I haven't seen one of these true gems listed in some time. Although in rough condition, it is nice to see one of these survivors on its way to a good home. Beistle issued this lantern masterpiece in 1930-1931. I feel it is a physical manifestation of the acme of their art. Beistle used this art on an 8" version then only once again: on an enveloped puzzle of this lantern face. The puzzle measures 8” by 9” and was sold with a stock number of 873. SGV is $1,200, but given its overall condition, I think this will be hard-pressed to meet that level.
Blog
Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Witch flying Goose tin Tambourine noisemaker Halloween decoration J. Chein 1930'
Chein produced this tin litho tambourine during the 1920s over many seasons. Toward the end of the production run, the dies were worn enough that the goose's eye is either quite small or missing altogether. Given the prominent eye and the crispness of the imagery overall, I know this noisemaker was made quite early in the run. Is there a value premium with this early-run item? Yes, in that those with less crisp graphics suffer a 20-25% decrease from SGV of $225.
The Annual Auction's Preview Period Begins April 23rd!
Hello Readers!
I’ll be soon conducting my third annual auction of vintage Halloween collectibles right here on the site. Unlike so much material seen elsewhere, the items to be auctioned are all vintage and as described. I guarantee it!
The preview period begins the morning of Sunday, April 23rd.
The auction itself begins the morning of Sunday, April 30th.
The auction for most lots will end at 9:00 PM on Sunday, May 7th. The final ten lots will end at 9:30 PM. (All times reflect that I am in California.)
This year there will be 122 lots, which will offer a wide variety of vintage goods from modestly priced items to those that will tantalize even the most advanced collectors. There will be games, noisemakers, German JOLs, postcards, diecuts, small paper, candy containers, and more!
Approximately 24 of these lots will be comprised of items photographed for and appearing in all or some of my three editions of Vintage Halloween Collectibles. I rarely de-accession items as I am a collector rather than a dealer, but I simply can’t keep everything.
As a thank you to those who have purchased a copy of my third edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles, I will be accepting requests for bidder numbers and bids only from purchasers of that book. It is never too late to order your copy!
If you have a new email and/or phone number, or are unsure as to whether I have this information, please contact me so I can update contact information.
I hope that you’ll be a participant!
Happy Halloween! Mark B. Ledenbach
Vintage Halloween Gurley Candle Lot x7 Witch Ghost JOL Black Cat
Vintage candles are a great entry genre for new collectors. There are many different ones, all with invitingly low price points. In this lot, the black cat at the left and the larger witch are the best of the bunch, alone justifying the price at which the entire lot changed hands. Be careful when storing these. Some friends were unhappy to discover their candles had congealed into one multi-colored pool from being stored in an outdoor shed in a plastic tub.
Beistle Halloween Silhouttes For Party Decorations Box Early
I recently purchased an enveloped set of Beistle silhouettes with this same image on the obverse, but with 15 sheets containing 30 silhouettes as the complete contents. With no diamond mark, I know the enveloped set is somewhat later than this version. Whereas the eBay listing version has a stock number of 573, the enveloped set has a stock number of 574.
Vintage Halloween Candy Container, Black Cat w/ Bulging Eyes, Germany, Cardboard
This candy container was made in West Germany during the early 1950s. Whenever you see the mark, Container Made in Germany, you know that the marked item was made from ~1950 to ~1955. (That is assuming the mark is genuine, of course.) I like this design. The one from the collection can be seen on page 71. These typically trade for $100.
04/20 Update: This candy container ended at $97.
Vintage HALLOWEEN Greeting STANDEE Cards SET OF FIVE 5 Different HALLOWE'EN
I have never seen these Whitney designs before. Typically, they are on a circular base with rats running around the perimeter and stand with the help of a wire-backed prop. This standee form is unusual and rare. (Basically, at this stage I feel that anything I haven't seen before is rare! :)) I would have liked to see the reverse of each. I know that many Whitney designs were recycled during the 1990s. Although I feel these are older, seeing the backs would have helped. Whitney was pretty good about marking their postcards, but were awful about marking much else. Were these marked in any way?
Vintage Halloween JOL man pulling cart Candy Container Dolly Toy
This brought a very strong price considering its condition. Dolly Toy made a small number of Fibro Toys and were pretty disciplined about marking their wares. Unusually, this candy holder is never marked. I know it was made by Dolly Toy as I have one of their catalogs showing it for sale. With the cat and witch wheeled candy holders, be cautious of reproductions. The reproductions use thinner, high-gloss paper stock.
1930'S GERMANY HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN DECORATION
This candy container looks more squat than it should. (It could be just the angle.) The complete mark on the underside is hard to discern. I think it says "Container Made In Germany." If that is so, that mark was used exclusively during the early 1950s.
04/13 Update: This sold for a mere $148.50, so the marketplace had its suspicions as to age as well.
antique Witch Halloween candy container
The workmanship of this container is so poor that I feel this is something made in Japan not Germany. The hands, rather than being composition, are merely clumps of spun cotton. The drab swaddling of crepe paper throughout also denotes a lack of finishing skill so unlike most German-made items. Being an item made in Japan, the overall value doesn't approach this seller's opening price of $300.
04/16 Update: The market is typically uninterested in such items, shown by the seller has relisted this with an opening price of $150 or a BIN of $200. I feel fair market value is $80.
Vintage Halloween Black cat Seals Stickers In pack Dennison's ?,no 908
These cat face seals were not made by Dennison. Looking at the envelope with the K logo, I wonder if the manufacturer was Kirby, a producer of some 1960s diecuts that have become somewhat more desirable as the years have elapsed?
VINTAGE 1920's Dennison HALLOWEEN Arched Back Black Cat Die-Cut Decoration
Here is a true "this makes no sense" result. This smallish diecut, measuring only ~10" high, was made by Dennison during the early 1920s and is quite common. The SGV on a very good day is ~$35. As with nearly all such head-shaking results, this completely errant ending price was the result of two bidders putting in stratospheric flanking bids surely complacent in their belief that no sane person would ever use a similar strategy. SURPRISE! The seller, a true sweetheart who seems to have an inexhaustible supply of interesting small paper items, surely must be tickled by the folly of some eBayers, especially considering that she sold a nearly identical diecut, just significantly larger, minutes later for a comparatively paltry $43.77. As Herb Morrison once said, Oh, the humanity!
SCARCE SET OF THREE GERMAN HALLOWEEN MILK GLASS PERFUME BOTTLES
This little trio of milk glass Halloween perfume bottles was made in Germany during the 1930s. They would have originally been sold with cork stoppers, which are almost always missing. SGV is $300 for the set, so the seller is offering these at a decent starting price.
04/09 Update: This set sold for a modest $194.76. The buyer got a true bargain.
Vintage 1940s Halloween FORTUNE TELLING CAKE FAVOR SET
The seller states in the text that the box is near-mint but that is clearly not the case. Even so, this listing brought $45. The manufacturer of this is unknown. Although Beistle art is used, there is no record of Beistle having produced it. I feel it was either an item licensed by Beistle or one that was made without their authorization.
Early 1900's Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Co. Toledo,O. Tin Parade Pumpkin-Nice!
I don't know whether the "this-was-taken-home-by-an-employee-unpainted" story is true. It looks too uniform and pristine to me, given that it is ~115 years old. I've had a number of readers contact me to say it looks like a paint removal product was used to give it this look. I can't say anything definitive about it, except that the marketplace had its doubts too, as this fetched only $1136.11. What I did find cool and truly unusual was the base with the impressed information. I don't recall seeing such a base before.
A reader kindly shared the photo below in response to this post. The key question is whether the parade lanterns in the photo are painted orange or are they unpainted. If unpainted, it does further call into question the concept of an employee taking unpainted lanterns home, but reinforces the concept that perhaps these tin parade lanterns were sometimes sold unpainted. Thoughts?
