This is an exceedingly rare item, made by Beistle only from 1929-1931. (The seller has misread the date pencilled on its reverse as 1924, when it is actually 1929.) This is only the second time I've ever seen this offered for sale. As it write on page 222, "The apron flips up to reveal the scoring area. (There is no sexual connotation to the last sentence.)" This is one of a pair, the other being a scarecrow man. The mate is also shown on page 222.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
VINTAGE TIN LITHO HALLOWEEN NOISE MAKER WITCH/JACK O LANTERN/BAT WOODEN HANDLE
Piece for piece, I think Bugle Toy of Providence, Rhode Island made the quirkiest tin litho items around. The firm's design sensibility seems off-kilter, no doubt helping to make their tin litho items as collectibles as they are today. Bugle also produced lithoed paper over cardboard noisemakers, but these seem to have been produced by a wholly different firm as these items are devoid of creativity, bland and eminently forgettable.
SCARCE Vintage Halloween Lantern WITCH HEAD pcnm
This seller sells a mix of truly vintage and faux vintage. Whether she knows the difference, or wants to know the difference, is hard to discern. This item was made by Stamm House in the 1990s and has decorative value only. The buyer greatly overpaid.
Vintage Halloween Die Cut Johnny Pumpkin Holding Cat Easel Back Beistle 1920's
I believe this is a married piece. It seems that the head has been added to the body. Take a look at the single photo provided of the reverse and look at the difference in the toning of the cardboard. If you are inclined to bid on this item, ask a lot of questions.
Vintage Halloween Witch Party Pin The Tail Style Game w/ Envelope 1913 RARE!
I've seen this game several times in nearly 30 years of collecting and each and every time the envelope is barely holding together. The manufacturer must have used the cheapest, least durable paper stock possible. The contents of the game typically are fine, but the envelope is always chipping and separating. I swear even looking at one causes it to degrade.
RARE Germany Die Cut Halloween Fortune Teller with Envelope M-NM NR
The seller describes this as the Holy Grail of German diecut Halloween items. Although this MAY have been true years ago, it is definitely much less true today. As I write on page 125: "Because of how this game was meant to be used, less than ~40 complete examples are known. (About 20 of these were discovered in an old drugstore in Kentucky and were sold at an auction in Ohio several years ago. These have been filtering into the marketplace since, greatly reducing the value of this item for the short and medium terms.)" I believe the starting price of $1,000 is near the current sustainable guide price.
Fantastic New Pulp Witch Head Available
It is rare that I tout anything but vintage items on this blog, but take a look at these. There is an artist named Timothy Ramzyk in Wisconsin who meticulously and painstakingly hand molds his own designs from a heavy, durable pulp. He has five designs in very limited quantities at price points that are in a few words, way too cheap! The designs from last year are a skull, a JOL, a black cat head and a devil head. The devil is shown below. This year he has unveiled a scary green-faced witch - and you can feast your eyes on it alongside the devil. I just got it yesterday and I was awed at the workmanship. I proudly have these two treasures on exhibit in my main display room. (For those who I've been lucky to host at my home, you know that in order for something to be placed in that room, it has to carry its own weight. These do, easily.)
Now, Tim is only making 12 JOLs and 20 of the other four designs for the entire season. (Of course, there are at most 19 witches left.) The price for the devil, JOL and black cat is $83 each, postpaid. The price for the skull and the awesome new witch is $95 postpaid.
Tim has created a steel stamp of his logo and has permanently branded his creations, as he has a healthy respect for protecting the vintage market. He numbers and dates each of his creations.
For those who know me, you know that I rarely buy anything Halloween unless it is vintage. I've made an exception - and you should too. Snap these up before they are ALL GONE by contacting Tim directly at pulpnovelties@aol.com. He lists these as well on eBay and Etsy.
Antique Halloween Embossed Diecut Pumpkin Jack-o-lantern Pressboard Germany
Unfortunately, this is merely a carefully trimmed middle from a somewhat common diecut set. Six comprise the set, all encircled with a decorative, starred border with a crescent moon on one side. The entire set can be seen on page 184. As a remnant, the value is maybe 10% of what this buyer paid.
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?
