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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Halloween Cardboard 4-sided Lamp Cover

This lantern, made by Gibson in 1929, is quite scarce. I have only seen it for sale a handful of times in nearly 25 years. As I point out on page 45, this is a good example of how clever manufacturers would re-purpose imagery as a cost savings measure. The imagery of this lantern is nearly identical to Gibson's "Ring the Belle" game, also a scarce item. The ending price of $202.51  was pretty much where it should have ended taking its condition into account. 

Vintage HALLOWEEN TAMBOURINE Noisemaker Witch Skeleton Black Cat Tin Litho

The seller was right in saying that this tambourine comes up infrequently. There were many pieces to this set, all made in the 1960s. Virtually all of the set can be easily found, but not this tambourine. Made by an unknown manufacturer, one of the quick ways to deduce its age is by the imagery. The cute and simplistic design screams, "I was made well past the heyday of the most coveted Halloween designs!" The price for this item was far stronger than I would have forecast, especially considering it wasn't perfect. 

Old Halloween Noisemaker Bell with Witches

This particular tin litho design was made for many years by U.S. Metal Toy. One way to determine approximately when a noisemaker like this was made is by looking at the handle. This one has a plastic handle, which dates it to being made in the 1960s. All else being equal, the noisemakers with wood handles are worth more. 

Mint - Very Rare 1930's German Paper Mache Skull Noise Maker

This skull horn, and the several others from this set of horns, was made in the mid-1990s. They first made their appearance at an antiques show in Atlantic City and have been plaguing our fine hobby since.  They typically show up in boxes, six or so to the box. The boxes are actually old, and it is the age of the boxes that has fooled many dealers into thinking the contents, too, are old. The horns have decorative value only. Don't be fooled! 

Halloween noisemaker

Please see my post from 11/10 for further comments on this faux noisemaker. I find it irritating that the seller continues to flog these as vintage even though she has been informed that they aren't. 

Old GERMANY Diecut WITCH Paddle Halloween Noisemaker

This seems to be a very good deal. There were a variety of these German diecut clapper items manufactured in the 1920s. Virtually all of them  were painted in such a way that would denote wear to the untrained eye. (The way these were painted is identical to how a few diecuts like the owl in the middle of page 163 were painted.) 

Halloween Cardboard Candlestick Candy Container

This item was, without question, made in Japan. Most vintage Japanese items were derivative of German and US designs, making them generally less interesting and definitely less valuable than German or US pieces. Compare this to the German candlestick candy container shown on page 105. It has none of the fine detail and inherent charm of the German piece.