This seller must be a very optimistic person offering this as a BIN for $499.99. Even in perfect condition, which this banner is decidedly not, that price would be well over double what this typically fetches. Let hope reign supreme!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
1920's Jointed "The Horrible Witch" Halloween Decoration
Here is yet another unsustainable result. This "Horrible Witch" diecut made by Beistle surfaces relatively often and typically fetches ~$275. Once again, when you delete the prevailing bidder the price falls to a much more understandable $251.60. That prevailing bidder must have deep pockets and zero patience.
Rare Unsigned German Halloween Pumpkin Face Childs' 1 cup china Teapot
Admittedly, it is difficult to make a definitive judgment from the photos associated with this listing, but I suspect that this teapot is of Japanese origin rather than German origin. The dimensions seem a little off, the coloration is quite dark, the knobby surface is typically not as prominent on German items and the expression seems rather flat to me. From my experience, such Japanese pieces are never marked, whereas most German teapots are marked. There is a significant difference in price between German (higher) and Japanese (lower) porcelain pieces from this set. The BIN price of $500 is reasonable if this is a German item, but much too high if it is, in fact, Japanese.
1920's-30's Embossed Halloween Die-Cut JOL Maid With Cat
This was decidedly NOT a bargain. Made for many seasons, this diecut is among the most common of German diecuts and typically trades in the $65-100 range. I am not sure what possessed bidders to push the price for this nice-but-not-mint item to such an unsustainable level.
VINTAGE RARE MINT BEISTLE HALLOWEEN PARTY HORN NOISEMAKER WITCH BAT SKELETON WOW
Another true bargain...
Antique German Halloween Witch Candy Container with Lantern Head c1920
Savvy collectors wait until right after the holiday to attempt to scoop up bargains from those sellers who choose to list fine items after what I would consider the optimal time. There are many examples of this on Ebay since Halloween and this is only the latest. Although the body of this candy container is arguably the most common around, the quality and detail of the face is compelling and should have caused the candy container to bring far more dollars than it did. Whomever bought this got a true bargain.
German paper Halloween lantern
The clue in the listing that this isn't old is that the sellers states that it was purchased recently in Germany. The Germans only began celebrating Halloween in the last decade or so. From when they began making decorations for the US market and through about 1935, the Germans exported everything they made. They needed the money for their war reparations debt stemming from WWI. These unimpressive lanterns began showing up in the mid-1990s when they were imported by Blumchen's. There are no truly vintage counterparts, so these are known as fantasy pieces. They have zero vintage value.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!!
I can't believe another season is about to end. Where has the year gone?
I want to thank all of my faithful readers who make maintaining this website a fun endeavor. I hope that you find my comments useful and that they have not only steered you toward good purchases but helped you avoid the many, many stinkers being sold as old.
Have a Happy Halloween! MBL
3 Vintage Beistle Halloween Die Cut Paper Folding Ghost Moon House Scarecrow Owl
These typically fetch $130-175 each, so the buyer got a good deal. Aside from Buy-It-Now items wherein the seller was clueless, I have seen many fewer good deals this season than in recent ones. I have had discussions with other collectors as to their thoughts on why this is so. Prices in the marquee lots were almost always driven by the same handful of determined bidders, but exclude these desirous folks and prices overall seem to have risen across the board, excluding tin and candy containers.
vtg 1930/40s USA Halloween Die-Cut Witches Cauldron 3D 4 Piece Honeycomb Set
Here is what I wrote about this item in my 2nd edition in 2007:
"One
of the most interesting of Beistle’s many tabletop decorations is its Rustic
Fireplace. It is billed on the envelope as including an “Old Witches’ Beauty
Caldron.” It consists of a lithoed paper and honeycomb cauldron with orange
streamers attached to the bottom to simulate flames. (This was an ingenious way
to boost sales of an already popular item.) Since these cauldrons were only
made from 1926 through 1931, it stands to reason the Rustic Fireplace dates to
this time. This is further buttressed by the use of Beistle’s diamond mark on
the packaging. The detailed lithoed cardboard props and crossbar containing a
hook for the cauldron are all representative of Beistle’s high quality. These
measure 10.5" high by 15" wide. The cauldron measures 8" high by
8.5" wide. This complete set is valued at $800 to $1,000."
I think the values for these items has drifted somewhat downward in the intervening 6+ years. Collectors I speak with don't find the props and crossbar all that interesting. I also hear complaints about how much room it takes to display the set in its entirety. Most collectors seem to want the cauldron but without the crepe paper "flames" as they prevent the cauldron from sitting evenly. Given the condition of the cauldron, it will be instructive as to what this set fetches.
11/08 Update: $271.33 was the ending price for this item. I see the value for this set in near-perfect condition hovering around $450-500 these days.
Vintage Gibson Small Halloween Skull and Witch Die-Cuts
Here is another result I am scratching my head over. Neither of these two smallish diecuts, made by Gibson, are all that rare. They typically bring $35 and $65 respectively. Although I trust the seller is overjoyed, the buyer will never see that money again.
Vintage Halloween Banner~ 8 Scary Black Cat's with Jack O' Lantern's ~ PRIMO
Gibson, the maker of these items, intended each set of four to be a centerpiece, as shown on page 198. Sometime over the years since these were made in the 1920s, someone removed the slots and tabs.
Vintage Dancing Skeleton Halloween Decoration
Virtually all of the value of this lot is in the rare envelope. The skeleton is almost immaterial. As with all of the early Beistle packaging, this medium-weight cardboard envelope is hard to locate in decent condition. Although the overall graphics aren't as interesting as their later envelopes containing elves or garlands, the straight-forward imagery is endearing and absolutely captures that early era of greater innocence.
Extraordinary GERMAN Black Cat Paper Mache Halloween CANDY CONTAINER c. 1940's
This item was reproduced beginning around 2003. This looks to be one of these reproductions. Ask a lot of questions!
Vintage Halloween Easel Back Die-Cut JOL Pirate Germany
I am just shaking my head in wonder at those who have enough money to throw around in driving this somewhat common German diecut up to a laughable $521.87. Newer collectors - don't despair at this madness. Once this small handful of must-have-it-at-all-costs collectors obtain an item, their absence from the market will enable items to be purchased for sustainable prices.
