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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Antique 1920s Dennison's Broomed Witch Silhouettes / Seals (12) No. H-641 Rare

This boxed set of Dennison broomed witch illuminated silhouettes first appeared in their 1922 Bogie Book. Its RSIN is 4, so it isn't correct to refer to it as rare. I love collecting Dennison boxed goods, and would call the sub-genre one of my top 5 to collect. Dennison made some designs for many years and others for a single season. This is an example of the former. The sustainable guide value is $55, so the seller's opening bid of $154.99 will probably never be met. 

One Vintage Halloween 1950s GHOSTLY GRAVES with JOL FENCE TREE Rosen Candy Card

This is one of five cards comprising a complete set of what I call "Set B" made by Rosen in the late 1940s-early 1950s. All of the cards from this set are desirable and somewhat hard to find. Arguably, the best card is the one showing dancing skeletons, but this card is quite appealing in its own way. All cards from all sets can be seen on pages 90-92. 

08/17 Update: This Rosen card brought a strong $99, continuing a long trend wherein the five cards comprising this set, what I call Set B, each bring more than the guide value of $70 each. Perhaps the more accurate value id around $85 each. 

CATALOG COLLECTION OF VINTAGE HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS

08/09 Update: I received an email this morning from the seller shedding light on this listing. I have edited only the seller's name and direct contact information: 

Thank you for your message. If I understand correctly, you are selling the one copy you received as a gift years ago and are not making copies of that copy. If so, I can see why Ben Truwe would have no objection. (Ben sells CD copies of his Catalog Collection reference through his site (http://id.mind.net/~truwe/tina/horder.html) for $12 postpaid.) I was surprised at the number of emails I received from readers unhappy with their understanding of your listing. I do not have any idea who the Ebay user, EIYS, is. I will post this exchange on my site as an addendum to the original post, only editing out your name and contact information. Regards, MBL

Mark..saw your comments this morning on my listing of the Halloween catalog collection. Years ago I was given this copy as a gift from a fellow collector who made the copy for me. I decided to list it and didn't give much thought about it until I received a vile e-mail from someone who only signed the e-mail with the ebay user-name EIYS...know who they are? You know who I am and could have reached out to me first before putting this on your blog (which doesn't change anything). I got 'spooked' by the email, and took down the listing. Giving it further thought, I called Ben Truwe and told him the situation. and he assured me he has no problem with me listing it as a copy..nothing for me to worry about! I then spoke with ebay's TRUST AND SAFETY dept. and they told me that if the author is OK with it, they are also fine with the listing. I disclosed that it was a copy in the listing! They also suggested that I could report (EIYS) for 'harrassment' because of the language used in the e-mail. I'll probably do that. 
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I don't approve of this kind of thing. The seller, who should know better, is offering a COPY of what has become a rare Halloween reference, originally published by Ben Truwe's Talky Tina Press in 2003 with an errata from April 25, 2004. Although the seller is clear that this is a copy, what right does he have to attempt to profit from another person's work? I'm sure that Ben Truwe, who worked hard assembling what I've found to be a very helpful reference, would be taken aback at such a rip-off of intellectual property. 

Vintage Halloween Candy Holder G.M. Company

Items from this set have long been among my favorites due to their whimsical nature. Slot and tab construction enabled manufacturers like the General Merchandise Company to ship large quantities of cardboard candy holders throughout the United States for a relative pittance as they weigh little and lay flat. The G.M. Company made some cleverly designed and very rare candy holders and decorations. Although the set this particular candy holder is from isn't particularly rare, others are. Check out the two very desirable holders made by the G.M. Company on page 53, plus the magnificent table decoration on page 296. This seller is a friend and someone I wouldn't (and don't) hesitate to buy from. 

Tin Halloween Jack O' Lantern Parade Pumpkin Lantern Vintage

Several others have posted about this on the FB Vintage Halloween group, conveying their knowledge to the seller that this is a reproduction designed by Bruce Elsas and manufactured by Bethany Lowe about 7 years ago. The seller has refused to alter the listing in any way. I, myself, just sent an email to the seller (through Ebay) repeating what others have conveyed, plus letting them know it would be the subject of a blog post. I'd like to think that the seller is simply a naif rather than someone with ill intent. I'll monitor this listing. If nothing changes, I'll assume the seller is more of the latter than the former. This item, made in China, has decorative value only. DO NOT BE FOOLED!

08/08 Update: The seller never responded to my email, nor have they altered their listing in any way. The seller, regkel4, appears to be brazenly dishonest. 

08/12 Update: Some poor schmuck wasted $445 on this item, made by Bethany Lowe about 7 years ago. SHAME ON THIS DECEPTIVE SELLER! 

1940's Beistle Co Die Cut Laughing Donut Sitting On A Coffee Mug Cup WOW!

Beistle was truly scraping the very bottom of the creative barrel with most of the diecuts in the set to which this belongs. What does a laughing donut balanced on a coffee cup have anything to do with Halloween? 

08/05 Update: A faithful reader just filled me in on why Beistle would have included this design in a Halloween diecut set. Let Carol tell you in her own words:

"Hi Mark, about the doughnut.....You've probably been clued in already, if so please excuse me. In the old movie, "Meet Me In Saint Louis", there is a Halloween scene where the kids are given doughnuts instead of candy. Also, the returning GIs were quite taken with coffee and doughnuts because of the USO. Halloween didn't really go to the kids until the 50's. So, I guess a laughing doughnut in a cup of coffee was very Halloween-like.
Love your blog!"

I love information like this! Thanks so much for the information! You're a regular Nancy Drew!

08/09 Update: Another long-time reader shared her insight as to this diecut and the memories it conjures for her. Let Lisa tell you in her own words: 

"I really liked your post on the infamous coffee and doughnut die cut that surfaces on ebay now and again. I think that your reader was correct. It's an old time thing to be sure. When I was a little girl ( quite a long time ago ) there was an old Victorian house at the end of our street where 2 little old ladies lived. Every Halloween they would open up the doors and invite all of the children inside for their Halloween treats. The house was fantastic and filled with lots of really old things. There in the kitchen next to a huge, black cast iron stove there was a long table decorated with all manner of early Halloween decorations. The treats that they served were mugs of hot tea ( coffee for the grownups ) and platters of doughnuts. They always maintained that when they were young, that's what was proper fare for Halloween. I just loved going there but nearly all of the other kids didn't like it at all. They wanted to collect huge bags of candy and not stand around wasting time in some spooky old house eating stupid donuts with 2 little old ladies. The crowd dwindled but I continued to go there nearly every Halloween for many years... into adulthood. It is the very best memory in the world and the reason why I still love ( and collect ) Halloween today. Thanks to you and your reader ( and that silly little die cut ) for bringing that to mind today."
 

Vtg Die-Cut Black Americana Musician JOL Halloween Decoration 15.5" Germany Rare

This is a rare diecut, indeed, evidenced by its already strong price with over 2 full days to run on the auction. This is among  relative handful of German diecuts made in 1935 and shipped only to eastern Canada before the outflow of holiday goods from Germany was shut down for good until 1946. There are four designs comprising this set. You can see two of them in my book's third edition on page 171. 

08/05 Update: This sold for a strong $472.77. I say "strong" based on its poor condition. 

Vintage Halloween German Paper Mache Candy Containers NR

Someone wasted $200 plus shipping on this foursome. Contrary to the seller's claim that these are "vintage," whatever that means, these items weren't made prior to ~2000. They have decorative value only. I hope the buyer kissed those dollars goodbye before sending them down the drain. (I notice that the seller, as is so often the case, offers no definition of the word "vintage.") 

BOX FOR EMBOSSED GERMAN HALLOWEEN DIECUTS~1920'S~VERY EARLY DESIGNS~NO.669/45

Original boxes showcasing the various ways German diecuts were bundled and sold are quite a hot sub-genre at the moment. I sold one in my May auction (I'll be conducting another auction on this site in May 2016, again only open to those who have purchased a copy of my third edition.) for $425 and this very energetic box fetched $488.14. I've only seen this box design twice in 25 years of collecting. This very box, identifiable from the written markings, was sold on Ebay in early 2013, according to the photographic archives I've assembled, and now once again in 2015. An identical box, in better condition, sold in October of 2013. Other than these two examples, I've not seen this box design before. Kudos to both the seller - one of my favorites - and the buyer. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN MECHANICAL DIECUT TALLY~1920's~PROBABLY WHITNEY

This mechanical tally is such a cool item! The kinds of things produced in those long-past decades really had ingenuity. The maker is harder to pin down. Whitney seldom marked anything beyond their postcards, so the tip of the hat goes to that firm, out of business in the early 1940s, to be the maker. However, it could be from another manufacturer like Volland, Henderson Line, Rustcraft, etc. Both Beistle and Dennison can be eliminated, as can be Gibson. However, bottom line is that this is a great item that will strengthen any collection of tallies. I've never been able to locate one for the collection, evidenced by the one in my third edition coming from the inestimable Bobbie Lasky collection. (Bobbie is one of a handful of top-tier Halloween collectors in the United States.) 

Tin jack o lantern circa 1880-1900 approx.

This design was made in Toledo, Ohio starting in ~1905. It is the most common of the designs. Denuded like this, the sustainable value isn't more than the current bid level. (Since the profiling of one of these on American Pickers, prices have greatly risen, but I don't feel this increase is sustainable.)

08/02 Update: This item ended at $404, quite strong for something in this denuded condition.