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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Style 1930s Flaming-Red Devil Halloween Lantern (Composition)

I recently took delivery of this remarkable lantern and wanted to pass along some thoughts. Although the emphasis of this blog is on the truly vintage, on occasion I add newly made pieces to the collection. I am very glad I have one of these. The artist, Timothy Ramzyk, sells a line of five Halloween lanterns both on Ebay and Etsy. This lantern is weighty and has been made with a high level of craftsmanship and care. Tim numbers each one, as they are made in limited quantities. As the years roll on, he intends to retire some designs to make room for others. I am sometimes asked what newly made items might be the collectibles of tomorrow. I am confident that all of these lanterns fit the bill. I spoke with Tim this afternoon to ask why he doesn't charge more for these works of art. For the moment, he feels these are fairly priced. However, buy any one of the lanterns and I dare you to disagree with me - they are worth every penny and then some. Buy any of all of these lanterns while they are available. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN 3D TABLE DECORATION PRINTED CARDBOARD BEISTLE "HERE LIES"

Beistle made a trio of these ingeniously designed 3-D decorations in the mid-1950s, when their creative juices, by and large, were ebbing. Of the three (the others can be seen on page 231), this one is the best and typically the most expensive. These almost always have notable condition issues, which this particular example seems to have avoided. Sustainable guide value is $225. 

vintage Halloween Black Cats diecut fence conecting centerpiece & Cat Stand Up

These items were all produced by Whitney of Worcester, Massachusetts. Four singing black cat sections comprise a full set. These would link together to form a rectangular shaped table centerpiece. You can see this and other four-sided table centerpieces by Whitney on pages 274-275 of my newly published reference. 

10/10 Update: The buyer did not make a good buy, paying $239.50 for an incomplete singing cat fence centerpiece. 

Halloween Tindeco Witch with Pumpkin Candy Tin Large size

I recently had the opportunity to examine this Tindeco item, the larger of the two designs they issued for Halloween. Made in the 1920s by the Tin Decorating Company of Baltimore, Maryland, this larger iteration is hard to find in this condition. Very clean and bright, it will be difficult to better this. Tindeco was sold to the Illinois Glass Company in 1935, which ceased using the Tindeco mark at that time. You can't go wrong with this seller, close friends of mine, whose knowledge of vintage Halloween is A-1, as are their ethics and honesty. Bid with confidence! 

1940s Halloween 11" Skelleton Pushing Pumpkin Cart Cardboard Table Decoration

Isn't this an awesome item? This is only the third time I've seen this candy container, made by the General Merchandise Company. It was made during the 1950s. Pay attention to the dimensions as this is a surprisingly sizable item. Sustainable guide value is ~$200. 

10/08 Update: This item fetched the crazy, unsustainable price of $344.99, almost certainly an artifact of its inclusion in my newly available third edition. 

1950s Halloween 6 1/2" Pumpkin Pulling Cart Cardboard Table Decoration w/ Candy!

This is one of the best candy holders Fibro designed - in my opinion. Given the length of its production run, 1934-1953, relatively few of these surface compared to the witch pulling the hay cart and the black cat pulling a JOL cart. (All can be seen on pages 52-53.) Unlike the other two, this one hasn't been reproduced to my knowledge. Interestingly, a marked example has never surfaced. Sustainable guide value is $250. 

Black Cat Candy Container USA Fibro Toy Dolly Toy Co Nut Cup Tab & Slot Cdbd

Although there is no public ending price on this Fibro Toy manufactured by the Dolly Toy Company of Dayton, Ohio in the mid-1930s, it was definitely near guide price of $90. As I state on page 296, "A cache of these in near-mint condition was found in late 2011, lowering prices as collectors see them more routinely. Obtain one now while the supply is relatively abundant and prices are reasonable." 

Near-Mint Old Vintage 1930s Beistle Halloween Witch on Broom Diecut Decoration

This rare broomed witch diecut was made by Beistle in the 1930s and is seldom found in this condition. (The paper stock Beistle used for this diecut was relatively thin, making it more prone to damage than a diecut on thicker stock.) The seller is a friend of mine. Naturally, he is as honest as they come. Also, he is particular about condition, so if states that something is near-mint, it is. Bid with great confidence. 

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!