Whenever you see a tin litho item marked "Life of the Party," you know two things immediately: Kirchhof produced the item and the item was produced during the 1950s. Even if this witch face tambourine wasn't marked, you should deduce it is of more recent vintage by the bright colors used. Contrast it with one made with muted colors during the 1930s shown on page 215.
Blog
Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage 1930s Halloween Party Invitation Card #1
This pop-up witch invite was produced by Beistle during the late 1920s. They produced another pop-up design a few years later featuring a scarecrow. To my knowledge, the scarecrow design hasn't come up for sale in many years. Check it out on page 223.
09/11 Update: This sold for less than expected - $44.
Antique Halloween Beistle Arched Black Cat Die Cut
I sometimes shake my head at these results. What are people thinking? This diecut surfaces regularly and typically sells for about half of this ending price. Looking at the bidding history, as is almost always in such cases, the sky-high result is due to two determined bidders. Although I am VERY happy for the seller, one of the best on eBay, my counsel to collectors - especially newer ones - is to take a breather and use a service like eSnipe so as to guard against getting caught up in auction fever. Results like this heighten my fear that my long-time hobby is getting too expensive for the typical collector.
Two antique Halloween JOL & Funny Face Lapel Pins
This seller left money on the table by listing this pair of lapel pins for a BIN of $10. Although you could toss the one on the right in the trash, the JOL face pin is worth considerably more than $10, perhaps 20 times more. I don't understand why sellers list things they know nothing about for a BIN price. (By stating they were from the 1950s, the seller signals their lack of knowledge in the same way using tongs for tongues indicates only a glancing acquaintance with spelling.)
Rare Vintage Dennison Halloween Screaming Cat Face Lantern - Shade. 1930's
Dennison's output from the late 1920s through the early 1930s is sought after. Like so many other industrial concerns in the very early 1930s, their output was curtailed by the onset of what became known as the Great Depression. This simple shade was produced at that time. It is hard to find period, much less in the condition this fine seller is offering. Don't let this one get away!
09/11 Update: This went for an unsustainable price of $355.
Vintage Halloween Beistle Witch Jack O Lantern fold-out-basket Pat. 1925 ~Rare~
A fair number of these Beistle favor baskets have surfaced recently, but I think this is the first one of this design. In my judgment, it is the strongest design of the four Beistle issued from 1927-1931. This one is rough. The seller really should provide more photos.
Antique Halloween Dance Card With Cats
The graphics on this great dance card are both simple and compelling. The cats seem to be focused on having fun. Dance cards as a sub-genre of small paper are uncommon. The condition on this one is super - as are the sellers!
Vtg HTF Dennison? Beistle? Die Cut Spider`s Web 1950's HALLOWEEN Made in USA
This incomplete diecut was produced by Beistle during the 1950s. It was one of a set of four they produced during the mid-1950s. Missing is the spider made from black construction paper. (The others comprising the full set can be seen on page 158.) As I write, "Having an item like this spider 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."
Vintage Halloween Black Cat Decoration With Crepe Paper Body
This rare and unusual item was produced by Gibson.
Halloween Gibson Diecut Black Cat Holding JOL, Tail Wrapped Around, 1920s
This listing has prompted me to add to my book's on-line errata page, something I've been meaning to do for some time. I know now that Gibson did issue the four sides of the centerpiece at the top of page 271 as individual diecuts for a short time during the later 1920s.
Vintage Halloween WITCH PARTY GAME - 1965 - HARD TO FIND!
This is a rare game indeed. I've never seen it before. I'm typically not much interested in items manufactured after ~1955, but the imagery caught my eye. It is unusually detailed and not-too-friendly considering it was issued in 1965. Given the compelling graphics and the overall super condition, I'm surprised it didn't realize more than $212.50.
RARE Vintage Halloween DEVIL Tiara Diadem Diecut Decoration. Germany 1930s
This seller has four of the better tiara designs listed for sale right now. Overall, condition seems to be quite good. The Germans issued these as a set of 12 during the 1920s. I feel individual designs were also sold separately. Given the recent sale wherein another tiara design brought an unsustainable price of $1608.14, I felt we'd be seeing others flushed out by the frenzy generated by a relative handful of determined, deep-pocketed bidders. What I didn't expect was to see some of the best and rarest designs being offered is such fine condition. The Halloween market seems to be too frothy right now. It'll be interesting to see what prices these tiaras bring on September 3rd.
09/04 Update: The devil tiara brought $790. The seller's other three tiaras brought $1782.12, $1982.12 and $2182.12. These are astounding sums. I will sell any of my tiaras - I own all 12 - for an average of these last three prices! :)
Halloween JACK-O-LANTERN Pumpkin Wastebowl with Face German Childs Tea set
If I had to select one segment of the vintage Halloween collectibles market that I love the best, the German porcelain items would be my choice. They are getting harder to find with each passing year - probably true of most great items. The Germans were stupefyingly creative in coming up with fairly outlandish items to supplement the basics like the teapot, creamer, lidded sugar, cups and waste bowls. (Check out pages 119-121 to see what I mean.) This is a somewhat better than basic piece since some waste bowls are faceless. Made from 1908-1932, this little gem was made at a later point in that range given the mark. SGV is $150.
VINTAGE 1950’S HALLOWEEN WITCH CLICKER TOY
Here's a tin litho clicker that I haven't seen for sale in a while. In terms of Halloween output, Japanese material is largely derivative and poorly made, hence the market for their items has never taken off. There are exceptions, though, and this visually engaging diminutive noisemaker is one of them. I'm glad to have one as part of the collection. If you like strong design coupled with a modicum of rarity, this is just the item for you.
09/04 Update: This sold for a very strong $169.50.
Vintage Halloween Bridge Tally Card 1920’s Excellent Condition
This is a good example of what I mean when I refer to SGV, or sustainable guide value. This same seller listed an identical item that ended on August 14th for $82.77. The second identical listing ended on August 22nd for $37.99. If a seller were to list another one in the near future the price should be even lower. At some point, the "bedrock" value of the item would be established at, let's say, $25. That latter figure would then be the SGV. The values cited in my reference are for an item's SGV.
09/02 Update: The same seller sold a third identical item on September 1st for $53, an unexpected result. The same seller listed a fourth identical item today. That selling price should be conclusive in establishing an SGV.
