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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Pumpkin Man Toy c1920 Germany Key Wind Up Walking Walker

I would wager that this is a new item made to deceive. Nothing is "right" to me from the way the crepe paper outfit is made, to the metal feet, to the black hands and to the way the face looks. Given that this same seller is trying to peddle a candy container that is, in fact, a fantasy item, I'd be wary. Spend your dough on items that have no questions of doubt surrounding them. 

RARE 1930's T COHN HALLOWEEN SEXY WITCH in PUMPKIN METAL TAMBOURINE

There have been so few interesting Ebay listings of late that I was beginning to wonder where have all the good items gone. This is a good item! The seller is correct in writing that this tambourine is listed on page 193. The guide value is $450 for this tin litho tambourine made by T. Cohn in the 1930s. With well over 4 days to go before the auction ends, the tam has already garnered bids to a strong $406.50.
Tin litho noisemakers is one of the few genres that hasn't seen appreciable price increases over the last few years. The sub-genre of tambourines is the exception, as they typically bring very strong prices. One of the reasons for this, I think, is what great display items tambourines make. I hang the ones in my personal collection on the wall. This particular tam with its energetic Art Deco motif is one of the harder to find from the Golden Age of Halloween tin lithography. 

Vintage Halloween Pumpkin Face Ring Game in box – 1927

Wow, to be the seller of this game! Even though this game is not terribly uncommon and is not in perfect condition, the seller received an astounding and unsustainable price of $355 for it! Hey, whomever the buyer was, contact me. I have some Halloween items I'd love to sell you. 

Vintage HALLOWEEN WITCH FACE DIECUT Decoration GERMANY 1920s HEAVILY EMBOSSED

I really dislike Ebay's new practice of not showing what an item actually sold for when using their Buy-It-Now option. For instance, this uber-common diecut was offered at a laugh-inducing $229.99, made even more comical by its poor condition. It sold but for what price? If it was somewhere in the $50-65 range, then I would say the buyer did well. For every dollar above that range, the buyer got less and less of a deal.

SUPER RARE Vintage Halloween 1923 Beistle Co, Halloween Party Decorations – NIP!

As pointed out on page 194, there were three iterations of this 1923 party set manufactured by Beistle. The booklet form is the most common by far. The enveloped and boxed versions are much less common. (In my opinion, the boxed version is the most elusive, but it is a close call.) This lot consisted of the enveloped version. Complete and in seemingly near-perfect condition, it fetched almost precisely the book value of $375. 

Vintage three panel, 20"H x 31.5"w Halloween Decoration cut-out

Wow! It is great to see such a rare and compelling German diecut being offered on Ebay when you least expect something of this quality to be listed. This is, for many collectors, the Holy Grail of German diecuts. Large, impressively detailed and commanding attention wherever it may be displayed, fireplace screens of this apparent quality surface very rarely indeed. (That said, the tape shown at several corners concerns me. However, as long as the tape isn't present to lend structural support I don't see that it matters much since its presence doesn't appear to be very obvious from the display side.) These almost always bring strong dollars. With over one day left to go, the bidding has reached over $1,000. The one in my collection, in perfect condition and shown on page 108, I value at ~$2,500. It will be instructive to see what this lot fetches. 

I know the buyer of this great item so I am very happy that she obtained such an excellent deal. (As I described it, she got the "deal of 2013.") On the other hand, why did the bidding stall out at such a bargain level? Thoughts? 

2 Original 1920's German Composition Veggie People Halloween Candy Containers!

This is a great lot of two German composition candy containers. As this seller rightly points out, the small boy container is rare enough that I've never seen him before. However, don't overlook the larger container. Although the form of this container is very, very common - the size of this one isn't. Typically, they are much smaller - around 2.75" high. Additionally, I want you to know that I wholly endorse this seller. I am proud to say he is a friend of mine. I have just now added him to my list of sellers with whom I enjoy doing business.

Update on 02/03: I am very glad to see this lot brought a strong result of $473.89. Both containers are desirable and were offered by a reputable seller. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CANDY CONTAINER WITCH DRIVING A SHOE G.M. CO RARE

Seeing this reminds me to pass along a warning on a reproduction from this set. As you know, there are six different slot and tab containers from this set made by the General Merchandise Company. (All six are shown on pages 57 and 58.) The container showing a skeleton pulling a wagon has been reproduced. The interior of the reproduction container is black rather than the yellow or gray of authentic containers. So, if it is black, send it back! 

Antique German Oval Jack-O-Lantern Halloween Candy Box! Superb!

I love the pieces to this set, a seemingly ever-expanding one, in that I have never seen this particular container before. Although in super condition, compared to the others made with this same imagery this is rather a Plain Jane container. Given the current price this has been bid up to with over two days yet to go, I would have expected something far more intricate and spectacular.

Rare Antique 1910 Spear's Halloween Ring Toss Game IOB J.W. Spears & Sons

This seller has sold Halloween items that I feel are reproductions, and sometimes these reproductions are crudely done indeed. He has been trying to unload this game for perhaps two years, and I see that he has finally snagged a buyer for it for $700. Although it is difficult to deduce from photos alone, I feel that the pipe and rings are not original and have been crudely fabricated. Although the JOL face appears to be authentic, I have questions about the box. All in all, whomever the buyer is has taken risks in acquiring this game.