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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Box of VINTAGE 1920's Dennison HALLOWEEN Face on Leaf HALLOWE'EN Gummed Seals

This is a super slide box of rare Dennison seals. As this great seller points out, the box of six seals is replete with three each of two iterations. Dennison sold these boxes with each leaf iteration on the front to maximize and extend their product line. This design first appears in their 1924 Bogie Book and were sold with stock number H684. See both examples in the Decorations section, one on page 245 and the other on page 248. Guide value ranges from $180-200. 

08/18 Update: Wow, these brought a very strong price of $227.51, not surprising due to the cool image factor. This design, as well as its counterpart, are amongst my favorite of Dennison designs. 

vintage Halloween diecut

This is one of a set of three 3-D fold-out decorations Beistle made in the mid-1950s. (The other two can be seen on page 231.) These surface on a somewhat regular basis, but typically bring $150-225. This is a great example of how condition affects value. Instead of $150, due to someone carelessly ripping the one side, this only brought $32.99. 

"VINTAGE HALLOWEEN~ EARLY 4-SECTION FENCE~FOUR ORANGE AND BLACK WITCHES"

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! 

Vintage/Antique Halloween 1920's Two-Piece Tally Card Beistle Bat

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." 

HTF Beistle Mechanical Bat & Hoot Owl Diecut Decorations in Original Envelope

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! 

1920's Vintage HALLOWEEN Pumpkin Girl CAT Die Cut Embossed Germany Decoration VG

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. 

Rare ANTIQUE VINTAGE MADE IN GERMANY HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CHILD'S TEA CUP & SAUCER

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. 

Great candy container with glass eyes papermaché Halloween

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? 

Vintage Halloween Fortune Teller Game HTF Halloween Witch and JOL Party Game

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. 

1920s Beistle vintage Johnny Pumpkin w/owl 11 in. stand up Halloween decoration

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!