Well, another season draws to a close. I feel this was a bounteous year for seeing some great vintage Halloween being offered for sale. On the flip side, there were also a number of new fakes, reproductions and fantasy piece worming their way into the marketplace. I think the sub-genre most being faked right now is the clockwork mechanical items. BEWARE OF THIS SUB-GENRE. Virtually every one (maybe all...) I've seen on eBay and being proudly touted on the Vintage Halloween Facebook group has been faked, meaning that although some components may be vintage (like the metal mechanisms), others are not. One of my favorite Canadian collectors calls this bad trend "Frankensteining." I know some otherwise sensible collectors being taken in by dishonest or ignorant dealers. If you have a question as to whether one of these items is authentic, post a photo to the Vintage Halloween FB group and let the many advanced collectors on that forum weigh in. Be ready for bad news. One silly collector posted one of her many faked clockwork items on that forum. When about 10 advanced collectors all weighed in to say she had been duped, she deleted her posting and went to another Facebook group and posted the same garbage. Ignorance must be bliss!
Be vigilant for the new season. Buy only from reputable sources. Check with accessible live resources like me if you have a doubt about something. The hobby has gotten so expensive that doing your homework before any notable purchase only makes sense. If you haven't done so already, for heaven's sake, buy the third edition of my reference work, Vintage Halloween Collectibles.
Start budgeting now for my annual vintage Halloween auction on this site. Lat May I offered 79 lots of awesome items. It takes place in early May and is open only to those collectors who have purchased a copy of my third edition.
In the meantime, enjoy the evening! Happy Halloween!
MBL