This result didn't make sense to me until I looked at the bidding history. These typically trade for around $200. This tambourine would have ended around $175 if it hadn't been for one determined bidder who skyrocketed the price to the maximum the underbidder was prepared to pay in extremis! I don't see this as a sustainable price - but that is the joy of Ebay. It is a true crap shoot. The seller has to be completely delighted.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween 1920's Gibson Dancing Cat Centerpiece with Original Envelope
You know the season is upon us when great items like this pop up on Ebay. This Gibson interlocking table decoration was made in the later 1920s. Typically, these kinds of items are missing one or more of the "end hooks." This looks to be complete and in awesome condition. These typically trade for around $175.
09/05 Update: It seems that this is the year for pre-1935 Beistle, Dennison and Gibson table decorations and diecuts. Prices have surged this season. This great centerpeice fence fetched $237.50.
"HALLOWEEN LANTERN~FOUR-SIDED COLLAPSIBLE~EARLY 1930'S~BEISTLE"
This lantern is both desirable and rare. Made by Beistle in the early 1930s, I have seldom seen one in such condition with such bright colors. Although the seller, someone I trust, is asking a small premium to guide for this item, I believe that if you don't already own one, this may be an item to be quickly snapped up for the BIN price.
VINTAGE 1950s HALLOWEEN LOT JAPAN JET WITCH MIOP UNUSED CORONET CREPE ROLL MASK
The packaged witch is of fairly recent manufacture and has little collectible value.
Vintage Halloween Tally Card
This great tally was made by Hallmark beginning in the later 1920s.
Very rare Halloween - Pumpkin head and the death playing with the devil
This is a cool item with an interesting concept, but it is not a vintage piece. The two heads are patterned after two of a set of eight well-known fantasy lanterns that were first imported from Germany in the 1990s. The Germans did not celebrate Halloween until relatively recently, so everything made from pre-WWI through the 1960s was made for export. Nothing was kept, so when a dealer tells you that something was found in a warehouse in what was East Germany, or some such tall tale, simply laugh in their face and scuttle away.
RARE NOS Vintage German Die Cut Diecut Halloween Diadems in Orig. Bag Skull Cat
A faithful reader asked me to comment on this auction. These tiaras, or diadems, are rare enough that when several come up in one lot in near-mint condition, with an original envelope to boot, no matter how beat up it was, fireworks were going to be seen. There was MUCH chatter about this listing amongst my friends during its run, so the ending result doesn't surprise me. (Another reason for my lack of surprise is that I was the underbidder, at a hair under $3,000.) Although I didn't need any of them per se, I would have upgraded several in the collection and probably would have kept the tattered envelope. I have several diecuts that have the same notation of "Shadowlawn" on their reverse sides, so re-uniting them at this far remove of time would have been gratifying. Whether these are truly worth over $3,000 is open to question. A part of me was absolutely OK not being the prevailing bidder. (In my view, the star of the lot was the witch. I've been trying to upgrade mine for many years.)
Antique German Halloween child's porcelain JOL cup and saucer
I feel that the lavish multi-page spread in my new third edition has contributed to the surge in prices for undisputed German-made porcelain tea set pieces, but I am surprised by this Samson-like price. The seller is top-notch, his description and photos best-in-class - all surely contributing to the final price, but, wow, $454 for this pairing?
Vintage Halloween Witch Black Cat Owl Bat 6 Sided Jack O' Lantern Lamp Shade
Condition commands big dollars! This lantern, pretty common, doesn't usually command more than $125 or so. The condition of this particular item doesn't appear to be possible to be better, so that surely drove this surprising result.
Vintage Jack-O-Lantern cardboard Hat
This very desirable continental hat with plume was made by Beistle from 1925-1931. The condition of this particular example seems to be superb! Typically, one or both of the extreme ends is missing, but not with this one. The color seems bright, another plus. On my Relative Scarcity Index, I give this a "2," which means rare. If you'd like to see its companion, please turn to page 238. Beistle has been red-hot on Ebay this season, so it would not surprise me if this great hat ends at a price significantly above the guide value of $200.
09/01 Update: I expected this fantastic hat to go high but never dreamed that it fetch $510. Maybe it is time to sell mine!
HALLOWEEN BRIDGE TALLY CARD PUMPKIN VOLLAND OLD VINTAGE
Volland, a clever manufacturer with typically understated designs, is sadly unheralded today. This tally is simple yet compelling. Not only is it a straightforward JOL, but in a very small form factor all four card suits have been subtly worked into the overall design - without seeming forced or god-forbid, cutesy. Volland's output wasn't too large. They merged with Gerlach Barklow in 1924, moving their operations from Chicago to Joliet. They were kaput by 1933.
Antique Vtg Paper Mache Jack o' Lantern Evil Face Original Eyes and Mouth
This is a crude reproduction, probably made yesterday. It is neither antique nor vintage, contrary to the auction heading and verbiage. This abomination has zero collectible value. Don't be fooled.
vntg Halloween witch paper lantern Germany unusual very good/exc. condition
This witch hanger, one of a largish set, is a well-designed and fun item - but oh-so-fragile. The latticed paper comprising the "body" of the witch is delicate and very prone to tearing. One tear and the integrity of the lattice is severely compromised. It is for this reason that I sold the ones I had in the collection. It was simply too stressful hanging them. When they aren't hung, they don't appear to be too interesting, sealing my decision to sell. However, if you have a place to hang these and forget them - be sure to bid on this and the other lots from this set this seller has up right now. All of these hangers were made in Germany in the 1920s.
AS IS Vintage Hard Plastic Halloween Toy Lot Rosbro Figures Much More Cat Witch
I don't see anything in this lot to justify the ending price. Do you?
Old Vintage Cardboard Halloween Nut Cup Candy Container Holder Dennison 1920's
Dennison issued a set of four of these well-designed nut cups in the late 1920s. They were sold only as a set. Dennison began liberalizing their imagery and using gold highlights during this period, a period that stretched until about 1931. On my Relative Scarcity Index, I assign these a "2," meaning they are "rare." These don't come up for sale all that often. The seller claims they have never been folded. If you like ephemera like this - and who doesn't - don't let the three now up for auction slip by.
9/1 Update: I am surprised these nut cups didn't bring more than $24.99. I chalk it up to the vagaries of Ebay as these typically fetch $75 each. The buyer got a steal.
