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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

American Pickers Appraisal - Backstory

Many of you may have seen the new episode of American Pickers shown on History on May 13th called, "A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall." About 15 minutes in, the segment that I filmed with Danielle in LeClaire, Iowa on January 20, 2015 begins. It lasts about 3.5 minutes, winnowed down from a tad more than 2 hours of actual filming. 
Here's some background. In December, the show's Supervising Field Producer, Ben, contacted me through my site asking for me to call to help him better understand a pick Mike Wolfe had made in Maine. After our initial contact he sent me some photos and we spoke again. I told him about the parade lantern, sketching its history and where it fit in the overall sweep of that early period in the commercialization of Halloween. That same day, he invited me to come to LeClaire to film a segment in January. 
The specific date to film was January 20, not too convenient since I take a trip to Las Vegas for three nights every January. This year's trip was scheduled for January 16-19. Ben said there wouldn't be a problem flying me in from Las Vegas on the 19th and flying me back to Sacramento on the 20th. So, after three days of Las Vegas fun staying in a suite at my favorite hotel, the Four Seasons, I traveled to Moline, Illinois. Unfortunately, I had a distracting cold at the time so I was pretty bushed when I landed at the very small airport and found a cab able to take me to the Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, Iowa, where I stayed for the one night.  
I was asked to be in the lobby at 9:30 to meet the car that Ben had arranged to drive me both to and from Antique Archaeology. The elevator stopped at the third floor and who walked in but Danielle and the manager of the LeClaire location, Emily. (Danielle lives in Chicago and is not in LeClaire on a daily basis.) Stepping in, Emily was saying that the day would involve interviewing a Halloween expert. Danielle replied that she didn't want to know anything more as she wanted to approach the shoot fresh. I decided to introduce myself anyway and was greeted warmly. They left in Emily's car while I got into the hired car and proceeded to LeClaire. The driver pointed out local landmarks as we made the ~20 minute journey to the set. 
It was somewhat surreal seeing Antique Archaeology in person. I've watched the show since its inception and was surprised that the lot was as small as it is and that it was located on one side of a residential area. The original building had sheets over the roll-up door and a sign out front saying it was closed due to filming. (There were many tourists all during the 3.5 hours I was there. One even boldly walked in wondering what was going on!) The newly built structure is to the left of the original building as you view the lot from the street and is much closer to the original structure than I would have thought. There isn't much for sale in either structure except tourist swag like tees, books and other souvenirs. I walked in to what looked to be a converted garage and was immediately greeted by Danielle and Emily. Turning right, I went into the large open space where there was much activity. 
Many people were scrambling around setting up for the shoot. Look at the second photo. From left to right are Ben, the Supervising Field Producer; Jeremy, sound engineer; Tyler, cameraman; Cory, production assistant and Mike, cameraman. Jeremy immediately wired me for sound and Ben let me know how they wanted to shoot the sequence. 
Now, I was not coached in any way as to what to say or what value to reach. The only artifice was that I was told that the conceit of the show is that the show doesn't exist. I wasn't to let on that I knew that Mike or Frank have anything to do with the business, that I knew who Danielle was or that I knew anything more than I was "in the area having been asked to look at a vintage Halloween object." So, the opening of the segment when I walk in and ask if Danielle is Danielle is completely staged. 
That opening segment was done over 5 takes. The first three had me walking in the door, whereas the final two have the shot starting with me already inside. I believe that the take shown was the first one. Ben felt I was too stiff the first time, so proceeded with the second take that was marred by the door clomping closed behind me. The third take was rendered unusable as a passing train blew its whistle just as I opened the door. A separately shot segment shows me walking into the main room where the parade lantern awaited. 
The appraisal segment was filmed over about 1.75 hours and was really fun. Danielle was witty, friendly, and totally into the segment, being a fan of vintage Halloween herself. She kept the atmosphere playful, as did the people working to get the segment filmed. The cutaway shot shown wherein I introduce myself was filmed last as part of a question and answer session Ben filmed right before I left for the airport. 
The parade lantern was, in Mike's words, roached. It looked worse in person than it looked on the program. Given the condition, I appraised it for $600, but feel a better valuation would have been $600-700. Except to someone wanting something actually shown on TV, it should not sell for anything above that. As you know, these are not uncommon. 
Bottom line, I was treated like a king. The flights were convenient, the hotel superb and the car a real luxury as I didn't wish to worry about renting a car or driving in snow. (As it happened, there was just a hint of snow on the ground then.) They paid for everything! Danielle was gracious, supportive of my expertise and presence and just nice. The crew was the same. It was a very fun and satisfying experience. 
Up until the segment aired on May 13, I was concerned that I'd look like hell having had virtually no rest while in Vegas and being afflicted with a bad cold. Although at times I feel I looked like Gollum on a good day, overall I was pleased with the amount of information the editors allowed to be conveyed in the nearly 3.5 minute segment. 
The first photo shows Danielle and me at the end of the shoot. The second shows the crew. The third shows the original building where the filming took place taken from the door of the new structure. The fourth shows the new structure. The fifth shows Danielle's desk with a copy of my third edition! The sixth shows the view of Danielle's desk as you walk in. The final photo shows the main area of the original building. The stairway leads up to a loft where tubs of swag are stored and where Emily's desk is located. It is a comfortable space with a couch and another work station. 

Vintage Halloween Doorstop Witch and Cat Cast Iron HH05171510

The seller broadly states that this is door stop was made in the 20th Century. 100 years is a very wide range. When was this actually made? Let me help: This item was not made at any point in the 20th Century. It was made no earlier than 2005 and quite possibly just a few days ago. If you want a sweet knickknack with no collectible value, this may be the thing for you. If you want a truly vintage Halloween item, keep looking. 

05/20 Update: Sorry to see that someone wasted $59.99 on this newly made item. 

Shiverbones Kirscht vintage Beistle Halloween Inspired "Frightful Fence" die cut

I am so glad that some smart collector snapped this up right away. Matthew Kirscht is one of the most talented contemporary artists working in the Halloween genre today. (I would argue he is the most talented.) Matthew, a long-time friend of mine, designed and laid-out my third edition. To all of those who have expressed your deep satisfaction with the look of the new third edition, swivel your eyes Matthew's way. I was lucky enough to grab one of the original large fences several years ago and it now adorns the side of a large dollhouse I use to house 30-40 German Halloween candy containers. Matthew needs to produce similar diecut items. I have often told him I will take one of every such thing he makes! 

ESTATE #476-VINTAGE HALLOWEEN PRINTED CARDBOARD DIECUT MOON FACE + WITCH DETAIL

It is great to see such a nice diecut surface amid all the dreck that is on Ebay right now. (Ebay has really become a junkyard, albeit one in which the occasional gem can be found and in which several quality dealers still endeavor to provide quality items. Overall, though, Ebay has long ago lost control over the integrity of their categories. For instance, they have allowed a seller to list and re-list a white tractor seat in the Vintage Halloween category. Really?) OK, off the soapbox and on to this great diecut. This is a visually arresting piece to add to your collection. It is one of a set of four diecuts Beistle issued during the mid-1950s. As a write on page 158, "Having an item like this witch separately attached to a diecut is unusual. More labor is required and the chance for defects increases the risk of returns. This may account for the mere three season run this diecut enjoyed." 

05/24 Update: This super diecut sold for a very strong $372. I feel the cited values for this set of diecuts are now too low. Instead of $175-200 for each of the four depending on design, I feel sustainable guide value should be $250-325. 

Thanks To All Those...

I'd like to thank all those discriminating collectors who participated in my recent auction! I offered 78 lots of terrific vintage Halloween items and 70 lots sold, many for record-setting amounts. It was a lot of fun (and work), made even more so by reconnecting with so many fine and knowledgeable collectors. 

The market is obviously hungry for quality items offered by a trusted source. 

I plan to host another auction in about one year. Once again, only those who have purchased a copy of my new third edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles will be eligible to participate. 

Thanks again, everyone!

PS: I'll be re-instating my For Sale page in the next few days. 

 

History's American Pickers: Parade Lantern Appraisal Will Air May 13

I've been alerted that the segment showing my appraisal of the parade lantern on History's American Pickers will air tomorrow, Wednesday, May 13. The name of the episode is, "A Hard Rain Is Gonna Fall." Below is the verbiage from my original post on the subject from February 20: 

I watched The Maineiacs episode of History's American Pickers when it aired Wednesday and was excited to see the Mike Wolfe’s discovery of the tin parade lantern. I was honored to have been asked to provide an on-air appraisal of the item with Danielle Colby at the Antique Archeology location in LeClaire, Iowa. This appraisal was given on January 20th. The entire experience was a great deal of fun. Danielle is just as warm and gracious as she appears to be on camera. The appraisal segment will air in the near future. I’ll be sure to give you all a heads-up as to when that airing will occur. Given that they say the camera adds 10 pounds, I’m both excited and apprehensive at the prospect. Once it does air, I’ll share some behind the scenes experiences and some photos I took during my time there. What I can say now is that the American Pickers’ team, both in front of and behind the camera, is professional, fun and made this writer feel very welcome and valued!

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN PAPER MACHE JACK O LANTERN PUMPKIN 1930'S " NICE"

This seller, christmaslady51, is precisely the kind of dealer I despise. She has listed (and relisted!) this item as being a vintage one, even though she has been alerted to its lack of age by at least three collectors. She simply responds, "Thanks," and does nothing else. Is she hoping to take advantage of some new collector, wanting to off-load something clearly and sadly made offshore, perhaps as recently as last week? This abomination, with its faux-distress and curly handle, shouldn't fool anyone. Ask yourself, if it was truly old why would it be damaged in the areas the photos show? It makes no sense. To paraphrase a recent US president, Christmaslady51, tear down this listing!