Another very strong result for an early Beistle item, especially given its well-disclosed condition issues. This version with the flip-out base is harder to find than the flat-front version.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
1937 Beistle Lg Embossed Flying Witch Bats Black Cat Halloween Decoration
Hot damn! My socks have been blown off by this ending price. This is a great image and part of a set of five scalloped-edged, sizable diecuts Beistle began producing in 1932. I have noticed a sharp increase in prices fetched for early Beistle items in collectible condition over the past 12 months. This surprising result contributes to that trend. The rarest one from the set of 5 is the skeleton walking through the graveyard. Given this result, I wonder if that diecut would break $1500?
Vintage Halloween VG+ BEISTLE Crepe Basket Candy Cup 1925 OWL, BLACK BAT, & JOL
It is so invigorating to see some truly scarce items finally surfacing on Ebay. (It is the season!) It has been a long time since one of these Beistle small honeycomb favor baskets was listed on Ebay. There were four designs that were released from 1927-1931. They are all shown on the bottom of page 244. These are quite sturdy little creations, although few have survived the ravages of the past ~86 years. It will be fun to see what this fetches. I'll be watching!
1800s Halloween Full Body Pumpkin Man Jack O Lantern Hand Painted.
This appears to be a pretty nice German candy container! However, the Germans didn't make such composition Halloween goodies until well after 1900. They started perhaps as early as 1912, and really didn't get into the swing of things until the 1920s.
VINTAGE TIN HALLOWEEN WITCH TAMBOURINE
Wow, this is a rare variant of a common tambourine. I think this is the second time I've seen this in 25 years. I bought the one in my collection in an odd lot through Bertoia years ago. There isn't a mark anywhere. The rim is decorated with a repeating pattern of fairly nondescript jack-o-lanterns. My guess is that this was made in Japan in the early 1950s with their then casual disregard for other manufacturers' designs. "Borrowing" like this was, essentially, a quick way to make a buck. That said, in adapting the original design from T. Cohn, I feel the interlopers made some interesting choices in improving upon the original. My theory is that T. Cohn must have made a stink, was successful in removing this item from the marketplace, making this particular tambourine quite rare.
Beistle Halloween Skill Game "I'm A Dumb Skull"
This great Beistle game from 1930 used to surface much more frequently, so it is good to finally see one - and one in such collectible condition. As I point out on page 25, "There are 2 board variations. The less common version has a parrot on top, a clock dial at the base with a metal spinner, and no easel." This version being sold has a cat on top, no clock dial or metal spinner, and an easel.
Old German Halloween JOL Pumpkin Man Paper Mache Painted Head Pipe Noisemaker
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.
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.
