This is a fantasy piece first imported to the United States through Blumchen's and through a prolific Germany-based dealer who used to set up and sell at the Atlantic City show. I would always visit his booth to get a preview of the fantasy pieces that would insidiously worm their way into vintage collections. I recall seeing this kind of item, as well as several others in the "set'" around 1996.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
1940's Vintage Rare Halloween Party / Trick or Treat Sign Dennison USA
Dennison radically shifted their design aesthetic from about 1929 to 1931, injecting their creations with fluidity of motion and a cartoonish feel. This change in design rippled through their entire product line, even down to their boxed seal sets. I suspect this was not a popular move as Dennison seemed to change course after 1931. So, when you see designs like this, you can date them to this narrow time frame. Because they weren't all that popular, these designs are hard to find these days. I haven't seen this excellent "STOP" diecut offered for sale for quite some time. Unfortunately, the words added to the traffic cop's hat were done after manufacture, significantly impacting value. The companion piece to this is a diecut called "Hallo' Inn." It is shown on page 151 courtesy of my good friend, Jason Walcott. It is rare enough that I have never been able to locate one in good enough condition to purchase.
Vintage Halloween Box With Cat Figure top/Witch Candy Holder (2pcs)
The gem of this lot is the rare Rosen box on the left. I'm positive that it accounted for the vast majority of what this lot fetched. The E. Rosen Company of Providence, Rhode Island, was a firm that specialized in hard plastic holiday items, but they sometimes ventured ino the area of cardboard candy containers and sucker holders. Most of their Halloween cardboard items are rare and desirable, especially their "Pops" mechanicals. (Turn to page 104.) I have never seen this Rosen witch candy container before, so I envy the prevailing bidder!
Vintage Halloween CANCO Tin Candy Container Owl JOL Spooky Exc Condition!
The ending price of $223.50 has to be a record for this relatively common tin. This design typically trades around $90 in this condition. I am happy for the seller, always tops in my book!
VINTAGE CAST IRON DEVIL MATCH SAFE- INCENSE- CANDLEHOLDER- HALLOWEEN
This is a fantasy piece, meaning it has no authentically vintage counterpart. These items, meant to fool novice collectors, began showing up around 1995 at the beginning of the first big wave of fakes and reproductions. It has zero collectible value.
Old Vintage Halloween Cardboard Diecut Cut Out Skittle Game Piece German pumpkin
The wood block is not original to this skittle piece. Typical wood blocks are much smaller as shown on page 253. This fact probably accounts for the low BIN price and that the listing is still active.
Early vtg Halloween round TAlly Card Witch on Broom Black Cat HBC artist RARE
The initials on this tally card are actually HBG, with the G standing for Griggs. Nothing is known about H.B. Griggs, not even whether the artist was male or female. However, the artist's work is quirky and widely collected. This very same tally is shown on page 219. As an aside, the tally shown here is not stained. It appears to be in perfect condition.
09/22 Update: And it fetched a strong $53.00!
VINTAGE 1930 GERMAN TIN LITHO HALLOWEEN WITCH NOISEMAKER
Whomever the buyer was here got a terrific bargain snatching up this scarce tin German noisemaker for $49.99! The Germans didn't allocate much metal to such frivolities as exported noisemakers as the 1930s dawned due to the onerous conditions of the Versailles Treaty. In 1933, with the advent of National Socialism on the national political scene, such allocations became almost unheard of, accounting for the true rarity for tin noisemakers made in Germany from this time period on the market today.
RARE AND HTF -BEISTLE'S "SKAIRO- THE HALLOWEEN BUG", 1931
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.
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.
