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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Dennison Vintage Halloween Spook Ghost Seals sticker holiday H 468 box

Based on the stock number, this box of seals was probably released in 1915. It is a rare design - one that I had not seen before. I decided not to be a bidder as I have a bias against products that don’t have at least half of their stated contents. This arbitrary cut-off may be dumb, for it is possible I won’t see this again. However, other factors weighed against a bid. The seller didn’t provide many photos and puzzlingly said the box was “full and unopened.” The seller later added a needed clarification. So, the central question for me is this: Was the ending price of $405 justified for a box with 4 of 25 seals? I say no, but at least two of the bidders disagree.

Vintage Dennisons Halloween Seals Black Cat Witch Pumpkin In Box 1920s Stickers

Dennison had a very distinctive look for their output from about 1928 through 1932. I’d love to know who this/these artist/artists were. This superb box of seals is one of their best designs. Just look at how much energy is exuded in this small seal. I’ve noticed a general softening of prices across all segments so it will be fun to see what this brings. I feel it is a $400+ slide box.

Vintage Dennisons Halloween Seals Green and Red Leaves In Box 1920s

Dennison hit a few home runs in their seal designs produced from the early teens through the early 30s. (Admittedly, there were a few singles, doubles and triples - and sadly, a very few strikeouts, too!) This “triple” design first appeared in 1928. They contain an assortment of two, not necessarily evenly balanced between the two designs. (Things weren’t as precise back then.) The fact that this example has nine of one and eleven of the other is perfectly fine. I expect this listing to fetch significantly more than the current level of $146.50. If you’re a Dennison boxed set collector, you cannot let this slip away.

Vintage Dennison Halloween Acorn Face Stickers Seals H732

I haven’t seen a complete box of these really well-designed anthropomorphic acorns available for quite some time. This is one of my favorite Dennison designs. They were first sold in 1926. Even though the box looks a bit tired, the contents seem unfaded. Given the prices seen lately for small paper, this deserves to hit or exceed $200.

Box of 40 Vintage HALLOWEEN WITCH Dennison Gummed Seals - Very Cool!

Dennison rarely strayed from packaging their awesome wares in boxes and envelopes that have become familiar to collectors. For reasons I don’t know, they sometimes switched things up with their packaging. I’ve had this same set in the collection for many years. It is one of two seal designs packaged in a non-traditional manner. (The other is a tiny box of simple JOLs.) These seals and the box rarely surface. Collectors may have been confused by the packaging, accounting for what I consider a low ending result.

Vintage Halloween Black Owl Seals Gibson Great Condition

I’m glad that boxes of Gibson seals are getting the market attention they deserve. (In fact, a box alone sold for $79!) Gibson was always the also-ran to Dennison in terms of seals - certainly both in artistry and quantity/distribution. Box for box, Gibson seals are much harder to find than Dennison. I began collecting them in earnest 20+ years ago and still only have maybe 30 boxes.

1920 DENNISON'S HALLOWEEN Spook w/Pumpkins Seals Stickers Box

What a wonderfully weird design. I have never seen these seals before - and certainly never a box. Given the stock number, H513, I estimate Dennison issued this design in 1919, and surely for only a single season. So, what wasn’t a big seller back then now fetches $109.16 in 2020 for an empty box - and a well-used one at that.

Vintage Halloween Labels Witch Design Original Box

The seller left a tidy sum on the proverbial table by offering this rare boxed set of Whitney seals as a BIN for $32. Surprisingly, the listing lasted ~2.5 hours before some knowledgeable soul snapped the set up. These green-boxed Whitney seal sets have become quite desirable.

Vintage Gibson Embossed Halloween Seals Jack-O-Lantern IOB Germany

As I write on page 264, “These may be among the first boxed sets of seals Gibson issued. Unlike all other Gibson seals I have seen, each of the seals…is marked on the reverse, “Gibson Line Made in Germany.” I assume this was a very short-lived association …. “ The example in the collection doesn’t have a quantity sticker, so the fact that this listing shows the box held 35 seals is good information.