This broomed witch German diecut brought a very strong $81, due exclusively to three determined bidders. The differences in this diecut are subtle enough that lots of collectors, including me, would take a quick look and move on certain that it was already part of our collections. Thankfully, ziz did her normal exemplary job in fully describing "Cassandra" so that the price ended a fair amount above guide.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Rare 1920's Die Cut Halloween Decoration Germany Little Girl Devil Demon Antique
It is so great to see such rare and desirable objects begin to populate Ebay's un-patrolled vintage Halloween category! This German mini-diecut is one of an exceedingly rare set that many of my collecting friends have been struggling to complete for years. (Others to this set can be seen on page 185.) The condition of this she-devil seems to be pretty darn good, so I expect bidding to continue to be fierce. The current price is $90, but I'll be surprised if this sells for less than $250-300. If you like this miniature-sized diecut set, don't let this one slip by.
08/18 Update: This exceedingly rare mini-diecut brought $317.57, about where I expected it to finish. You don't see pieces from this set too often made available for purchase.
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.
1904 Creepy Halloween Witch & Black Cat Table Place Card
Although this is place card is pretty beaten up, the art is compelling. There are three other iterations from this set known - all are shown on page 293. The art was done by the mysterious H. B. Griggs. Guide value for one of these in mint condition is $55.
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.
1930'S-40'S PAPER MACHE ~WITCH LANTERN ~ FANTASTIC MUST SEE!
Alas for the seller, this is not what they claim it to be. This is a Stamm House creation, wonderful in its own right, but made in or after the mid-1990s, possessing decorative value only.
"VINTAGE HALLOWEEN~ EARLY 4-SECTION FENCE~FOUR ORANGE AND BLACK JOL GOBLINS"
This rare and compelling Whitney fence brought a strong price. These kinds of vintage decorations are so hard to acquire, that when you see one for sale at guide +20% in near-perfect condition, snap it up like this smart buyer did. The seller has been a collector for a long time and is quite knowledgeable! Buy from her with great confidence.
"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."
1920s Vintage HALLOWEEN Mean Black CAT Face Die Cut Embossed Germany Decoration
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."
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.
