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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN PARTY INVITATION, 1927 BEISTLE POP UP WITCH WHEN OPENED

Beistle made at least two versions of these wonderful pop-up invitations. This example, the witch exulting over her cauldron, was sold in the late 1920s. (In fact, this was used in 1927.) A significantly rarer version shows a pop-up scarecrow along with three JOLs. Beistle issued this design beginning in the early 1930s and probably didn't make them that long since I've seen that version sold only singly. From what I know, an extant box has never surfaced. You can see the rarer design on page 223. 

Vintage 1930s rare 14 inch HALLOWEEN Jitterbug Jones & WITCH 2 GLOW-IN-THE-DARK

I'd love to know the story here. When this lot ended at $636.99, I didn't believe it. I called a close friend and fellow collector to get her reaction. She said maybe it is time to sell our collections if people are willing to pay such a high price for items with such obvious condition issues. Not only are both items missing their placards, but the amount of wear, plus the presence of tape remnants, is a turn-off. However, the seller relisted the pair less than a mere two hours later. So, did the prevailing bidder get cold feet? These really shouldn't go for more than $200-$250 total. 

09/22 Update: I received an email from the prevailing bidder today explaining that she had inadvertently placed a mistaken bid amount by inserting a third digit in her haste to bid. The seller graciously accepted this explanation and didn't bind the bidder to the placed bid. Doesn't this truly indicate that the seller is fair-minded? 

Very Rare Plastic Witch And Pumpkin Carriage candy container Rosen ? Rosbro

The buyer got a real bargain here, even with the fully disclosed, very minor repair. I have never warmed to hard plastic but have to admit that the Kokomold products have an inescapable charm. Although I don't own any Kokomold items, for the first time ever, I'm open to that possibility. The seller knew just enough to know it was rare, but doesn't seem to be up on current prices. 

THE HALLOWEEN BUG~DIE CUT BEISTLE JOINTED SMILING SKAIRO~1931~SMILING CAT

I think all four of these imaginative Skairo designs by Beistle have now appeared in the last few weeks. This seems to be in near-perfect condition, a miracle considering just how large and complicated this diecut is. Beistle only issued this design for one year, 1931. Frankly, I can't imagine that another in better condition will ever surface! This seller has been releasing some real treasures from her large collection. What else is coming? :) 

Antique Dennison Spook Sticker Box 1920s

This great set first went on sale in 1922. There is a companion set to this, sold with a stock number of H637. Both have a RSIN of 3. Some Dennison boxed sets are more desirable than others due to design and overall scarcity. For the most common sets, always buy full boxes. 

Halloween Party JOL Scarecrows Place cards table decoration Dennison Co 1919

Dennison boxed items are one of my favorite collecting genres. I haven't really seen too many of these little gems listed this season. This box is early and quite desirable. Dennison was well into its adventure into boxed holiday items and was finding it to be a lucrative business. This set is one of the first of their large form factor designs, quite detailed and a bit saucy. Their place cards lost this innocence during most of the 1920s and regained it briefly from  1928-1931. 

Vtg Rare Halloween Germany Embossed Die Cut 3-Part Panel Screen with Crepe Paper

WOW!The Vintage Halloween category of eBay, typically a very mixed bag of dreck, has certainly been perking up lately. Look at this absolutely stunning fireplace screen made in Germany. I've seen many of these in my collecting career, and this has to be the second best example I have ever seen. There seems to be but a single imperfection in the crepe and a minimal number of surface paper abrasions, nearly impossible to avoid with something this massive. Sustainable guide value is no less than $2600. Who will step up? 

RARE Antique Halloween Parade Pumpkin Lantern w/ Original Sticks! 1800s JH

It irritates me that so many of these have been popping up on Ebay with sellers claiming they are vintage parade lanterns. These are not vintage! They were made about 7 years ago by Bethany Lowe. I have one in my seasonal displays. Please, readers, contact this seller and educate her. However, if the past is any guide, the seller will remain blissfully wrapped tightly in their ignorance. 

Halloween BAT with WINGS 1940s

Here is another listing from the same seller with the winged ghost decoration. This devil bat was made by Beistle only from 1925-1931. Given its six season production run, these are extraordinarily difficult to find complete. Typically, the wings are ripped and/or the feet are missing. Often, the horns are long gone. I love just how evil this diecut is! The manufacturers made party decorations for adults back then, and this design exemplifies this fact. In my view, this is one of the VERY best examples of this incredibly desirable Beistle masterpiece. If you don't own one, bid on this one for sure! 

09/25 Update: Items from Beistle's Golden Age have been white-hot for many years and keep setting record prices. Here is another record: This superb example sold for $1,025. 

Halloween Ghoul with Wings 1940s cardboard/crepe paper decoration

Although there are condition issues with this winged ghost decoration Beistle issued only in 1925, they are easy to overlook given just how unusual it is to see complete examples. Yes, the top knots are hanging on by a thread and there is unfortunate discoloring to the area around that face that only a mother could love, but importantly for me, the base is intact. As I write on page 228, "Weirdly, both ends of the base are generally also missing." With well over five days to go, this iconic Beistle masterpiece has already been bid up to nearly $225. It'll be fun to see where it ends. 

Halloween Candy Containers Veggie Men Germany 5 different original box

The seller states that, "Opinion is divided as to whether these are old, new, fakes, etc." There is not a single advanced collector I know that believes these things have any age to them. From the perspective of those that have been in the hobby for decades, opinion is united that these are fakes. There is zero documentary evidence of their existence prior to the great avalanche of fakes from Germany that began at the Atlantic City show in 1995. The seller offers a wide-ranging theory trying to justify why she believes these are the real deal. I applaud her creativity but wish she'd simply remove the listing (and several other of her listings of dubious age). It is well-known that the importers faking Halloween beginning in the mid-1990s used truly vintage boxes to house their newly made forgettables. Let's not conflate the age of the boxes with the age of the housed items. 

Vintage antique U.S.A. Halloween owl lantern - large

It is nice to see this owl lantern get some loving. Years ago these commanded high prices, but as eBay upended the market's assumptions as to what was rare and what truly wasn't, prices for this lantern, as well as its cat mate, began to fall. When Beistle reproduced this lantern a couple of years ago (doing it the right way by making the new ones MUCH smaller than the vintage ones and ensuring these new items were well marked), prices continued to fall. To illustrate, in my 2007 second edition, this is valued at $70, whereas in the new third edition the value is given as $55. Now, whether this auction result is an anomaly or the start of a trend will have to await more data.