Ebay has largely become a junkyard but now and then a wonderful piece does turn up - like this exceedingly rare German crow diecut. Heavily embossed, this design simply doesn't surface often, especially in this seemingly flawless condition. The mate to it, showing a crow in three-quarter profile, is much more common. Made during the 1920s, both members of the set can be seen on page 172.
07/27 Update: Wow!! This rare diecut brought a very strong $440.
This great lantern is being offered by a very knowledgeable collector and a long-time friend, so you can bid with absolute confidence. F.N. Burt Company of Buffalo, NY was a prolific producer of pulp goodies for a wide range of holidays. I feel their Halloween items were some of their best output. This devil head lantern with its original insert is a desirable and eye-catching one to have amidst your displays. Too many sellers these days offer poor photos, then stipulate that said photos are part of the description, so I appreciate Jason's clear pictures.
07/27 Update: This super devil head lantern brought a very strong $393.89. Kudos!
Some very optimistic seller, and one who is woefully unfamiliar with our fun hobby, is offering this trio of uber-common hard plastic witches for a BIN of $799.99. Any takers?
This is a very rare form of this design. I've only seen this small form factor tin litho noisemaker a handful of times since I began collecting in 1988. Even with the noticeable wear, I feel the buyer got a solid bargain. A similar item, although made much earlier, can be seen on page 192.
Wow, this price is so good that if someone wants the one photographed for my book and appearing on page 283 of my third edition, send me a check for $50, which includes shipping!
SOLD!
This is an extraordinary result for a somewhat common fortune and stunt game in this condition. These nicely designed games were issued by Beistle from 1955-1961. In unused condition, these typically fetch around $100, so someone really wanted this well-used item. As in nearly all such instances, this result came about by just two determined bidders. If you look at the bidding history, these two ratcheted the price up between them to this level, certainly making the surprised seller ecstatic.
This tambourine is in pretty rough shape, so I am surprised someone was willing to pay $225 for it. Sustainable guide value for one in near-mint condition is $250, and this one is in fair to good condition only. Especially when buying tin items, condition matters. These were made in great quantities during the 1920s, and even though that was a long time ago, many are still around that would display better than this one. If you are going to pay top dollar, insist on top quality.
I seriously doubt that this item was made as a unit in the 1920s. The box was made around that time but the item inside doesn't appear to be old. It is too bright, and lacks all of the characteristics of an authentic German item. In my judgment, this is a married item with no collectible value. I think the larger collecting community realized this, hence the ending price, a paltry amount if this would have been the real deal.
This is actually a remnant of a candy box made by Candy Crafters, Inc. of Lansdowne, PA during the 1950s. Complete examples will have a small box for candy attached to the back. As such, this has no collectible value, versus complete examples that typically trade for $45. A companion box can be seen on page 56.
This seller must feel he/she has stumbled upon a rare noisemaker as it is being offered for $49.99. This item was manufactured by U.S. Metal Toy sometime during the early 1960s. All of the major manufacturers were using plastic handles by that time as they were cheaper than the previously used material, wood. I've always liked the winsome design of this tin litho item. These typically trade for ~$20.
I eagerly awaited the end of this auction, as I've been searching for Dennison Price List pamphlets from any point in the 1930s for decades. Prior to this listing, I had never seen one from 1932, one of only two years during which Dennison did not publish a Bogie Book or one of their similarly titles annual publications. I put in a very high bid, wanting this to fill in some gaps in my knowledge of just what Dennison actually offered during this time, what stock numbers they used, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to scoop up this valuable and uber-rare pamphlet for a mere $10.50! I received it today and it is, frankly, better than I expected.
There is some controversy over just how old these designs really are. Blumchen's imported these in the 1990s along with similar but smaller squeakers on painted sticks. Although I do feel these are somewhat earlier, they don't date any older than sometimes in the 1960s, so bid accordingly.
07/14 Update: These items brought $104.49, a strong price considering the controversy over just how old they really are.
This large German diecut, made during the early 1930s, is not often found in this stellar condition. The colors are rich and the embossing appears to be quite deep. Although these surface with great regularity, this may be the diecut with which you can buy anew or buy to upgrade. RSIN = 4. Sustainable guide value is ~$150.
07/14 Update: This brought a strong $202.49. Even though guide value was greatly surpassed, when might you see another in such pristine condition?
This is a wonderful item, showing some rare Dennison creations available almost certainly in the early 1930s. Because these are not actual diecuts but instead printed images comprising a salesman sample, to display them is impractical. It is for this reason that I wasn't a bidder. For me, the value of this listing comes from the data imparted by the inclusion of stock numbers on each page.
One hot sub-genre seems to be German skeleton diecuts. I've noticed a rapid increase in what these jointed items bring over the last year. This is the second largest version, measuring 36" high. The largest, profoundly impactful, measures ~50" high. I've only seen the largest version a handful of times.
