Unusual small paper has been on fire over the last year. This result far exceeds what I would have expected. The tombstone and graveyard motif is underused in vintage Halloween design, and that may have contributed to this eyebrow raising result. You can't go wrong with this seller - truly a gem in our fun field. I wish this piece was marked. It is definitely not Dennison nor Beistle. It doesn't strike me as a Gibson item. Whitney?
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween Catalog Book: Candy Container Die Cut Lantern JOL Witch Cat
Wow! This excellent reference sure is bringing a pretty penny. Ben should re-issue this so more collectors can afford to get a copy.
09/25 Update: High prices are flushing out other copies. As with so many other instances, the first movers get the best price. A copy sold today for only $102.50.
20 VINTAGE 1950'S HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN JACK-O-LANTERN PARTY INVITATIONS UNUSED
Buzza was known for many innovative designs. Their output is avidly collected - and most of the time I get why. In this case, I don't see the attraction for these to have sold for over $27 each. The design is plain and uninspired. As is so often the case when something sells for significantly more than is sustainable, two bidders were vying for supremacy.
Halloween Witch Black Cat Cardboard Candy Holder E. Rosen Company Lantern
I have never seen this Rosen candy box before. Every once in a while some new Rosen-made artifact surfaces to my surprise. They were surely prolific with their designs! Rosen-made items are difficult to date with accuracy. They left few clues to help collector/curators like me. The acme of Rosen paper is surely their various "Pops" boxes. Check out pages 116-118 for a nice selection in the collection.
Vintage Halloween German Porcelain Jam Pot
This superb item was made in Germany between 1908 and 1932, with a bias toward the earlier time frame. The seller is correct in stating that the top edge is typically rough and cannot be considered a flaw. I personally looked this very item over some years back and can attest to its quality. In my opinion, the leaf repair can be done better. A qualified restorer could make this jam pot's lid leaf look nearly as good as new. The RSIN on this item is a "1," making it exceedingly rare. If you collect German porcelain - and what discerning collector wouldn't want to - snap this item up.
09/19 Update: This sold for an astounding $1,225!
Vintage Super Small Halloween German Pumpkin Lantern
This near-mint diminutive JOL was made in West Germany during the 1950s. These typically sell for between $75 - 125. Whenever you see the mark, Container Made in Germany, you can assuredly date the marked item to the 1950s. You cannot go wrong doing business with this seller!
Early Halloween Folded Candy Holder OWL 3.25" ~ Used / folded
This is an item clipped from a 1930s Whitman Halloween Party Book. Several designs appeared on a page and were meant to be clipped and used as place cards. The entire book typically changes hands for $50-65, so I feel the price for the three designs from the book this seller is offering is too high.
Vintage Orig. 1923 "Halloween Party Decorations" 30 Pcs. Beistle Co. Org. Env.
Beistle made three iterations of their 1923 party set: boxed, enveloped and in a booklet form. (The latter was produced with both orange pages and white pages. The color of the pages doesn't seem to impact value.) The boxed and enveloped sets are quite a bit harder to find than the booklet form. The envelopes of the enveloped set are nearly always in poor shape, as was this example. Still, it nearly reached SGV of $400.
1930s Vintage Paper Halloween Light Lamp Lantern Owl Unusual
I wish I had remembered to place a bid on this rare shade. It is quite nice - one that I've not seen before. Gibson wasn't diligent about marking their goods, so it is possible this shade was made by them. I haven't seen it in their catalogs I have on file, so cannot be sure. I do think the ending price was in the right neighborhood.
Vintage HALLOWEEN 4 STACKED PUMPKIN JOL w/ CREPE PAPER HONEYCOMB HAYSTACK - USA
Beistle produced at least two table decoration designs that incorporated their signature honeycomb onto a diecut backdrop. They produced these only during the 1957-58 seasons. I don't feel they were big sellers. Not only did Beistle cut off production rather abruptly but you simply never see them. This is only the second time I've seen this in nearly 30 years of avid collecting. A friend of mine snagged this by floating a BIN offer to the seller. Although the offer was a generous one in that it exceeded SGV, I have to wonder what this item would have brought if the auction would have proceeded from the original starting price of $19.99. Refer to page 228 for the other Beistle design from 1957-1958.
Beistle Vintage Halloween Fortune Crystal Game Early 40's VERY Nice!
I don't understand why some collectors feel this has a connection to Halloween. Although it is a fortune game, that fact doesn't connect it to Halloween any more than a fortune cookie at your favorite Chinese food restaurant connects to Halloween. Because this game has no graphical connection to Halloween, I've never included it in any edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN ORIGINAL BLACK CAT CENTERPIECE GIBSON 1920'S
This rare table centerpiece was produced by Gibson during the later 1920s. It is nice to see one perfectly intact. It is more common to see individual sides wrongly offered as diecuts. SGV is $200. I don't recall seeing such a nice example of this centerpiece for many years.
1918 Vintage Besitle Halloween bat nut cup with an extra base party set, HTF!
Pieces from Beistle's very first boxed party set are tough to get. In my view, the bug base is the best one they issued. The 1918 set consisted of 74 different items. If you like the design aesthetic from this early effort (...and who wouldn't?), snap this trio up before somebody else does.
Flea Market Decor Article
The latest issue (Nov/Dec 2017) of Flea Market Decor hit the shelves today. It contains a profusely illustrated six page article on vintage Halloween collectibles. A portion from the fun interview I did with the writer is also included. Make sure you pick up a copy.
Fantastic vintage 1935 Beistle 57"" "Dangling Skeleton" with original envelope!!
This is a tough item to find in collectible condition. The seller is correct - this is a large, impressive item. The asking price is too high. SGV is $175. He has placed a "Make Offer" option to the listing, so he knows the asking price is aggressive. If you want this great item, I feel the outer edge of the pricing atmosphere is $225.
09/06 Update: Someone with a deep pocket actually paid $345 for this, surely a new record.
