I love these table centerpiece fences. Most of the time, when they surface at all, they are missing one or more of the tabs that interlock the sections of the fence. There are four sections to this fence. Made by Whitney in the later 1920s, this particular decoration was sold with stock number 2477. This great item can be seen on page 275 of my newly published third edition.
08/14 Update: The buyer got a real bargain scooping this great fence up for $140.27!
The seller doesn't provide measurements, but this looks to be the earliest iteration of these long-produced Beistle tally cards, and so it should measure 4.25" h x 2.5" w. As I write on page 218, "The actual tally is a card separate from the decorative top card. All sets are held together by their original pink strings. Beistle issued and reissued these items in various packaging for many seasons. The later iterations are taller and not as wide. I am assigning a Relative Scarcity Index number of '3' to this particular set as the older iterations are more difficult to find than their later counterparts."
It's invigorating to see some top-quality items continue to pop-up on Ebay! This variant of a more common German diecut is hard to find. I have rated it a "1" on my Relative Scarcity Index which means "exceedingly rare."
If this is an example of the delights that await us all in late 2015 when this seller begins to sell in earnest, them I am chomping at the bit! What makes this exceptional, of course, is its condition. Just look at it! I have two envelopes in the collection, one shown on page 145 and one on page 219. Neither one is identical to the one being sold here. (It is interesting that there were at least three variations.) In any event, these sellers are top-notch. I wish many other Ebay sellers would take a page out of this seller's playbook in that they supply many high-quality photos, have razor-sharp descriptions and stand by their merchandise. I have been one of their customers and can personally attest that they'll treat you right. Significantly better than the set in the collection, I may very well be a bidder!
This mini-diecut in one from a set shown on page 185 in the upper left. If you look carefully, you'll see that this is a variant from the ones typically seen. The one in the book shows a cat with much more definition to its fur and a somewhat longer tail. The edges of the cat of the one listed are much smoother. There are other, more subtle differences, so look closely. This is a variant I have not seen before, so even with its less-than-perfect condition, it should fetch some bigger dollars if there are at least two knowledgeable bidders involved by the end.
08/14 Update: As I suspected, this variant did quite well, raking in $249.50.
I have always coveted pieces from the surprisingly varied porcelain tea set made in Germany beginning in 1908. The handled cups are harder to find than the non-handled variety, and the saucers are always a good score. For loads of information and photos of pieces in this set, please refer to pages 119-121 of my newly published third edition.
I see a Germany-based seller is trying to off-load this fantasy piece. (Regular readers know never to buy any Halloween item from a Germany-based seller who claims the item is vintage. German artisans pre-1950 sold everything they made for export. Know your history.) This seller has the unimaginative Ebay handle of candycontainer. Why not change it to buymyfakecandycontainers?
As I write on page 125, "Because of how this game was meant to be used, less than ~40 complete examples are known. (About 20 of these were discovered in an old drugstore in Kentucky and were sold at auction in Ohio several years ago. These have been filtering into the marketplace since, greatly reducing the value of this item for the short and medium terms.)" This may be a good "parts" item to pick up.
I hope to see many more Johnny Pumpkin iterations listed this season, as I've always liked them. The seller has pointed out several condition issues with this item. Here are two more: The protrusion at the top of the head is missing. Although not always part of the design, it was with this particular one. Also, this item has had its fair share of sun, or exposure to light, as it is quite faded. If you want to see a nice assortment of Johnny Pumpkin designs, check out pages 122-124 of my newly published third edition.
08/06 Update: Even with numerous condition issues, this item fetched $45.77, a very strong result!
This is not an item with any age to it. Based on the iconic parade lantern in the collection, this is a soulless piece with few compelling qualities in my opinion. Items like this have decorative value only, and yet someone dropped $228 on it!
Beistle issued some quirky diecuts in the later 1950s - sort of a last gasp of creativity before they largely folded up their tent and yielded to the wave of forgettable, cutesy designs prevalent at that time and continuing deep into the 1990s. This is one of those diecuts. The set of three are puzzlingly difficult to find in mint condition. The defects in this piece shouldn't be held too much against it in terms of acquisition, but would certainly affect the price.
08/08 Update: I changed the sentence immediately above to better express my feelings on condition. There is no doubt that this is a piece to covet, but with nearly all such things, condition greatly impacts price. In this example, the notable defects caused it to fetch $136.16, still a strong price, but nowhere near what it would have fetched had the condition been better.
I am surprised to see this seller offering this remnant without making clear in his listing that this is merely the upper half of a Rosen Trix or Treats sucker holder card. Describing it as unused with light wear doesn't make sense. Look at the photo of an entire card on page 90. You can see where some person clipped along the rise of the Trix or Treats boxed logo.
This is merely a remnant and therefore has zero collectible value. I am hoping ddavidd will cancel the bids on this and his similarly damaged cards and pull the auctions. (Shaking my head...)
Although well-crafted, this is not a vintage item. It was made by Stamm House sometime within the last few years and has no vintage value. (Notice the mark on the bottom of the base. Without that mark, other clues to its recent manufacture are the smoothness of the finish, the soft colors and the granular nature of the base.)
These are certainly two rare celluloid items. I especially like the corn pirate. Very cool. The seller doesn't point out two things that affect condition: The nose of the pirate and one of the shoes on the witch are pushed in. Both may be repairable, but be cognizant of these issues when formulating your maximum bid.
08/01 Update: These sold for the bell weather price of $1,005. See many, many more high-end celluloid pieces on pages 110-115.
This fantastic item looks complete to me. It wasn't designed to have a bottom as I feel it was made to fit over a box of candy, probably made by Brach's. David is wise not to fold it up, since these were not designed to be done and undone. I bought mine flat, folded it once, and now it serenely sits in one of my many display cases.
Thanks for the shout-out about my new edition!
07/30 Update: This neat, fragile item brought $81, slightly below guide.
