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One Vintage Halloween 1930s WITCH, BAT, BLACK CAT lantern FULL MOON, BLUE SKY
This 1930s Beistle lantern has long been a favorite of mine. Whether that is because it is somewhat of a departure from their design aesthetic norm or simply that is was one of my first lanterns I don't know! What I do know is that I appreciate this seller's no nonsense description. It is simple, has excellent photos, is complete with necessary information - including that the bottom is not original - and is free of the annoying GIFs and other affectations plaguing so many eBay listings.
Vintage Whitney Halloween Stand Up Place Card, JOL Girl, Cat, Owls, Mice, Unused
"SCARCE 1920'S HALLOWEEN GERMAN JOINTED SKELETON 27" DIECUT-3 SIZES MADE N MINT
I am glad that the seller, goofus999, long on my list of those with whom I like doing business, received such a sky-high price for this diecut. As in nearly all such instances, the wholly unsustainable ending price was a result of two bidders only. Look at the bidding history. Without the intervention of a bidder who seems to bid high prices across a wide spectrum of goods, this diecut would have ended near the sustainable guide price of $150. Bidders, do your homework. Know the "Relative Scarcity Index number" or RSIN of the items you are interested in obtaining. The RSIN for this, the most common of the three German articulated skeleton diecuts, is 3. This means you will likely see examples for sale several times or more in a season. If you want to bid high, do so on those items with an RSIN of 1 or maybe 2.
1905 Milton Bradley THE FORTUNE TELLER Novel and Exciting GAME Complete
J. Chein Halloween Tambourine (tamborine) Halloween Party Scene!!!
These tin litho tambourines are common enough that they should be purchased for inclusion into a serious collection only if they are in stellar condition. (The percentage of such tin litho items is quite small, heightening your chance of price appreciation if your collecting interests change and you decide to deaccession it.) This particular example of a classic Chein scene appears to be in eminently collectible condition. The BIN price is a tad high, but submit an offer for $250. That should be accepted.
08/17 Update: A reader let me know she followed my advice and is now the proud owner of this super tambourine!
An Excellent Supposition!
One of my most stalwart of readers wrote me just now to posit this idea:
"I very much enjoyed your readers' comments regarding the laughing doughnut decoration. It is sometimes difficult to know what influences a particular design. I have sometimes wondered if the Beistle Halloween decorations that feature fairies were influenced by the Cottingley fairy hoax. Although the photographs allegedly showing real fairies in a garden were taken by two young English girls in 1917, they received quite a bit of publicity in this country after Arthur Conan Doyle published them in 1920. Of course, there may have already been an interest in fairies that impacted both the Cottingley girls and the Beistle artists.
Cindy R."
I think Cindy R. is on to something! Thanks so much!!
VINTAGE 1940's HALLOWEEN Party Invitation Card w/ Flying Witch, Jack O-Lanterns
GERMAN HALLOWEEN MINI-DIECUT~1930'S~WITCH COOKS IN CAULDRON~4.25"
This is a true variant to the design that one sees occasionally. The set to which this mini-diecut belongs is one of the most desirable around. (See the set on page 185.) Each of its members typically fetch between $200-$300, as did the cat and JOL design offered by this same great seller. What differentiates this is the reverse coloring and the additional embossed stars on the witch's cloak that are not present in the more-commonly seen design. I attempted to obtain this for the collection by putting in what I thought was an aggressive bid of $500, but was outbid by a wide margin. Even given the very high price paid for this item, I have to offer a hearty congrats to the prevailing bidder, whomever it is.
Vintage Halloween Noisemakers T Cohn Kirchhof US Metal Toy
The star of this great lot is the clanger with the green stripe made by T. Cohn during the 1950s. Although the RSIN is a solid 3, it did take me a surprisingly long time to find an example in good enough condition to be in the collection. The one in this lot looks mighty good. You can't beat the seller, either. He is a newish collector who prizes knowledge and is about the most foursquare and honest person I've met in a while. Bid with total confidence.
Vtg Lg Halloween Die Cut Paper Decoration Flying Witch Moon Beistle Dennison ?
Antique 1920s Dennison's Broomed Witch Silhouettes / Seals (12) No. H-641 Rare
This boxed set of Dennison broomed witch illuminated silhouettes first appeared in their 1922 Bogie Book. Its RSIN is 4, so it isn't correct to refer to it as rare. I love collecting Dennison boxed goods, and would call the sub-genre one of my top 5 to collect. Dennison made some designs for many years and others for a single season. This is an example of the former. The sustainable guide value is $55, so the seller's opening bid of $154.99 will probably never be met.
One Vintage Halloween 1950s GHOSTLY GRAVES with JOL FENCE TREE Rosen Candy Card
This is one of five cards comprising a complete set of what I call "Set B" made by Rosen in the late 1940s-early 1950s. All of the cards from this set are desirable and somewhat hard to find. Arguably, the best card is the one showing dancing skeletons, but this card is quite appealing in its own way. All cards from all sets can be seen on pages 90-92.
08/17 Update: This Rosen card brought a strong $99, continuing a long trend wherein the five cards comprising this set, what I call Set B, each bring more than the guide value of $70 each. Perhaps the more accurate value id around $85 each.
CATALOG COLLECTION OF VINTAGE HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS
08/09 Update: I received an email this morning from the seller shedding light on this listing. I have edited only the seller's name and direct contact information:
Thank you for your message. If I understand correctly, you are selling the one copy you received as a gift years ago and are not making copies of that copy. If so, I can see why Ben Truwe would have no objection. (Ben sells CD copies of his Catalog Collection reference through his site (http://id.mind.net/~truwe/tina/horder.html) for $12 postpaid.) I was surprised at the number of emails I received from readers unhappy with their understanding of your listing. I do not have any idea who the Ebay user, EIYS, is. I will post this exchange on my site as an addendum to the original post, only editing out your name and contact information. Regards, MBL
Mark..saw your comments this morning on my listing of the Halloween catalog collection. Years ago I was given this copy as a gift from a fellow collector who made the copy for me. I decided to list it and didn't give much thought about it until I received a vile e-mail from someone who only signed the e-mail with the ebay user-name EIYS...know who they are? You know who I am and could have reached out to me first before putting this on your blog (which doesn't change anything). I got 'spooked' by the email, and took down the listing. Giving it further thought, I called Ben Truwe and told him the situation. and he assured me he has no problem with me listing it as a copy..nothing for me to worry about! I then spoke with ebay's TRUST AND SAFETY dept. and they told me that if the author is OK with it, they are also fine with the listing. I disclosed that it was a copy in the listing! They also suggested that I could report (EIYS) for 'harrassment' because of the language used in the e-mail. I'll probably do that.
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I don't approve of this kind of thing. The seller, who should know better, is offering a COPY of what has become a rare Halloween reference, originally published by Ben Truwe's Talky Tina Press in 2003 with an errata from April 25, 2004. Although the seller is clear that this is a copy, what right does he have to attempt to profit from another person's work? I'm sure that Ben Truwe, who worked hard assembling what I've found to be a very helpful reference, would be taken aback at such a rip-off of intellectual property.
Vintage Halloween Candy Holder G.M. Company
Items from this set have long been among my favorites due to their whimsical nature. Slot and tab construction enabled manufacturers like the General Merchandise Company to ship large quantities of cardboard candy holders throughout the United States for a relative pittance as they weigh little and lay flat. The G.M. Company made some cleverly designed and very rare candy holders and decorations. Although the set this particular candy holder is from isn't particularly rare, others are. Check out the two very desirable holders made by the G.M. Company on page 53, plus the magnificent table decoration on page 296. This seller is a friend and someone I wouldn't (and don't) hesitate to buy from.