A collecting friend wrote this morning to say she was thinking of listing a few vintage items since prices on Ebay have been going crazy. Although I think much of the craziness can be attributed to the imminence of the season, I am scratching my noggin over this result. Yes, these Beistle decorations are desirable and hard-to-find, but given the missing parts I wouldn't have expected this to fetch $330. Beistle's product line was idiosyncratic, but I have long felt that the two Skairo versions and the two Wumpus versions sure pushed the envelope, even for them. These 4 designs were not popular so there are few extant examples available today. However, there are enough of them that paying $330 for an incomplete one is a surprise.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
GREAT HALLOWEEN FULL BODY BLACK CAT CANDY CONTAINER
This item has been reproduced for several years now. The reproductions almost always have this insert. If you like this sort of thing, be sure to ask a lot of questions as to how long the seller has had it and whether they will stand behind their sale forever.
1920s HALLOWEEN Cronish Witch, Black Cat HONEYCOMB Double Sided Hang Decoration
Yes, this Beistle witch decoration is missing her legs. Please see page 242 for a complete example.
Wonderful Old Embossed HALLOWEEN WITCH w/Staff Diecut Decoration, Germany
Given how carefully the seller describes the condition of this German walking witch diecut, she must be unaware that the witch is missing one of her feet. Given this lack of limb, the diecut is essentially worth nothing.
Vintage 1940's BEISTLE Halloween Scarecrow Full Size 34" Movable Head MIP
A large quantity of these Beistle "scarecrow hanging decorations" were found in a warehouse on the east coast around 2003. There are two different designs, and most will come with an original envelope. All the ones I have seen are mint and unused. These typically trade for ~$70.
Vintage J. Chein Tin Litho Halloween Tambourine Noisemaker 1930
This desirable tambourine, made in the early 1930s by Chein, is in remarkable condition given how these were used. I feel the buyer got an excellent deal. Congrats!
Vintage RARE Halloween Pumpkin Man Full Body
This pulp item form has been reproduced in the last few years using the original molds, so it is very hard to discern newly made from authentic vintage pieces. If you like this kind of thing, just be sure to ask a lot of questions of the seller as to where they got it, or how long they have had it in their personal collections. I suspect that this reality accounts for why this item is still lingering with a BIN price of $149.
RARE: Vintage HALLOWEEN 9" Cardboard Cat w/Pumpkin Cart / Candy Container
Here is yet another example of a seller offering an item in poor condition but not accounting for the poor condition in the starting bid. If this Fibro Toy cart was in perfect condition, the opening price would still be high. These were manufactured from 1934 through 1953 so there are a lot of them out there, most of them looking as bedraggled as this one: faded, missing surface paper and lots of wear to the points. Remember, as will all paper-based collectibles, condition is key.
Vintage Halloween Paper Mache Pumpkin Jack O' Lantern 1940s-1950s
This isn't a vintage item and, therefore, has zero collectible value. Authentic USA pulp JOLs will have the expected bumpy pulp texture unlike this one that appears to be as smooth and unused as Bush's brain. Authentic JOLs will not have this lifeless mien, which reminds me of Joan Rivers these past few years. Lastly, authentic JOLs will have impressed rings on the bottom, unlike this one that has none.
VINTAGE 1920's HALLOWEEN Ladies Paper Fan with Black Cats/Smiling Moon/Bats
WOW! Great item, great seller, but I was still quite surprised this brought almost $400!
Antique Beistle Halloween Lantern. 1930-31 Amazing Bright Colors.
This seller is a long-time collecting friend of mine who lives nearby. Sandy brought over the lantern on Wednesday for me to examine. I have never seen such rich colors on the two faces of this iconic Beistle lantern. Once the bottom of this lantern is stabilized, this will be a show-stopper in any case into which it is placed. Sandy has provided excellent photos and a description that is detailed, but which makes the lantern's condition sound worse than it truly is. I can't wait to see what it fetches!
09/08 Update: I was astounded, as was Sandy, that this brought nearly one thousand dollars! This iconic Beistle lantern is a true show-stopper, so maybe I shouldn't be all that surprised.
1930s-1940s Original Halloween Clown/Hobo Jack-O'Lantern Decoration
This smallish diecut was made by Hallmark and may be one of their more interesting designs from this series. This was made as one diecut among many that would be sold in a boxed set. The box, and other diecuts to the set, can be seen on page 145.
New Old Stock Vintage Halloween Pumpkins Paper Mache 5items
The adjectives for the noun, stock, are half right. These are not old. These JOLs began appearing in the mid-1990s and have fooled thousands of collectors since. They have no collectible value.
Vintage Dennison USA Black Cat Die Cut Wall Decor Halloween
This Dennison snarling cat face diecut was made in three sizes, with this one being the largest size. The design first surfaced in 1927 and was made for many years, evidenced by a previous owner unfortunately having written 1946 right on the front of the image. This action does show how little thought was given to these decorations, accounting for their rarity in collectible condition today. This particular diecut is in pretty awful condition, yet the seller has slapped a very aggressive BIN price on it. I doubt it will sell for that price.
Four Vintage Halloween Party Invitations, Possibly Gibson
These great invitations were actually made by Whitney. This firm, out of business by 1943, rarely marked any of their Halloween goods except for postcards. I doubt the envelopes are original to the invitations since the fit usually isn't as snug as the seller's description indicates.
