Pieces from this large set surface rarely. I surmise that the set wasn't produced for more than perhaps 2-3 seasons, possibly because it didn't sell well. In my many years of collecting I have only seen ~6 differently shaped candy containers, with this listing being the first time I've seen this particular design. Given just how rare these pieces are, the ending price seems low to me.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage German Die Cut Halloween Decoration Witch Germany Hallowe'en Embossed
I wanted to point out that the dark-to-light shading on this desirable German diecut is the way it is meant to look. The Germans experimented with this shading technique on a solid number of their diecuts. The diecuts with this shading represent ~20% of any one design except the perched owl you can see on page 180. In that case, the percentages are reversed.
Vintage Luhrs EMBOSSED HALLOWEEN BLACK CAT MUSICIANS *On ORIGINAL Card!
Beistle, using their H.E. Luhrs mark, made a set of eight of these black cat musician diecuts during the 1940s and 1950s. What is interesting about this listing is that the lot consists of a header card of just three diecuts. This indicates that Beistle made available full sets and partial sets as demand ebbed and flowed. For someone who has been researching Beistle, Dennison and Gibson products for many years, I find this approach to marketing full and partial sets interesting. Naturally, header cards like these are scarce as there is really nothing captivating or memorable about it. Since the diecuts are stapled via a perforated tab, the end consumer would in almost every instance have simply tossed it. Given how rare this trio with header card is, the buyer got a deal.
VINTAGE 1950s CROWN OWL TRICK/TREAT LANTERN LIGHT BATTERY OPERATED
I love listings like this where another piece of the "Who made that?" puzzle snaps into place. I've seen these frosted glass owl battery-op lanterns many, many times over the decades but I've never seen one with the box before. Now not only do we know that Crown Electric Works Limited of Japan made the lantern, but that they had assigned inventory number 1420 to it.
Original Dennison Cat Head Seals Screaming Cat Face Halloween
Most Beistle packaging is coveted and hard to come by. The earliest packaging is less interesting as Beistle hadn't yet added the detailed artwork that festooned the most sought after variety. This is an early enveloped set as there is nothing to it except the simplest of descriptions and an example of the contents glued to the front. Even so, the seller would have garnered far more than the $20 that was obtained if they had run this as an auction rather than an ill-advised BIN event.
Vintage German Mini Die Cut Cat On Pumpkin
This is one from a set of six very desirable German mini-diecuts made from 1945-949. Most have the black paper prop seen on this one. These are typically marked as being made in one of the zones administered by one of the victorious allies after WWII. This example doesn't have this mark, which although atypical, doesn't diminish its cachet. The seller has been on my approved dealer list for a long-time. You can buy with total confidence from Scott!
antique Halloween decorations Beistle's Halloween Clocks
This is another example of how white hot early Beistle items are in the marketplace. Beistle made this clock for only a single season - 1923 - and those that have survived the nearly 100 years tend to be in rough shape, mainly due to the large form factor and irregular borders. The seller, thanks to at least one eagle-eyed viewer, revised the listing to highlight that the clocks weren't mint, but they sure were as close as I've mostly seen. (The real star of the lot was the envelope. These ephemeral items were nearly all tossed aside. I still haven't found one for the collection.) I placed a few bids, but the final price was a fully valued one.
BEISTLE VINTAGE HALLOWEEN DECORATION PUMPKIN HEAD W BLACK OWL CARDBOARD CUTOUT
Early Beistle paper has been white hot for some many years now. (Nothing points to this lessening!) The latest evidence is this auction result. Beistle began manufacturing these Johnny Pumpkins in 1919 and continued their creation only through the 1921 season. Here is what I wrote about this product line (appears on page 122): "Beistle issued the family in these formally designated sizes, all non-embossed on flat stock, medium weight cardboard: five inch, eight inch, eleven inch, sixteen inch and twenty inch, although there are variations to size of as much as one and one-quarter inch with nearly all of them....Beistle didn't take great care in differentiating designs within sizes. Sometimes the differences are obvious but sometimes the differences are just a matter of how much neck line, or lace or collar shows. Beistle was seemingly not prepared for the success of this line and cranked them out with limited quality control relative to exactly how the designs by size were replicated. This becomes more obvious the more examples one gathers together to compare." The one selling here for $136.49 was in very rough shape, yet still brought what it did.
2 Assorted VINTAGE 1930's 1940's HALLOWEEN Black Cat Die-Cut Party Decorations
This lot was made by Gibson in the late 1920s. These two individual components were once part of a 4-sided centerpiece. (The complete centerpiece can be seen on page 271.) As I write there, "Detached sides are often sold, mistakenly, as individual diecuts."
Vintage Halloween Advertisement Owl Pick a feather out of my wing!
This is an exceptionally rare fortune game made by Gibson in the later 1920s. I have only seen it offered for sale one other time in 28 years, and that one was in poor condition, missing several of its feather fortunes. Gibson didn't venture too often into the games category, and when they did they typically made drawing and tongue twister varieties. (This may be the sole Halloween fortune game this venerable firm made.) This is a large, eye-catching game, measuring ~14" h x ~14" w. Gibson items are much more rare than equivalent items made by Dennison or Beistle. The market has been slowly waking up to this fact. I project that prices for Gibson items in near-perfect condition will escalate more rapidly than other manufacturers over the next few years.
12th Annual Halloween Hard Cover Edition Dennison Bogie Book 1924 Hard to Find
As you know, Dennison issued their Bogie Books, using different names and formats as the years marched on, in 1909, then again from 1912 through 1917, from 1919 through 1931, then from 1933 through 1935. Dennison often issued hardcover editions of their annual booklets. These are desirable. Of the hardcovers, the more commonly seen are those that once were part of a library system. These are known as ex-library editions. The one being sold here is that kind of edition. The most coveted and most expensive of the hardcover editions are those that were never part of a library system. These are known as trade editions. Given that this one is an ex-library edition and is in OK condition, I feel the price is too high. A reasonable price to offer is $250.
Halloween Candicontainer
I was the buyer of this rare candy container, a nice Christmas season treat for myself. Pieces with this paper litho over cardboard design are some of the most difficult to find for sale - much more difficult to locate than the JOL patterned items shown on pages 58-60. So, I was quite happy until I opened the package. The seller packed it extremely well, so it arrived in the condition in which it was sent. However, there was a pronounced crinkling to the surface paper along a vertical line directly below one of the places where the black cord was attached. Accompanying this crinkling, was a slight indentation as well. I immediately contacted the seller indicating I wanted to return it for a full refund and heard....nothing. Over the next month, I sent numerous emails and heard...nothing. Even to this very moment, I have never received even one reply to my emails. Unfortunately, I had to get Paypal involved. They investigated and found in my favor. Only yesterday did I receive a refund through their protection program. The seller did not disclose this defect, even though it is obvious enough that he should have. In short, I will not do any future business with this seller. If you find yourself interested in something this seller is selling, make sure you ask a lot of questions and hope that you will hear more than I did...nothing.
3 Paper Mache Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins Vintage Halloween ~Tiny~ Candy Containers
Whomever bought this lot bought one truly vintage item, one reproduction and one fantasy item. Can you tell which are which? Let me help...The JOL on the right with the green eyes is the real deal. The middle JOL with the yellow eyes is the reproduction. Notice the differences in the surface texture between this one and the vintage JOL. The white JOL is a fantasy item. Note that the problematic items have bales, an element never present on the pulp nut cup JOLs. Also, the paper nut cup itself is present on the vintage item, whereas the openings on the others seem too big for the crenelated paper cup. The buyer should be unhappy spending what they did on this mixed lot. Buyer, if you are reading this, get your money back.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN NOISE MAKER, SEALS, OIL LAMP COVERS, MISC
Here is a fresh example of a seller throwing a lot onto eBay with a BIN, seemingly ignorant of the worth of the individual pieces. Some clear-eyed buyer swooped in about 23 minutes (yes, only 23 minutes!) after the listing appeared, purchasing this nice lot with a sure smile on their face. The two shades from the 1916 Peggy's Halloween Party Set, the two Gibson shades, the box of Dennison seals and the two boxes of the harder-to-find Gibson seals were the stars of the lot. Just one box of Gibson seals may have brought what the entire lot fetched. The seller left money on the table.
German Vintage DieCut Halloween Pumpkin Lady Collectible
The buyer of this desirable diecut got a bargain. This heavily embossed item was made in Germany during the 1920s. This design typically changs hands for $135 or more. Too often sellers deprive themselves of better dollars by listing things as a BIN without any real idea of what they are doing. They would very likely have received more by offering this through an auction format with a modest starting price.
