Someone got a really nice bargain here. They scooped up a rarely seen set of 5 broomed witch cut-outs that Dennison first issued in 1926. Sustainable guide value is $300, so picking up this compete set at a more-than-50% discount has to feel great.
Blog
Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
1920's Halloween Made in Germany Moon & Scary Cat Hanging Diecut Decoration
There is something very wrong here. With over three days left, this often-seen German diecut has received 132 bids and is now sitting at $3,550. This makes no sense. The vast, vast majority of these bids has been placed by a single bidder, followed by a bidder with a feedback score of 1 coming in and trumping the prior bids. I think this would be a great candidate for an eBay investigation.
Vtg Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Diecut Cardboard Advertising Whistle Wayneboro PA
This is one of the earliest Halloween noisemakers. Patented on April 20, 1909, F.G. Fawkes and Company of Chicago made money by allowing many firms to brand the generic image with their advertising. The one in the collection touts the Boston Store, while this one touts Beck & Benedict. As I write on page 211, this whistle was used as an advertising gimmick by numerous retail establishments.
HTF LARGE Vintage Dennison Whistling Moon & Owls Halloween Decoration cardboard
Be aware that someone bought this complete diecut at a dime store than decided it would be cool to cut out portions of the eyes and cover them with crepe paper. Dennison, which began making this diecut in 1927, did not issue this diecut this way. If you decide to purchase this, it would not have any collectible value.
VERY RARE ANTIQUE BISQUE HALLOWEEN CHILD'S JACK O LANTERN TEA HANDLE GERMANY
This pleasing porcelain design was made in Germany sometime between 1908-1932, possessing the busy mark described on page 119 indicating a production date that is much earlier rather than later. Although this is only the second time I've ever seen this great item, it brought strong dollars considering the "ah too bad" damage so obvious on it.
Halloween Tin Tambourine Noisemaker: Witch with Cat & Bats on Paper Face 1930s
This fetched strong dollars over sustainable guide price of $195, especially considering the blob of discoloration on the face. I've heard from several collectors that this unmarked tambourine was sold as part of a "Gypsy Woman" costume boxed set issued by Collegeville during the 1930s.
VINTAGE ANTIQUE HALLOWEEN OWL POPS CANDY BOX TUB 5c BLACK CAT WITCH 50s OLD RARE
This Halloween Owl Pops bucket was produced by the E. Rosen Company of Providence, Rhode Island using waxed bucket blanks provided by the Lily-Tulip Corporation of New York, NY. We know that this was almost certainly produced before 1952 as Lily-Tulip moved their operation to Springfield, Missouri in that year. Rosen produced a number of ephemeral items with superb graphics in addition to what most collectors know them for - their Trix or Treats cards. If you collect Rosen items, this is a must have!
Vintage 1929-1930 DENNISON Black Cat Mechanical Tally Card
This cat head mechanical tally first appeared in Dennison's 1928 Price List pamphlet. Dennison produced three designs of what they marketed as "novelty tallies." The cat head and the JOL are somewhat less involved designs compared to the third one - a witch inside a flaming cauldron. All are hard-to-find in working condition. You can see all three designs on page 258.
Large 13" Vintage German Halloween Embossed Jack-O-Lanterns Diecut!
This result is truly pushing the very boundary of sanity. This windowpane diecut, one of a set of four made during the early 1930s, has never sold for anything remotely close to this (frankly) ridiculous level. $5799.99 is more than was paid ~10 days ago for a one-of-a-kind German diecut. Hey, I'm not greedy - anyone wanting the one shown on page 170 can have it for $3500. I am worried that these unsustainable prices are so daunting to new collectors that the overall hobby will be damaged.
Rare - Vintage - Halloween Skeleton Noisemaker / Rattle - Metal Toy 1960's
I don't understand a lot of the auction results I'm seeing. This noisemaker, a very cool 1960s design by US Metal Toy, is not particularly rare, as it surfaces with regularity. It typically changes hands for $225. As is so often the case here, there were only two determined bidders driving up the price to this wholly unsustainable level. Unless the prevailing bidder offers it to the underbidder, I am certain this price will never again be obtained for this item. Collectors: have patience unless money is no concern.
1920s Rare German Porcelain Children's Lidded Sugar Bowl & Creamer Set
The moment I saw this listing I knew both pieces would not have maker's marks to them. Why? These two items were both made in Japan and have perhaps half the value of their German counterparts, shown on page 120 of my third edition. (This seller, one of the collecting pioneers in this field, has not been an active buyer for many years. She references the now-outdated first edition from 2003.) Japanese porcelain tea set pieces were never marked. They have none of the grace and fine styling of their German brethren. The Japanese copied these designs, but turned out rather clunky versions that compare quite unfavorably to the German items. The asking price is far too high.
10/04 Update: I was sorry to see that some buyer paid $395 for these Japanese made items. I contacted the seller to have her correct the listing, but as is so often the case she resisted, boldly saying that the Japanese never manufactured such items. Given that she hasn't invested in a decent reference in over ten years, she is content to remain ignorant. I think fair market value is in the $175 to $200 range.
Vintage Halloween German Pumpkin Germany Jack O' Lantern Teapot
Every now and then something surfaces on eBay that astounds. I've been collecting a long time and have never seen this before. That said, I don't care for it much. It seems to be a rather clumsy and nonsensical pastiche of pieces. The factory obviously found another use for the candle holder body, grafted a small cup to the top and added a handle and that unfortunately-sized honker. Going through my wholesaler catalogs, I can find no description of this item, which means nothing in and of itself. Wholesalers often didn't get every item and things were much less formal back then. This is almost certainly a one-off, perhaps made by a bored worker, but I completely speculate. Because I am a completist, I'd typically make a play for this, but the damage is too extensive for it to be part of the collection.
10/09 Update: This sold for $787.77.
~ 1930's Paper Mache Halloween Devil ~Vintage Jack O Lantern ~Pumpkin
Personally, I have never been a fan of pulp. Even when I first started to troll the antiques stores in 1988 for vintage Halloween items, I'd almost always pass on purchasing pulp. I felt and feel the genre is too common and too space-consuming. That said, I do have a few pulp items in the collection. One of the designs I have long liked is this devil head lantern. (I like this design far more than the other one shown on page 29.) It exudes a slightly threatening air, so different than the vast majority of pulp JOLs, especially the choir boy designs I especially dislike. Given its overall condition, this sold right around where I feel it should have.
Vintage Halloween Beistle Stunt & Fortune Game
The price paid for this was much too high. Produced by Beistle in the mid-1950s, this diminutive Ghostly Stunt and Fortune Game typically trades for $75. Factoring in the jaw-droppingly high price the seller is charging for shipping a wafer-thin piece of cardboard measuring 4x6", I would not have given it a second glance, even when assuming it would sell for the sustainable guide value.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN 2 DIE CUT HANGING DECORATIONS OWL BAT BEISTLE USA
It isn't surprising that these two superb diecuts ended up together in a paper bag as described by the seller, as they were sold as a set. Beistle sold these as enveloped sets, with the envelopes having a number of variations. (The orange envelope is earlier.) They were marketed as Mechanical Hallowe'en Silhouettes and sold in the early 1920s. Somewhat later, the owl was made as a table decoration with a flip-out base.
