This is merely a remnant and as such possesses little value. Please see page 149 to view the entire diecut, not merely the carefully excised upper portion of the Beistle diecut.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
HALLOWEEN 1920'S ORIG.WALL DECORATION;;GRAVEYARD;SKELETON,OWL;EMB.,VINTAGE;USED
HOLY TOLEDO, BATMAN! I almost fell right off my chair when I saw this come up. This is, for many, many collectors THE holy grail Beistle diecut. Instructively, in just the few hours since its listing, the price has reached $710. I project it will zoom much, much further into the stratosphere. Here is what I have to say about this superb diecut in my third edition, made at the zenith of Beistle's creative powers:
A touch of mystery swirls around this object. All the catalogs I have examined, Beistle publications and the many ones put out by wholesalers over the years, indicate this embossed diecut was sold as one of a set of four. There were five large diecuts with scalloped edges made beginning in the early 1930s. (The other four can be seen in Diecuts.) Some catalogs show that at times this skeleton in the graveyard was sold with the seated cat while others show it was at times sold with the arched-back cat. The others, owl and broomed witch, remain constants. The point is that the skeleton in the graveyard is itself a constant in these publications, so why doesn’t it ever turn up? I finally landed the one in the collection quite reasonably when it was improperly lotted in an auction in 2010. Two have popped up on Ebay, both quite damaged. Other than that, zilch! This is a large, colorful and eye-catching design measuring 18.5” h x 11.75” w. Look at how the branches of the Wizard of Oz-like trees end in creatures. Dark and creepy! This killer item is valued at $1,800 to $2,000.
10/03 Update: I'm still reeling by what this ultra-rare and eminently desirable diecut brought - $3,350 - far eclipsing sustainable guide value. Like with anything else, if another in this condition were to surface in the short/medium term, the price would be notably lower as the number of players at this level is relatively small. Bravo to both the seller and buyer. What a ride watching this auction was!
Rare Lg Johnny Pumpkin Head Halloween Die-Cut by Beistle
I am glad to see these very odd Beistle creations finally getting their day in the sun. Beistle issued several different sizes from 1919-1921. A very nice and representative selection is shown on pages 122-124. Here is some of the text describing the Johnny Pumpkin decorations from my new third edition:
Beistle issued the family in these formally designated sizes, all non-embossed on flat stock, medium weight cardboard: five inch, eight inch, eleven inch, sixteen inch and twenty inch, although there are variations to size of as much as one and one-quarter inch with nearly all of them. The smallest size was made for several seasons more than all of the others. This smallest size had three iterations and was generally sold in envelopes with quantities ranging from five to ten per envelope. This size is commonly seen today. The other sizes are much less common with this proviso: the bigger they get the harder they are to find.
Beistle didn’t take great care in differentiating designs within sizes. Sometimes the differences are obvious but sometimes the differences are just a matter of how much neck line, or lace or collar shows. Beistle was seemingly not prepared for the success of this line and cranked them out with limited quality control relative to exactly how the designs by size were replicated. This becomes more obvious the more examples one gathers together to compare.
RARE Vintage Halloween German Children's Teaset JOL porcelain CREAMER 1908-1932
When I first saw this result I thought the price was surprisingly low - until I read the very full description. Pieces from the large and compelling tea sets issued by the Germans are very much in demand right now, so given the noticeable chip at the rim, I feel this piece brought top dollar. A very nice array of pieces from the trio of differently sized sets can be seen in my newly published third edition on pages 119-121.
Vtg old paper mache halloween lantern black cat
The good news is that the workmanship of this black cat lantern is SO bad that no one should be fooled for even one moment that it is a genuinely vintage lantern. I wish all of the fakes were so amateurishly rendered.
Rare Cardboard "Goblo" Pumpkin Face Bag Toss Game Vintage Halloween
This game began to be reproduced about 3 years ago, so view them with suspicion. Although I cannot say definitively that this particular game is one of the reproductions, the last photo shows a metal back and prop, definitely inconsistent with the genuine article.
PAIR (2) Vtg HALLOWEEN ~ TOY CYMBALS ~ WITCH on Broom ~ OWL ~ BLACK CAT
This exceedingly rare set of cymbals was made by the Gotham Stamping and Die Corporation of New York, NY in the later 1920s. These are big, eye-catching items that display remarkably well. I have seen only 10-15 of these surface in 26+ years of collecting vintage Halloween.
Vintage Paper Halloween Die Cut Jack-O-Lantern Swag 7 pieces-xL,Large, Med, sm
This set is exceedingly rare but, at base, pretty dull. This Jack-O-Lantern Swag Decoration set was issued by Dennison in 1935. It almost certainly wasn't a barn-burner item as Dennison didn't issue it anew after that year. As with virtually all of their diecut output from this period, the reverse sides are a bright yellow. Dennison was disciplined about marking their wares, although an unmarked item slipped through from time to time. Looking at the color of the reverse can be a useful guide when determining which firm produced a diecut.
Beistle Tango Witch Halloween Decoration
I know the sellers were astonished at this ending price - as am I. Given the fully disclosed poor condition of the item, this ending price is wholly unsustainable. If you look at the bidding history, you'll see that the bidding would have leveled off at a reasonable $150, again given the item's poor condition, if not for two bidders who wished to own it at such a stratospheric price against all reason. Ebay sure is an odd place! Sometimes treasures go for a song while problematic items bring dollars they shouldn't.
"VINTAGE HALLOWEEN~BRUNDAGE STREET URCHIN~PLACECARD~EARLY 1920'S"
This place card is one of several that Hallmark sold in the later 1920s as part of their small "Hallowe'en Novelty Box" assortment. The large box, identical except for dimensions to the small box, can be seen on page 164 of my newly published third edition.
Complete ANTIQUE 1920'S Vintage BEISTLE Halloween ENVELOPE w/ DECORATIONS NM
Beistle issued three iterations of this Party Set in 1923. The most common takes the form of a booklet, less common is the enveloped set, like the one this seller has listed, and the least common is the boxed set. All are desirable, especially with complete, mint contents. I feel this set is an iconic "must have" if one collects Beistle from this era - as it is representative of their fairy mania phase that lasted only a single season.
Vintage 1900's Rare "Halloween Hattie" Paper Sucker Holder, JOL, E. Rosen Co. US
When I first saw this listing and its ending price, I wondered why it brought so little relative to what a near-mint example should have brought. Now that I have clicked through and examined its actual condition, I marvel that it brought the strong dollars it did bring. Condition is paramount...
ORIGINAL 1914 Dennison's BOGIE BOOK Very Good Condition 100 Years Old This year!
Condition drives value, irrespective of scarcity. This seller greatly overestimates this tattered survivor's value by having an opening bid of $300. Better to simply list it at $9.99 with no reserve and see what happens.
Vintage Halloween Noise Maker
This tin litho noisemaker is not a vintage item. They were sold for 1-2 seasons through Restoration Hardware about 5 years ago. They have zero collectible value. Don't be fooled.
09/22 Update: Unfortunately, somebody was fooled to the tune of $28.50.
1935 Full Size Dangling Skeleton & Envelope by Beistle
This seems to be the year of Beistle. Prices for many vintage items issued by this still-going-strong American company have been in the stratosphere so far this season, and there is no reason to expect that will not remain the same for this combo. Although the envelope surfaces regularly, seldom does it do so in this condition. Listen, the envelope is large and easy to ruin, accounting for how relatively few of them that still exist in this condition from 1935. Guide value is $175 but I won't be at all surprised if this brings significantly more dollars than this - given that this seems to be Beistle's season to really shine. (I sure am glad that I have specialized in collecting this company's output for several decades.)
09/22 Update: The forecast was correct - this combo brought a strong $256.77.
