. Here are two more: The protrusion at the top of the head is missing. Although not always part of the design, it was with this particular one. Also, this item has had its fair share of sun, or exposure to light, as it is quite faded. If you want to see a nice assortment of Johnny Pumpkin designs, check out pages 122-124 of my newly published third edition. 

08/06 Update: Even with numerous condition issues, this item fetched $45.77, a very strong result! 

RARE Vintage Halloween Beistle Green Witch Diecut USA 1950s, Large, Hard-to-Find

Beistle issued some quirky diecuts in the later 1950s - sort of a last gasp of creativity before they largely folded up their tent and yielded to the wave of forgettable, cutesy designs prevalent at that time and continuing deep into the 1990s. This is one of those diecuts. The set of three are puzzlingly difficult to find in mint condition. The defects in this piece shouldn't be held too much against it in terms of acquisition, but would certainly affect the price. 

08/08 Update: I changed the sentence immediately above to better express my feelings on condition. There is no doubt that this is a piece to covet, but with nearly all such things, condition greatly impacts price. In this example, the notable defects caused it to fetch $136.16, still a strong price, but nowhere near what it would have fetched had the condition been better. 

Vintage HALLOWEEN Sucker Holder E. Rosen Black Cat on Fence

I am surprised to see this seller offering this remnant without making clear in his listing that this is merely the upper half of a Rosen Trix or Treats sucker holder card. Describing it as unused with light wear doesn't make sense. Look at the photo of an entire card on page 90. You can see where some person clipped along the rise of the Trix or Treats boxed logo. 

This is merely a remnant and therefore has zero collectible value. I am hoping ddavidd will cancel the bids on this and his similarly damaged cards and pull the auctions. (Shaking my head...)

Halloween Bobble head. Paper Mache. Vintage

Although well-crafted, this is not a vintage item. It was made by Stamm House sometime within the last few years and has no vintage value. (Notice the mark on the bottom of the base. Without that mark, other clues to its recent manufacture are the smoothness of the finish, the soft colors and the granular nature of the base.) 

Antique Vintage Halloween Witch Pirate Roly Poly Celluloid Figures Dimestore

These are certainly two rare celluloid items. I especially like the corn pirate. Very cool. The seller doesn't point out two things that affect condition: The nose of the pirate and one of the shoes on the witch are pushed in. Both may be repairable, but be cognizant of these issues when formulating your maximum bid. 

08/01 Update: These sold for the bell weather price of $1,005. See many, many more high-end celluloid pieces on pages 110-115. 

RARE Boogie house for Ghosts and spooks box Halloween 1950's

This fantastic item looks complete to me. It wasn't designed to have a bottom as I feel it was made to fit over a box of candy, probably made by Brach's. David is wise not to fold it up, since these were not designed to be done and undone. I bought mine flat, folded it once, and now it serenely sits in one of my many display cases. 

Thanks for the shout-out about my new edition!

07/30 Update: This neat, fragile item brought $81, slightly below guide. 

1920's Halloween tin shaker with cow, spooky tree, cat & JOL

Matthew Kirscht, who did a bang-up job laying out my newly published third edition, feels the same unknown manufacturer responsible for this great shaker also made the four-sided bell-shaped noisemaker that brings relatively significant dollars even though it surfaces regularly. He subtly placed these two items next to each other on page 207. Check them out!

SUPER RARE Vintage Halloween Black Face Jack o Lantern Diecut Standup, Germany

This is a difficult German diecut to score in this near-mint condition. The Germans made several iterations of this general design in two sizes. This differs from the one shown on page 171 of my newly published reference not by the solid eyes and mouth, but because of the teeth. (Look at the same-sized example at the upper right [second photo] and compare that one's teeth to the one ziz is offering for sale.) The German diecuts have a surprising number of such subtle variations. In any event, this is a wonderful example, proven by the lofty price level this has already attained with over one week yet to go. 

08/03 Update: This wonderful item brought an astounding $576, well, well, well higher than guide.