Beistle made this great witch head diecut for many years on-and-off beginning in 1932. Even though these surface frequently, they seldom do so in such clean and collectible condition. Given this, I feel the buyer snapped up a true bargain at a mere $37.12, about half of what I consider fair market value. Congrats!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
THREE 1930'S GERMAN MADE NOISEMAKERS ON STICKS WITH SQUEAKERS ON BACK THAT WORK
These noisemakers are modern fantasy pieces made in the mid-1990s and imported into the US from Germany by Blumchen's. They have zero collectible value.
HALLOWEEN ORNAMENT, GHOST SCARING DO WITH JACK'O'LANTERN
This exceedingly rare diecut was issued by Beistle in the 1940s and was packaged in varying assortments for a solid decade. Yet, it rarely surfaces - an oddity I've noted with other Beistle diecuts like the elusive "skeleton in the graveyard" that I discuss on page 137. I am not surprised that it fetched such strong dollars even in its less than mint condition. I like the energy the scene conveys!
Antique Meow German Die Cut BLACK CAT HALLOWEEN KITTY Back Arched Decoration
This seller seems to know very little about vintage Halloween, which is fair in and of itself. However, offering this as a BIN at $289.95 means that you and I will be inflicted with seeing this over and over and over again on Ebay! I assess fair market price for this diecut to be $50.
Vintage Antique Plaster Composite Halloween Devil Man Figurine SIGNED Germany
This looks to be a vintage candy container in quite nice condition, aside form the few paint flecks to the side of a horn. The Germans made a set of these figures all standing on a stump. (To see a Veggie man example, see the lower right of page 77.) The devil head was also molded in the same way but to a different body. (To see this, turn to page 63.) The seller gets the date of manufacture wrong. These candy containers date to the 1920s. I feel the BIN price reflects full value plus for this item.
PUMPKIN HEAD GIRL HALLOWEEN GAME PIECE die/cut CARDBOARD STANDUP c1920 Germany
This is one of ten pieces made for a boxed skittles game imported from Germany in the early 1920s. Each is made from lightly embossed heavy cardboard slotted into a wood base. An entire set can be seen on page 26 of my new third edition.
Vintage Halloween Double Sided Cardboard Witch Lantern Paper Face USA 1940s
This lantern's ending price far exceeded what it typically fetches, probably due to its seemingly near-mint condition. As I write on page 30 of my new 3rd edition, "This lantern is devilishly difficult to find in near-mint condition. The mystery manufacturer didn't have a solid grasp on coloration as I have seen examples where the faces range from a bright green to a deep olive."
RARE very early 1900's Halloween Invitation Ghost Jack O Lantern
This superbly designed invitation has long eluded my grasp. I just returned from a vacation in Kansas during which time it slipped my mind to bid. Made by Dennison, it first appeared for sale in their 1916 Bogie Book, sold with a stock number of H-27.
Old Halloween Jack o Lantern JOL TOY Noisemaker Horn Composition GERMANY ? no1
This horn is not old. It, along with several other designs, first surfaced in the middle 1990s. It has zero collectible value. This same seller has another horn from this faux set listed right now as well. Don't be fooled!
Rare Vintage Halloween Paper Mache "Pumpkin Man" Lantern (Made In Germany)
The seller states that this was made in the 1930s or 1940s. I disagree. Given the molding, the form of the JOL, the inserts and even the inked mark, I feel this great lantern was made sometime during 1918-1925.
06/06 Update: I was glad to note that it fetched a strong $405. It perhaps would have been more if the lantern wasn't faded.
1920 - TWO VINTAGE BEISTLE HALLOWEEN INVITATIONS - ERIE KANSAS
These Beistle invitations were made only between 1918-1921. As I write on page 218 of my newly available 3rd edition, "You can tell these are early as they are mighty primitive. The printed interiors are crooked and rather sloppy. They seem to have been rushed to market. I believe that it is this poor quality that prevents these from fetching the significant dollars such early Beistle designs typically bring." There were two iterations of the same design, one with a movable part and one without. Four different designs comprise a complete set.
5 Old Paper Mache Pumpkin Candy Nut Cup Halloween Jack O Lantern Party Favor(P65
What a great bargain the buyer received! These miniature pulp JOLs, nut cups, typically bring $25-35 each. Often the pleated paper cups are missing. This was a great lot to sweep up.
BLACK CAT Halloween diecut - made in U.S.A. - Beistle??
This great little diecut was absolutely made by Beistle.
Vintage Lot of Dennison Halloween Seals in Original Box
Dennison began losing their design prowess relative to their boxed goods in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Most of their efforts from this time are forgettable. However, this boxed set is actually pretty cool. The assorted designs have a minimum of the anodyne imagery Dennison habitually used at this time. I've only seen the skeleton seals in a set that came out of Canada. This may be worth picking up!
3 Vintage U.S. Metal Toy Litho Halloween Horns Noise Maker NOS Sealed in Package
I enjoy seeing things in original packaging as it provides data on what, when and how items were originally offered to the public. Tin litho noisemakers typically had plastic tips beginning in the 1950s and always did into the 1960s. This header card used by U.S. Metal Toy has a zip code, meaning that it was used after July of 1963. The rather banal imagery used on the header card was typical of that time, although the firm didn't alter the actual tin lithography of the horns for decades. This is a great packaged set that doesn't surface often.
05/31 Update: This package ended up bringing $148.49.
