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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Exceptional 1920's Dennison Die-Cut Black Cat and Candle-Owl in Flame Place Card

Although the seller has a high price on this very desirable Dennison place card, for someone coveting this hard-to-find item this may be the one to get given its condition. I haven't seen one of these offered in this near-mint+ condition in some time. (I actually looked mine over to ensure it was also in the same condition, else I'd have considered scooping this up.) The detail in this place card has always amazed me: from the face in the flame, to the face formed by the dripping wax to the horrified cat - this epitomizes why I love Dennison products from this time period. 

RARE Vintage Halloween Dual-Sided JOL Lantern, Made in Germany for Beistle, 1928

This lantern is among my favorites, perhaps primarily due to the evolution one can clearly see between this, made about 1928 for a single season, and what is arguably Beistle's lantern masterpiece, issued three years later. (This earlier version appears on page 35, not 135 as cited in the listing by my good friend. The later masterpiece is shown on page 34.) Although there are well-disclosed condition issues with this piece, Ziz does what I wish more sellers would do: slap an opening price of $9.99 on a great item and trust the auction process. 

06/24 Update: Factoring in its condition, I feel this lantern fetched as much as it could, $192.50

Two Vintage Halloween Decoration- Pumpkin by Beistle & Novel Construction 1930's

Wow, I am disappointed with this seller. I bought this lot at the conclusion of its original listing last week. When I got it, I discovered that the head of the Beistle Johnny Pumpkin was married to the body, meaning that two items, not originally manufactured together, were fused to make one ersatz "complete" item. Upon receiving the lot, for which I paid a total of $77.20, I discovered this and immediately contacted the seller for a full refund. To his credit, the refund was quickly given. However, he has now re-listed the same lot without explicitly acknowledging the ersatz nature of one of the lot's two items. That is deceptive and reflects quite poorly on this seller. 

ANTIK HALLOWEEN HORROR DANCE DEVIL PAPER MACHE DANCING DEVIL MADE IN GERMANY 1920

What a waste of money! Some poor schlub probably bought this thinking they were being a truly vintage item. This seller has been selling nothing but what I consider to be recently made items for quite a while. He doesn't make many sales, but once in a while traps a "mark." Too bad. Know your history: The Germans did not celebrate Halloween back then, so everything they made was for export. There was no economic reason why any product made for export would not have been sold. Sellers who try to tell you about "warehouse finds" as a result of the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s, or for any other reason, frankly, are either woefully misinformed or worse. ​Don't be like this poor buyer who basically kissed $119 plus shipping goodbye!

Knorpp Halloween Nightowl Paper Tiara 1916

If you check out my post just a few down the page, you'll see the lantern from which this tiara derives. First off, it is nice to see a few truly rare items being listed on Ebay rather than the schlock that has been clogging the site's auction arteries seemingly for forever. 
Make no mistake about it, this tiara is rare! I have seen it precisely twice in my nearly 25 years of ardent collecting. So, what's the story on it? 
As my post below indicates, the Knorpp Candy Company made a hard-to-find four-panel lantern. What is less well known is that they made a tiara based on each side of the lantern. The tiaras are made from a medium stock paper that didn't hold up well given their intended use, no doubt partially explaining these tiaras true rarity. (Another reason is that I don't think they sold well, so were almost surely manufactured for a season or two with limited distribution.) I own only the devil. I have seen the owl twice and have yet to see the cat or the ghoul. 

06/08 Update: This tiara brought a solid $271.66.  

Dennison's Vintage HALLOWEEN Decorations CUT-OUTS Original Box CARROT ANTIQUE

If you are planning to bid on this rare box, make sure you realize that the auction is for the box ONLY. According to the seller the contents are missing. At $81 as of this writing for a box, the price seems quite steep to me. That said, this is one set I've never been able to acquire. ​

05/29 Update: The empty box ended up selling for $119.50. It has to be a record! ​

Beistle Devil Cat with Original Glassine Sleeve

This seller, one of the pioneers in collecting vintage Halloween memorabilia, doesn't sell much, but when she does she has a tendency to place stratospheric opening prices on her "auctions." I have never liked this practice. Yes, this Skairo Beistle piece is wonderful and hard-to-find, but $900? Really? ​

05/26 Update: Yes, really. Someone actually ponied up $900 for this diecut and its glassine envelope. This reconfirms that items are worth what someone is willing to pay for them. Interestingly, virtually nothing else sold, so this seller has re-listed those items with lower, yet still aggressive opening bids. ​

Four-Sided American Lantern made by Knorpp Candy Company, Brooklyn NY

Here is an excerpt of what my book says of this lantern on page 111: ​Although the lantern itself is somewhat common, the envelope is not. The latter does shed light on when the lantern was manufactured. Described on the envelope as the "Most Attractive Lantern Made For Decorating Porches, Dining Rooms, and Ball Rooms," it was patented by the Knorpp Candy Company of 56-60 Scholes Street of Brooklyn, New York, on July 11, 1916. The lantern itself only references that a patent has been applied for, so the date on the envelope is significant in expanding our knowledge of this piece...​