This is the kind of listing that I look for to add to my knowledge base. I had long wondered which firm had made these diecuts. The examples I've seen never have any marks, so I've always speculated. This salesman sample from 1936 does answer the question of maker: the American Colortype Company of Chicago, Illinois. Yah!!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
1930'S Halloween Tally Table Bridge Card Volland
I love this cleverly designed tally card. This was made by Volland in the mid-1920s. The company merged with Gerlach Barklow in 1924, moving the operation from Chicago to Joliet. They were out of business by 1933.
1930's Dennison Halloween Skull and Crossbones Die cut MINT!!
I'm so glad to see this rare diecut finally getting some collector love! This non-embossed diecut, made by Dennison and first appearing in their 1929 Price List pamphlet, wasn't made for many seasons. The paper stock on which it was printed was thin, so finding one in near-mint or better condition is a coup.
1930'S "SCARCE" HALLOWEEN BEACH & ARTHUR PAPER PLATE. WONDERFUL GRAPHICS N MINT
Wow! Three bidders, intent on adding this fine plate to their collections, drove the bidding into the stratosphere to an entirely unsustainable $123.50. I am happy for the seller, but would counsel the underbidders to bide their time. These plates show up regularly, and typically fetch $30-40. A bit of advice to newer collectors: understand the relative scarcity of the items on which you are bidding. If something is common, seldom bid over guide value as another will surface in one forum or another. Try not to overpay as the prevailing bidder here most definitely did.
1930's Halloween tin litho slide whistle Hoarder's estate #179
When I was a new collector I saw these fairly regularly. Times sure have changed! I haven't seen one being offered for sale for quite some time. The RSIN for this now is 2, with a sustainable guide value of $150. Kirchhof made this nicely designed slider in the early 1930s. I can't think of similarly designed tin litho noisemakers, so if you don't have this yet in your collection, this item looks to be in collectible condition.
06/27 Update: It is surprising that this didn't fetch more, at $108.05. As referenced above, they don't surface as much as they once did. Guide value is $150, so the buyer got a bargain.
BEISTLE HALLOWEEN 1920'S MECHANICAL HORRIBLE WITCH DIE CUT~BAT WINGS~SCOWLING
I enjoy seeing these wonderful vintage Beistle items on Ebay. When Beistle manufactured and assembled these early mechanical items, they primarily used these primitive pot metal fasteners seen here. By 1929 they had moved to predominantly using grommets. There are exceptions to these general guidelines as manufacturing was much more free-form back then than it is today. This Horrible Witch mechanical diecut was made during the mid-1920s.
Look at the Beistle JOL garland at the bottom of page 145. Another reference dates this as being manufactured several decades later, but the use of the early fasteners mitigates against that assertion.
vintage halloween Rare Die cut Man In Moon
This is one of a set of four diecuts Beistle issued in the mid-1950s. The set is hard to find, but this example is in poor enough condition that I feel collectors should pass it by. Why? The set was distinguished by a little-used novelty of having a separately attached image made from a black light construction paper give a cheap 3-D effect to the overall diecut. The bat that should be with this diecut would have been attached where the holes are located in the left middle of the item. Please see page 158 to view the entire set.
1940 Halloween Tambourine Vintage T. Conn Witch on Pumpkin 6 Inch Diameter
I was surprised at this listing. The seller is someone who was one of the earliest collectors of vintage Halloween memorabilia - a true trailblazer. When I was a fresh-faced collector in 1988, this seller was already an old hand at the hobby. This seller is savvy, so I was surprised that she offered this rare tambourine at such a bargain. (That this was a bargain is demonstrated by just how quickly some lucky buyer snapped this up.) Also, she should know that there was no such firm called T. Conn making these items. It is T. Cohn.
WONDERFUL VINTAGE HALLOWEEN "BEISTLE" USA- GREAT WITCH DIE CUT-EMBOSSED
This astonishing result is what happens when you have one bidder bound and determined to add something to their collection. If you look at the bidding history, the one bidder simply wished to top all bids, and took this common diecut home for the unsustainable price of $202.50. This Beistle diecut, made for many seasons, typically changes hands for $75. Congrats to the seller, long one of my favorites, for this score.
tin halloween parade lantern jack o' lantern
This seller has angered a number of collectors who have repeatedly contacted him/her to tell him this was made by Bethany Lowe within the last few years and has zero collectible value. This seller refuses to accurately describe this lantern or list it in the Modern category. The dodge he/she uses is so old...stating that the age is unknown. It isn't. He/she simply refuses to be educated.
06/17 Update: I feel for the buyer who dropped $632 on what is merely a decorative item. People: Do your research before dropping serious cash on things like this.
Great Email Received...
I received an email from a faithful reader which makes a good point. Thanks so much, Glenn!
You come down on seller's shipping prices a lot on your blog. What you may not take into account is that the shipping price often includes insurance since eBay does not separate insurance costs from shipping. Regarding your recent post about the witch whistle, the insurance alone on this would be $2.75 if the final price doesn't go above the $75 opening bid. That's the bulk of the shipping cost! I wouldn't want this shipped for $1.25 because that would mean the item was not insured. In my opinion that would be the "negative". Tracking may be included, but that is not insurance.
I personally overpack for safety. Often the box and packaging is 95% of the weight. It's better to ship something safely in a box than be sorry for a damaged item that arrived in a cheaply-shipped envelope.
Something to think about.
Vintage Beistle Black Cat Owl Bat Pumpkin Halloween Orange Tissue HoneyComb Hat
I haven't seen this choice hat surface for some time. Early Beistle (1918-1935) is arguably the hottest sub-genre of vintage Halloween right now, something that has remained true for many years. Even with the condition issues specific to this hat, it fetched a strong price. What captivates me about this hat is the energy the artist conveyed with the four principal figures.
Vintage Halloween Die Cut Cardboard Witch Ring Toss Party Game 16-pc Set xx18
These are reproductions. Authentic ones were made by Beistle during the early 1940s, have dual-sided lithography and printed instructions on the handle. These have no collectible value.
1920s Beistle Die Cut Halloween Johnny Pumpkin Head Easel Back Stand Up
This seller is very optimistic if she thinks this will fetch $275. In perfect condition, these at one time brought $100, but now they routinely bring significantly less.
Beistle made an entire "family" of these in varying sizes and design. This small one, measuring ~5.25" is the most common design by a wide margin. Please see pages 122-124 for a nearly complete array of these Johnny Pumpkin designs.
Antique Tin Germany Halloween Siren Whistle Witches Cats
This petite whistle noisemaker was made in Germany sometime during the late 1920s. Its RSIN is "2," so you know these don't surface much. Sustainable guide value is $150, so the opening price is actually not unreasonable. The whistling mechanism on these is often broken, so I consider it a slight bonus that this is purported to be fully functional.
One negative with this seller is that the postage charge is $4.54. Given the item's small form factor and its negligible weight, postage shouldn't be more than $1.25, especially considering how tracking is now automatically included with First Class postage.
06/11 Update: The buyer got a solid bargain when scooping this up for the pittance of $74.95.
