Candle boxes weren't often kept so the manufacturing and/or marketing details for such ephemeral items have largely been lost, making this listing exciting - if for no other reason. I haven't seen this particular candle design often, but I love the name the manufacturer dreamed up, Witch-O-Lantern. The asking price with a BIN option seems reasonable.
06/17 Update: It sold for a "bargainish" price of $25.
When I saw that a Canada-based dealer was listing 1930s Beistle diecuts from their set with saw-toothed or scalloped perimeters I was momentarily hopeful we'd see arguably the most elusive (and mysteriously so...) Beistle diecut of all - the skeleton in the graveyard. Alas, disappointment. (To see the diecut to which I refer, turn to page 137.) The last time one was listed was late September of 2014 - and it sold for an astonishing ~$3,350. I was down at Disneyland the evening it sold. Present in my party was someone who wanted it badly, and who had placed an aggressive bid. Not prevailing upon the lot made my friend disheartened, but one will surely show up again. Beistle is the benchmark for design and quality relative to American made diecuts. Their typical output had a gravitas to them that the Dennison and Gibson diecuts generally lack.
This sold as a BIN for $150. I've long derided hard plastic, believing the prices didn't reflect the overall ubiquity of the surviving and available items. (One exception is most anything manufactured by Kokomold Plastics. Their coach is one piece of hard plastic I wouldn't mind owning.) I've seen these sell time and again for between $75 and $125, so the ending price, especially when adding in the breathtakingly high shipping cost, seems unsustainable.
These small pulp objects that were made in the 1950s are devilishly difficult to find in collectible condition. There were a number of designs, but I'd say this owl and a small, arched-back black cat with yellow eyes are two of the harder ones to find. The owl nearly always has significant ear wear with much paint loss throughout. This looks to be in such good condition that I wonder what it would have brought through a standard auction format. This lasted mere minutes between listing and purchase.
eBay is such a secretive organization. One screen shows that this 1970 Beistle skelecat diecut sold for less than the listed price of $100 due to the acceptance of a BIN offer, but doesn't reveal the exact selling price. Meanwhile, the screen shown here would give the idle browser the errant impression it sold for $100. Using a site created to provide real-time market information for items selling on eBay, I learned this sold for $88.99, a very fair price, indeed, given the condition of the diecut. I found out about this site from a faithful reader. Thank you, Paul, for helping this collector/researcher use a new great tool to track prices!
This Flaming Hallowe'en Fortune game was manufactured by Beistle during the early 1930s, available in two versions. The first iteration had six "flaming fortunes" while the second and final version had twelve. The perceived rarity of this game took a real tumble about ten years ago as more and more of them surfaced on on-line venues. The price tumbled, too. Today, complete versions in perfect condition and with their glassine envelope bring in the low $300s. Most collectors dislike this game, saying it is too boring and seems like an after-thought for Beistle due to its uninspired design.
Here's another cautionary tale relative to items offered by uninformed sellers as a BIN. This diecut doesn't surface as often as some others from the set in collectible condition, so when one does pop up, they command far more than $22.50. (I sold one in better condition in my recent auction that fetched $140.) These errant BIN offerings do provide an avenue for wily collectors to expand their treasured holdings. I am all too happy to swoop in when something is offered with a too-low BIN. If you are unsure when listing something on eBay, just list it as a 7-day auction with a modest starting price and see where the market takes it.
I've been on a much needed vacation for the last 10 days, neglecting everything except my good friends in the heartland of the country, including my site. I'm back now and intend on posting regularly.
I sure wish eBay would limit how many times items can be listed and relisted without change. Having ignored eBay during my vacation, it hit me fresh just how much junk clutters up the Vintage Halloween category. There are too many fakes, Frankensteined items, items listed for prices that ignore condition and items with poor photos and/or descriptions only Piet Mondrian would appreciate.
The venues through which to obtain quality vintage Halloween are shrinking. eBay used to be my go-to place, but increasingly I rely on private offers and trades with other principled collectors to expand the collection. I typically avoid the auction houses like Bertoia and Morphy as their offerings are not curated and their buyers' premiums are laughable.
I'm glad that I began collecting when I did. For you newer collectors and those still wishing to expand at a good clip, develop relationships with those routinely selling quality vintage Halloween items, and don't hesitate to cut loose those who sell fakes or Frankensteined items. Deal only with those who keep their word, accurately describe their offerings and guarantee the ability to return something if an item later proves to be problematic.
What?? I understand the concept of a "mint premium" but this result is stupefying. These routinely surface and typically fetch about $100.
This is an apt example of the relationship of condition to value. This 1920s German compo candy container is one of a small set of finely crafted and detailed items made during the decade. (The other one in the collection can be seen on page 65.) Without doubt, one in near-perfect condition would bring ~$600 and up. One of my collecting rules is to buy only the best and pass on items in less than very fine condition, like this one. Else, you'll spend additional funds down the line upgrading what is, in essence, a placeholder. I'd rather have an empty spot in a collecting cabinet that have it filled with a place holder.
This seller, like most people these days, has a tenuous grasp of history. The listing states that the candy container, with a West Germany mark on the bottom, was made in the 1920s. The Federal Republic of Germany, more commonly known as West Germany, was founded in May of 1949. This candy container almost certainly dates to the 1950s, but certainly does not date to the 1920s. Candy containers and other German made items manufactured after WWII have little value relative to their older brethren. The seller lists this with a BIN of $225. The more probable value is $85-100.
Beistle produced these small honeycombed favor baskets in four designs from 1927 through 1931. Although they are seldom seen, this design is arguably the best and most coveted of the four. The seller describes it as having a lot of wear, but I would say the condition is average for one of these delicate objects. The entire set is shown at the bottom of page 225.
06/11 Update: This sold for $138.50.
Pieces from this Halloween tea set were made intermittently from 1908 through 1932. Pieces with this mark were made only from 1908 through 1913, so this is an early sugar bowl. These typically change hands for ~$350, so this seller left money on the table through the choice of offering this as a BIN, even with the minor imperfections described.
As regular readers know, the Halloween decorations and related ephemera I collect tend to be from the 1920s and 1930s rather than from anytime in the 1960s, as I prefer the design aesthetics then in vogue. However, this 1960 Butterfinger's candy box is compelling. I like the graphics, especially the way the wrapped candy bars appear to be so readily grabbable! I can see that these commercially manufactured candy boxes could become a hot sub-genre. This great box sold for only $65 plus shipping, so this sub-genre right now seems to be an inexpensive toehold into the wider, more expensive world of vintage Halloween collectibles.
These owl decorations were made by Gibson in the early 1930s. They were made in two sizes. These appear to be the smaller of the two sizes. The larger design measures ~7.25" high by ~6.75" wide by ~11" long. The larger one typically trades for $65.
06/05 Update: The prevailing bidder got a bargain scooping these up for $56.69.
