Antique Halloween Skull Die Cut Beistle USA 1930'S Human Skull in Cauldron

I can't recall seeing one of these up for sale for many, many years. This skull table decoration with a flip-out base was made by Beistle from 1930-1931. The one in the collection is unmarked, but this one has the diamond mark that was discontinued right around this time. This is a rare item with a sustainable guide value of $375. Given that one hasn't surfaced in some time and the propensity for some collectors to spend foolishly, who knows what this will fetch. I will be watching. 

10/23 Update: As I suspected, this flew right by sustainable guide value, fetching $460. 

Vintage Beistle Halloween Die Cut Cat Decoration.

I returned yesterday from a quick trip to southern California. One of the many activities during the trip was visiting the home of this fine seller. He specializes in figural advertising but dabbles some in Halloween. I had the opportunity to personally examine this smiling Skairo diecut made by Beistle in 1931. Aside from some raised paper at some of the fingertips, the diecut is amazingly bright and free of most of the issues that plague these very large diecuts. If one wasn't already part of the collection I would have endeavored to snap it up that evening. If you've been looking for one, you'll be hard pressed to find a better example. 

10/25 Update: This great item brought $461.89. 

Vtg Halloween Flying Witch Seals Stickers In Tiny Box Like Dennison Fabulous!

This small box of seals was produced by Whitney during the 1920s. The market leader for such boxed seals was Dennison by a wide margin, followed by Gibson and their simpler yet somewhat quirkier designs. Whitney was definitely out of their element in making these sets. The art is flat and uninteresting. They rarely marked these boxes, whether out of shame or expediency I cannot say. Dennison boxed sets were produced in relatively high numbers and had a national distribution. Gibson less so and Whitney even less so. Although hard to find, especially complete, these typically change hands for around $100 per box, so the buyer paid a premium here. 

Rare Vintage Halloween Complete JOL Jack O Lantern Target Game with Box 1930's

I am blown away by what this game brought. The Jack-O-Lantern Target game was produced by Parker Brothers from 1929-1932 and almost never comes available for sale. As with most games, the most interesting aspect of it are the graphics on the box lid. Although nearly complete, missing only at least 7 cork bullets and the advertising card, the condition of the box is so poor that $1525 seems quite high. I bought the one in the collection at an auction in Minnesota in 2000. I have seen only a few since, all with much better boxes than this one. They all sold for significantly less than this one. 

Vintage Halloween Beistle Luhrs Full Size Jointed Skeleton w/ Original Envelope

It is great to see some nice items being offered this season. This large envelope containing "The Perfect Hallowe'en Decoration" was produced by Beistle during the early 1930s. The value for this set lies almost entirely with the envelope. It is one that rarely surfaces in this shape. Sustainable guide value is $175. 

10/16 Update: It may be that time of the year when most collectors have spent their vintage Halloween budget , as this fine enveloped item brought only $132.50. 

Vintage Halloween Witch Riding Black Cat Diecut by Dennison C1920s-1930s

This non-embossed diecut with an energetic air was produced by Dennison and first appeared in their 1928 Price List pamphlet. Dennison had an unusual design aesthetic starting in 1928 and continuing through the very early 1930s. They ditched their fairy motif and adopted almost a Deco look with lots of movement implied in the design. The colors they used for their boxed items made at this time tended to be brighter with a very playful, non-threatening air. Dennison items made at this item are typically hard-to-find. The Depression settled in by early 1930, affecting most businesses. Dennison was no exception. They produced fewer but cooler new  designs during this period than in the previous 4-5 seasons, and in smaller quantities. This diecut falls into this category. Relatively few were made, meaning that few are available today in collectible condition. 

10/16 Update: Surprisingly, this fetched only $51. Whomever acquired this got a true bargain. 

Vintage halloween Beistle Horn

We know now that Beistle did not produce these paper-litho horns. In fact, there is no record that Beistle authorized the use of the their imagery in the production of these horns. If you examine the horn's artwork and compare it to the items with a fairy motif that Beistle actually produced, there are enough stylistic differences to lead to a conclusion that these types of horns were produced with no license from Beistle. The leading culprit in producing unlicensed items at that time was Japan, so I believe these horns were made there. 

Vary Rare 1930-40s Dennison's Halloween Witch Set of 5 Die Cuts in Original Box

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. 

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.