Unfortunately, here is another example of a collector, almost certainly one without much experience, wasting money on an item that isn't vintage. Always be wary of buying any Halloween items listed as being vintage from Germany-based sellers. The Germans made all of their Halloween items through the 1950s for export only, nothing was left in the country to sell. This devil head has none of the characteristics associated with truly vintage German candy containers.
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VINTAGE WHITE / LIGHT GREEN 6" PAPER MACHE HALLOWEEN JACK 0 LANTERN
This isn't a vintage item. The best way to tell is its lack of indented rings on the bottom. The flat base is a dead give-away. Additionally, the bale is modern. This is merely an item made recently, probably off-shore, with zero collectible value.
VINTAGE DIE CUT CARDBOARD HALLOWEEN TABLE STAND UP GREETING PLACE CARD
Wow, the buyer got a real steal on this wonderfully detailed and rare Whitney place card. Whitney, out of business in 1942, made a broad line of these cleverly designed items, and this arguably is one of the very finest. I've only seen this a few times. Each time, save this one, it brought ~$60, so congratulations to the lucky buyer.
Antique Vintage A. MASTER Halloween Party Game Punch Hole Cards (J90)
Ebay is such an unpredictable marketplace. This is a very common punch game that surfaces regularly and typically fetches around $15. Why it brought $51 is a mystery.
FABULOUS LG MARKED GERMANY PAPER MACHE BLACK CAT ON PUMPKIN CANDY CONTAINER
This seller has listed a number of very dubious Halloween items recently. Here is another one. This is not an old item, but one that has been recently manufactured somewhere, probably off-shore. It has none of the detailing characteristic of an truly vintage item. Unfortunately for some bidder, it has already reached a price of nearly $160 with 5+ hours to go. It has zero collectible value.
03/08 Update: This ended with some poor schmuck forking over $355.00 for what is a $10 decorative item.
German papermache pickel halloween noise maker
I've never understood why this would be considered Halloween related.
21" ~ WITCH ~ Nodder ~ Candy Container ~ #1 ~ 2008 ~ Kathy Patterson
Admittedly, this is an awesome and seemingly meticulously crafted piece of Halloween folk art. However, the seller has listed and re-listed this item (among other pieces of folk art) for many months, perhaps for over a year. It illustrates that the holiday folk art field is still developing with a very limited clientele for such high-end pieces. If the seller is serious about wanting to move this out to a new home, she'll have to drop the price, perhaps substantially.
30 VERY EARLY DENNISON HALLOWEEN SEALS IN ORIG ENVELOPE - ARCHED BLACK CATS
These are not "very early" seals. Dennison's packaging became quite plain and much cheaper to produce during the 1950s. Out went the slide boxes and in came these minimally decorated envelopes with the silver back seals. This set is from the later 1950s and into the early 1960s. They have a value that in no way approaches what this seller has as a BIN price.
Vtg Halloween Pop Out 3D Ghost Tombstone Paper Decoration Cardboard
Whomever bought this, and the two others to the set, got bargains. These typically fetch around $150. Even with the minor condition issues the photos reveal, $57 for this, the best of the trio, was an excellent purchase. Kudos to the buyer!!
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN CARDS SCAREY WINDOW HANGERS CLOWN AND CAT CARDBOARD
These two are from a set of eight small diecuts that Beistle issued in the early 1950s. In my view, the clown is the least interesting of all eight, but the cat with bells is a tough diecut to find. Be cognizant of condition whenever buying paper.
03/10 Update: These fetched a modest $44.12.
VINTAGE CARDBOARD HALLOWEEN WITCH LANTERN OR SHADE-TRIANGULAR-COOL
This is a shade made by the Gibson Art Company of Cincinnati, Ohio in 1929. It isn't complete. It is missing its perforated black construction paper disk that would slip over the three hat points to provide the shade with needed structural support. This is a hard-to-find item that typically would fetch $150-175 if in perfect condition.
FABULOUS LG ANTIQUE GERMAN SIGNED PAPER MACHE BLACK CAT CANDY CONTAINER
This isn't old. I notice that the seller makes no claim as to its age except for listing it in the vintage category. This doesn't have the correct finish, the requisite detail one would expect from an authentic German candy container or any of the charm. This has no collectible value in my opinion.
Vintage 1924 DENNISON'S BOGIE BOOK Of Suggestions for Halloween And Thanksgi
I wish that sellers would logically allow for the all-important consideration of "condition" when they list items for sale. Let's face it - this copy is darn ragged and in overall "good condition." Yet the seller imagines they'll garner bids at the opening price of $125.95, or perhaps will even entice some yokel to cough up $168..59 for what is a very sub-standard example of something that can typically be found in collectible condition. I'd suggest the seller re-list at $9.99 with no reserve and be thankful if the bidding reaches ~$60.
RARE FIND VINTAGE HALLOWEEN JOL CANDLE FANTASTIC GRAPHICS ON BOX PUMPKIN WITCH
This very cool box appears on page 84 of my second edition. The seller is correct - the box is rarely seen. In fact, fair value on the candle is around $15, while the box in perfect condition should fetch around $100. This particular box is in lesser condition, so it will be informative to see how the market values it during this very off season.
Rare Old Antique Brass Bed Warmer w Halloween Witch on Broom Design Eng Reg Mk
This is an interesting artifact. Given the seller's statement that is was made in England in the 1880s, it would have been too early to have been made for the American Halloween market, since one wasn't truly developed at that time. Nonetheless, I can see this easily fitting into a collection even though the design is in the tradition of an English interest in supernatural beings rather than any intended connection to what we now celebrate as Halloween.