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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage German Halloween 6 Panel Lamp Shade witch owl cats bats JOL

This diecut shade was made in Germany sometime between 1930 and 1935. Its RSIN is 2, meaning "rare." The shade is dated to this late period due to the more cartoonish nature of the art and the use of color and shading in the backing paper. It seems to be in very collectible condition, missing only its top piece enabling it to be used for its intended purpose. 

03/30 Update: This sold for a shockingly low price of $149.99. 

Lot of 10 Vintage Gummed Witch Face Stickers Halloween Reflective

The RSIN of this enveloped set of 10 gummed silhouettes is 2, meaning "rare."This set was produced in 1925 by Hall Brothers and sold for a single season. Hall Brothers changed their business name in 1928 to something much more familiar today, Hallmark. 

03/30 Update: Prices for many items have been soft on eBay. Tax season? This fetched only $60 when they routinely fetch $85. 

GERMAN TIN LITHO 1930s HALLOWEEN BLACK CAT SIREN NOISEMAKER PLUNGER WINDUP WORKS

I like the simplicity of the graphics on this sparkler made in Germany during the early 1930s. Its RSIN is 3, so it surfaces now and then. Typically, the flints on these sparklers are long gone. You used to be able to get replacements at old-time drugstores, but I haven't been able to find any for several years. If you know of where they can be purchased, drop me an email. The seller has it priced identically to guide value. The condition seems quite good. If you don't have this one yet, this would be a good time to add it to your collection.  

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN RARE BUGLE TOY CARDBOARD HORN WORKS NICE SHAPE

The mysterious Bugle Toy Company of Providence, Rhode Island produced memorable tin litho Halloween noisemaker designs but seriously faltered in terms of their lithoed paper output. The ho-hum imagery on this horn is representative of their aesthetic. What does make this listing interesting is that this is a marked piece. Whether out of embarrassment or not, it is uncommon for their lithoed paper items to be marked.  

VINTAGE PAPER DEVIL 14" EMBOSSED HALLOWEEN DECORATION GERMANY

What a nice surprise to see this exceedingly rare diecut being auctioned. This is the smaller of two similar designs. (The other can be seen on page 136.) Each is breathtakingly rare. The seller describes this as being in fair condition, but it seems better than that to me. Yes, the bends in the legs are somewhat off-putting, but the separation between the tail and the wing could be easily mended. The last time one was listed was almost exactly one year ago and it fetched $3,100. It was a mirror-image of this one and was in better condition and was much brighter. The Germans made this very late in their production of holiday items for the export market before WWII. These "last year" designs were almost exclusively exported to the population centers in eastern Canada and are among the most interesting, out-there designs the Germans made before WWII - and arguably ever. 
Take a moment and read the questions and answers posted as part of the listing. They all ask for a BIN price to be added, fair game for collectors eager to get a dream piece without the uncertainties of the auction process. The seller is smart, saying basically no - there is too much interest. Read the pathetic question posted by a "Michael," who bangs on about how he wants one and then makes an eye-rollingly low-ball offer of $70. What a schmuck! I kind of hope he never gets to own one of these. 

03/18 Update: I have heard from an avalanche of collectors since this auction ended last night, most stating that if they knew it was going to be sold for such a pittance, they would have bid. The moral of the story is always to place a bid for the maximum you'd want to pay, because sometimes you might score a bargain like whomever this prevailing bidder was. It sold for only $913.99. 
 

1930s Dennison HALLOWEEN DIECUT 19” FLOATING GHOST Skeleton Head & Hands

I love this diecut! When I first read of the Dementors in the Harry Potter books, this is the image I fixed in my head. I'm glad to see these early Dennison paper items get the exposure they deserve. Given the overall condition of this example, I'm not surprised it didn't exceed book value. A cautionary note: 2-3 years ago, I saw 8" sizes of these floating about. All had ragged edges and poor lithography. Given that Dennison always stated the dimensions as being what this seller states, the smaller ones are poorly done reproductions. 

1920s Halloween German Die Cut Candle Lantern Rare & Hard to Find

This seller had two left of these from a largish stash and sold them both to the same collector. This is the largest diecut lantern the Germans made. It is so awesome and rare that it has always been in the Inner Sanctum section of my books. I have seen this only a handful of times, and all were being sold by this same seller. Cindy Grew bought a number of these at a flea market in the late 1980s and has now exhausted that supply. She sold me the one I've had in my collection in ~1990. Because these were made for only a season or two during the 1920s, and because they are so large and happily unwieldy, few were made and few survived. If you own one of these, be happy that such a magnificent and rare item is in your collection! The price paid per lantern was over high guide value of $900, but who knows how long it will be before others surface. 

Huge 1930s Dennison HALLOWEEN DIECUT Stand-Up BLACK CAT * Over 25” Tall

The seller states this very tall black cat tabletop decoration with a 3-D effect was made by Dennison. Dennison was darn particular about marking their wares and they were clever about it, sometimes incorporating it into the small filigree or line work present in a significant minority of their goods. This doesn't appear to be marked. When I first pulled up this listing, I thought for sure it was actually a Beistle item. However, there are a number of key differences: the recessed eyes/nose/mouth and the lack of any facial detailing to name two. I can't find any reference to this kind of 3-D tabletop decoration in any of my Dennison Bogie Books, Price List pamphlets, etc. so this is a mystery. I love the way this seller takes such great care to point out whatever imperfections exist in the items he is auctioning. 

03/02 Update: The seller was gracious enough to contact me directly, alerting me to the fact that this cat was shown in Dennison's 1934 Halloween Parties booklet. I had forgotten about those pages. Seeing something in 3-D is sure a lot different than seeing it on a page. Dennison must have been irritated with their chief holiday competitor when Beistle essentially ripped off the design and began marketing their own line of these kinds of items. Even though Dennison was first, I like the detailing of the Beistle line better. 

03/07 Update: This rare Dennison cat sold for $150.49. 

VINTAGE 1940'S HALLOWEEN SET OF 9 CARDBOARD CUTOUTS (RARE)

This listing is significant in that the lid of the box has a small section urging purchasers of the boxed sets to buy U.S. savings bonds and stamps "for victory." I haven't seen this before. My records indicate these sets were made in 1945 and continued being made for about ten years. What's new to know is that the very first ones produced were made with this exhortation. Since WWII formally ended in mid-August of 1945, there couldn't have been many sets made with this war bonds verbiage. Although these boxed sets frequently come available, now I'll know to look for one with the bonds notation for my personal collection.