The very high reserve price was met only because the prevailing bidder, a good friend of mine, wanted this badly as it rekindled a childhood memory of her mother purchasing an identical decorating kit. Except for this serendipitous circumstance for the seller, this surely wouldn't have met reserve, languishing well below half of the ending price.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
5 Paper Mache Halloween Lanterns German Jack-o-Lantern Clown Devils Skeleton
With the possible exception of the leftward-most JOL, these are all fantasy items, made beginning in the middle 1990s and exported from Germany. They have deceived many collectors. Don't be one of them!
Rare Vintage Germany Die Cut Embossed Halloween Stand-Up Black Face Jack O
This is a great diecut in very clean condition, BUT it is being offered at too high of a price. The opening bid is $500 for an item with a sustainable guide value hundreds below that figure. I wish that more sellers would simply trust the auction system, offering items with low starting prices and with no reserves.
Box of VINTAGE 1920's Dennison HALLOWEEN Acorn Face HALLOWE'EN Gummed Seals
Although this is a rare and desirable set of 1926 Dennison seals, the ending price was the result of a spirited bidding war amongst three people. The sustainable guide value is $150, so quite a premium was paid for the prevailing bidder to add to their collection.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN MUSICIANS COMPOSITION GERMANY 1925
I'm so glad to see that this listing finally sold - if for no other reason that this seller listed and relisted the set for at least three years. Surely one of the reasons it took the seller so long to dispose of this set is because she was asking a very high price for items in not very good condition. I can't say that the buyer got a very good deal, but collectively we all did, as this listing has finally been put to rest.
Old Vintage Halloween Diecut Die Cut Out Cardboard Witch EATS Sign Dennison 1930
This rare Dennison diecut was available for only two seasons beginning in 1930. The sub-genre of arrowed party sign diecuts is a small but desirable one I enjoy collecting. This is a compelling item as it has plenty of color and a not-so-unfriendly looking witch, so typical of Dennison's softer look during this time. Sustainable guide value for one in mint condition is $185.
Even given its less than perfect condition, the prevailing bidder got a steal scooping this up for a mere $89.
Happy Halloween!
This season has just whirled by much too quickly!
2014 seems to be the year of Beistle! Their items from the Golden Age have been routinely bringing jaw-dropping prices. I don't feel the prices are sustainable, but the sellers have certainly enjoyed offering their wares over these last several months.
If you haven't picked up a copy of my fully revised and greatly expanded third edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles, don't wait too long. Copies are available either directly from me for $45 including shipping or indirectly from me through Amazon for $49.99 plus shipping. I do all the fulfillment. The book is not available in stores and will not be discounted. Reviews have been great - check them out for yourself on Amazon.
Have a Happy Halloween! MBL
Link To An Article On Halloween Collecting - Vice.Com
I was recently contacted by a writer for vice.com, Giaco Furino, wanting to learn more about vintage Halloween collectibles. I gave him the names of some esteemed collectors and answered his excellent questions myself. Giaco published his article this morning. Below is a link to the piece. Happy reading!
http://www.vice.com/read/these-people-spend-thousands-on-vintage-halloween-decorations
1950s Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Die-cut Cardboard with 2 Faces Alberts Novelty Co
The seller is being very optimistic in offering this as a BIN for $69.95. When valuing items, you must adjust for condition. On a typical day with this lantern in mint condition, sustainable guide value is $30. Given this lantern's condition, with an unfortunate crease across one side, I don't see that this should reasonably fetch more than a single Jackson.
Vintage Beistle Elves Fairies Halloween Party Hat, Honeycomb 1920’s
Beistle issued a set of four of fairy-themed hats in 1923 only, so these are hard-to-find and desirable. The condition of this particular hat appears to be superb, so it will be instructive to see what this great item fetches.
2014 Third Edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles Now Available!
The publication of my new edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles has been gratifyingly well received!
The 2014 third edition represents a thorough revising and a significant expansion of the seven year old second edition. It contains nearly 550 new photographs showing over 600 new items, all in full color. The page count has increased by nearly 50, with each and every of the third edition’s 301 pages freshly designed and laid out. (This is not an example of an author simply slapping a new cover over stale material.) The great majority of the new items shown have never appeared in other books on vintage Halloween.
If you enjoy the amazing creativity, the rich design elements and the history of Halloween collectibles as so many of us do – you will love browsing the pages and viewing the thousands of items that may bring back warm memories of your own holidays past. If you are an advanced enthusiast seeking information about the rarest of the rare, you will find many items you most-likely have never seen before.
The research scholarship contained within this third edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles greatly expands the boundaries of knowledge available to collectors, making this enhanced reference work a must-have addition to the libraries of collectors at all levels.
I have retained those data-rich elements you have come to expect from my years of collecting, researching and writing about the incredible memorabilia related to this fun holiday. Each professionally photographed item is fully captioned - including data such as where the item was made, which company made it, when it was made, manufacturing marks, measurements to the nearest 1/4 inch, a Relative Scarcity Index number, a current market value and additional notes on reproduction alerts, item iterations and other informative data. I have worked hard to greatly expand the specificity of the captioning with virtually every item attributed to a specific manufacturer.
I was fortunate to have Matthew Kirscht, a New Orleans-based fine artist with an international reputation for Halloween-themed artwork, not only design each page, making the layout more engaging and logical, but also to have him contribute customized, supplemental artwork throughout the book that lends it a fresh look given his distinctive style. (You may know Matthew by his business name, Shiverbones.) You won’t find generic clip-art anywhere in this new edition.
Both softcover and hardcover versions are now available. Order now! (The images all have a “watermark” of my initials. Don’t worry - these initials don’t appear on the actual cover or pages.)
Softcover Edition
Signed softcovers are $45, which includes domestic Media Rate shipping. Alternatively, if you’d like your softcover copy sent via domestic Priority Mail, the cost is $54. (If you are a California resident, please include an additional 8% or provide a valid CA resale number.) While supplies last, I am including a copy of the 2007 second edition with all softcover orders, so order now.
Limited Edition Hardcover and Kirscht Postcard
A hardcover version of the book is available, although hardcovers were limited to an edition of only 100 copies. (Fewer than 25 remain available for sale.) Each hardcover copy will be hand signed and numbered by me and will include a postcard drawn by Matthew Kirscht, hand signed and numbered by him, commemorating his involvement with the book. (The title of the postcard is The Deadline.) The postcards were also limited to an edition of 100. The number of the book and the number of the postcard sent will match and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Hardcovers are $125 which includes domestic Priority Mail shipping. When they’re gone, they’re gone for good. (If you are a California resident, please include an additional 8% or provide a valid CA resale number.)
How to Order
I love personal checks and money orders, but if you wish to use Paypal, please do so without a fee, or simply add 3.25% to your total order to compensate for an unavoidable fee. Checks and money orders can be sent to my mailing address below; Paypal transfers to the email address listed below.
Mark B. Ledenbach
P.O. Box 2421
Orangevale, CA 95662
marlede@sbcglobal.net
I am so grateful for the positive book reviews I have received from collectors at all levels from around the world. I hope you enjoy Vintage Halloween Collectibles as much as I have enjoyed creating it!
Spread the word to fellow collectors!
Rare Antique Halloween Parade Pumpkin Jack O Lantern, Toledo May 13, 1902-03
Two factors that contributed to this incredible ending price are obvious - the nearly flawless paint and the presence of the original insert, which is nearly always missing. Considering just how cherry the condition, the ending price seems a relative bargain.
Vintage 1920S Dennison Cat And Witch Singing Diecut
This is a tough diecut to obtain, especially in this very fine plus condition. I feel the buyer got a true bargain, more common at this time of the year when so many items are listed at the same time. People often ask me when is the best time to list vintage Halloween items for sale on-line. My answer is generally a variation of, "Anytime except October!" Although not true with many Golden Age Beistle items listed this cycle, it has generally been true these last 10 days or so. I expect to be able to scoop up some fine stuff at relatively good prices in the next few days.
Rare German Vintage Composition Halloween Devil in a Pumpkin Candy Container 5"
I don't feel that any of the Halloween items this seller has listed currently are truly vintage items. All of them seem to be of the ilk of items made in Germany but imported to the USA in the last 20 years. I would approach purchasing these items with great caution. I appreciate the fact that the seller has a 14 day return policy.
Recently Was A Guest on a Radio Talk Show...
I had the opportunity to speak about Halloween collectibles with Harold Nicoll on his radio program, The Collectors Show, during the afternoon of October 17th. I was driving to Santa Cruz during the interview so there is some road noise that some may find distracting. However, Harold covered a wide range of topics and I feel it is definitely worth a listen. Let me know what you think!
Listen here: http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2014/10/20/the-collectors-show-2/