Blog

Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

5 3/4" - Very Old GERMANY HALLOWEEN DIECUT - JOL w STAR MOON HAT

I'm surprised this seller hasn't modified his listing to acknowledge this is not a diecut that is in "marvelous condition." I've sent him at least two emails since he began trying to sell this diecut over a year ago. So, what's wrong with it? It has been trimmed to give the JOL a Jay Leno-like chin. It wasn't sold this way. Given its damage, the price is decidedly south of $20, nowhere near the $85 BIN price. 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN DIE CUT WITCH SPINNER PARTY GAME FORTUNE TELLER

I believe this is a poorly made reproduction. This seller's former Ebay handle was shadowtown. I placed this seller on my list of those with whom I choose not to do business as I felt they sold reproductions of vintage Halloween items. This game, which sold for $305, is definitely not the real deal. An authentic version has directions and 24 fortunes printed on the reverse. The reverse of the offered game is blank, even though the verbiage on the front's bottom states, "The numbers refer to fortunes on the back of card." Additionally, authentic items are not made from heavy paper stock, but are made from a light-to-medium stock. If whomever bought this abomination reads this blog, return it for a full refund right away. 

02/11 Update: Happily, the buyer read my post and wisely decided not to consummate the transaction. The seller, by way of some explanation, burbled that she herself would be seeking a refund from the person she obtained it from. Uh huh.... 

Third Edition Price Increasing in Early March

Please note the change to the data on my new third edition:

Signed soft covers 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 domestic softcover orders, so order now. 

The price for a softcover third edition will increase to $50, still including domestic Media Rate shipping, in early March.

Vintage Halloween Cat With Devil Mask Die Cut Decoration

This diecut has always been one that I've appreciated. It is a clever design, made at a time (1940s) when Beistle's original output was spotty. Made from unusually thin paper stock, it is nearly impossible (impossible?) to find one in perfect condition. The one up for auction is in a typical condition for this diecut. Sustainable guide value is $225 for ones in better condition. 

02/13 Update: Given the condition, this fetched merely $67.66. 

Vintage Halloween Tin Metal OLD WITCH Noisemaker Sparkler Toy on CARD

This is an interesting listing, being the first time I've ever seen this witch face sparkler attached to a card. Typically, these sparklers were boxed. The card indicates some involvement by the Hale-Nass Corporation of New York, a firm that seems to have been in business from the 1930s through the 1980s. All of the documentation I have seen on this noisemaker says that the iterations made in the US were done by Ranger Steel Products Corporation of New York. I wonder what the connection my be between it and Hale-Nass? This item is quite common and has therefore been assigned a "5" on my Relative Scarcity Index. A flood of reproductions was made in Japan beginning in the 1960s. The ending price of $128.49 is quite high, doubtless driven by the heretofore unknown card. 

Ben Truwe's THE HALLOWEEN CATALOG COLLECTION 55 Catalogs from the Golden Age

This little gem of a reference book is darn hard to find. Ben Truwe issued it in 2003. I used it as an excellent reference to date when items were handed off to the wholesale market, both for my 2007 second edition and 2014 third edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles. (If you haven't yet purchased a copy of my new reference, there are ordering instructions under one of the tabs along the top border of this site.) I found it to be an invaluable reference, carefully crafted and containing heaps of great information if you are research-oriented like I am. I haven't seen one surface in years, so snap this up. 

02/02 Update: Two very determined bidders drove the price for this to the stratosphere and beyond. I don't see this final price of $286.78 being a sustainable one. I felt the listing would end with the book being purchased for around $100. 

VINTAGE MADE IN GERMANY HOLLOWEEN STAND UPS

During this time of the year there are few worthwhile listings, and even then many items go for significantly less than they should (or would go for later in the year). This is just such an example. These common skittle game pieces typically bring from $45-65 each, so the buyer got a steal grabbing them for ~$26 each. 

RARE Vintage Halloween Tin Tambourine - WITCH w UMBRELLA & BLACK CAT

This listing illustrates the importance of condition when pricing an object. The seller has placed a BIN price of $300 on this tin tambourine, far above sustainable guide value of $145. If the item was in mint condition, I could better understand the desire for the seller to dream a little bit in hoping to find a buyer at that price. However, given the poor condition: metal creasing, denting, missing paint, significant edge wear - no collector should be interested in this object unless it was priced well below guide value. 
The Relative Scarcity Index number for this item in my 2014 third edition is 3, a significant change from the 2 assigned in my 2007 edition. This change indicates this tambourine is now more commonly seen. 

VINTAGE 1930's Beistle HALLOWEEN Broomed Flying Witch Die-cut Decoration Mint

This is a quality listing from a quality dealer. This diecut, made by Beistle during the 1930s, is nearly impossible to find in near-mint or better condition. As I write on page 149, "Two things make this an unusually difficult diecut to find in perfect condition: the fragile paper stock and the irregular borders with their many sharp points." There is a larger version of this diecut that I recently acquired. (Prior to its acquisition I was unaware of this size variant.) It measures 10.25" high by 14.75" long. 

01/23 Update: I was glad to see this diecut, so rarely found in this pristine condition, fetch nearly double guide value.