Given how hot German diecut skeletons have been lately, I feel this is worthy of being scooped up immediately. The photos show a skeleton in better condition than stated by the seller. For $150 and free shipping, if you don't already own this smallest of the three manufactured sizes, buy it now.
08/24 Within minutes of this post, a faithful reader scooped up this great item at a reasonable price - reasonable given how hot this sub-genre has been of late.
This early mechanical was made in the United States by an unidentified firm with an interestingly distinctive design aesthetic. This witch at cauldron mechanical was one of a set of four made between 1910-1917. The seller states he/she has seen an example with an extant cat's tail. I have seen many of this design and have never seen one fully intact. The condition issues identified as pertaining to this example are precisely those most commonly seen. All in all, the buyer got a helluva bargain, scooping this up for $199.95, when the sustainable guide value is more than double that. I think placing such high opening prices deters activity, something that more sellers should take into account when deciding to sell on eBay, using an auction format. The more successful sellers of vintage Halloween items start their auctions at $9.99 or less and typically get very solid results. If you'd like to see the others comprising this set, please see page 284.
As of this writing, this lot has received a bid for the opening price of $75. The seller is lucky to get this considering that the lot is composed of two vintage items and two new items. The vintage items, the owl and the middle JOL, are both quite damaged. The others items comprising the lot are obvious decorative items possessing zero vintage value. Frankly, I don't feel the lot is even worth the postage the seller states is required: $31.80!
This cute place card was made by Whitney during the early 1930s. There are six different designs comprising a full set. You can see the entire set on page 281.
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.
I have really come to appreciate the decorative stand-up place cards that Whitney issued during the 1920s. The designs range from purely whimsical, like this one, to ones that have a touch of menace. Look on page 276 for other examples of the many designs Whitney issued.
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.
Although this game has virtually nothing to do with Halloween, there are collectors for these early Milton Bradley products possessing great lithography. The seller let this one go far too cheaply with a BIN for a paltry $35.
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!
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!!
This invitation is nice enough, but there isn't anything about it that warrants the crazy ending price of $140.37. This is one of those outlier results that sellers pray for on eBay. Congrats to the seller. The buyer is probably looking in the mirror saying, "What the ____ did I just do?"
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.
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.
This was made by Beistle in the mid-1960s. The earlier ones are printed on one side only. This design was reprinted in the very late 1960s. These reprints are double-sided and typically are valued at a 50% discount to sustainable guide value of $50. This listing is for a reprint.
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.
