Blog

Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage RARE GERMAN WindowFrame diecut,Cat with crow on the fence,1 of 4 produc

$399.99 as the opening bid for this heavily damaged German diecut is the very definition of optimism. The seller, whose grasp on grammar, punctuation and spelling is tenuous at best, really should tamp down the optimism and simply list this remnant at $9.99 without a reserve. 

09/03 Update: The seller, after no interest at her too-high opening bid price, lowered it to $39.99. That action has attracted some interest, with the price now at $79. 

09/04 Update: This remnant sold for $152.50. 

Vintage RARE GERMAN 3-Part Embossed Die Cut FIREPLACE SCREEN Crepe Paper Back

A small cache of these 1920s fireplace screens must recently have been unearthed, as a number have been offered for sale over the last ~6 weeks. Unfortunately, as in all such cases, the market has had some trouble absorbing them at their typical valuation of ~$2600. My advice: If you like this very large and ornate diecut, buy one today at what I consider to be bargain prices. Once these have been absorbed, the price will stabilize upward, although almost surely not at a ~$2600 level. 

09/01 Update: Another one of these sold from the same seller today for $1599.99. This level seems to be the "new normal" given the number that have come on the market in the last few weeks. 

Vintage Beistle Die-Cut Halloween Skull

The seller is spot-on. This small diecut was made by Beistle. During the early 1950s, Beistle issued a set of eight small diecuts with some unusual imagery. This is one of the eight. (All are shown on page 157.) Items from this set once surfaced more regularly than is the case today. The smoking JOL, the JOL witch and the hooded witch are more avidly sought than the others. Each typically fetches $50-60. 

VINTAGE RARE HALLOWEEN JOL BEISTLE DIE CUT 1940S

This diecut, produced by Beistle during the 1940s, doesn't surface as much as it once did. Part of a set that was middling in inspiration, this is a fun, memorable image. The condition of it makes me surprised that it brought as much as it did. As this poor JOL may have discovered, "Be true to your teeth or they'll be false to you." 

Vintage W German Hobgoblin(?) Pumpkin Head Halloween Candy Container

I think the buyer got a solid bargain in acquiring this item. The more expensive department stores of the day, during the 1920s, carried imported holiday goods that were made with greater care, and therefore would command higher retail prices. One of the tip-offs that this remarkable candy would have been carried by The Emporium rather than, say, Kress, is the paint job. I have seen other candy containers with similar variegation. A high percentage of them still have their store tags, as having an item from such a place carried some social value at that time. So, collectors, buy candy containers that you love. If they still have their original price tags, by all means - leave them on! 

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN DIE CUT 10 BLACK CARDBOARD WITCH 'S SHAPES ON A BROOM IN PKG

Be very careful in purchasing items purported to be vintage Halloween items from this seller. They have long been on my list of sellers with whom I don't do business. The sheen from the envelope is suspicious. I find it interesting there is no photo of the reverse shown and that they have not used eBay's zoom feature for this and other of their listings. If you are inclined to buy, ask lots of questions and ask for additional photos. 

RARE! VINTAGE PAPER MACHE CANDY CONTAINER - CAT ON PUMPKIN BEING STUNG BY BEE

Although this candy container is uncommon, I have seen a number of them and all have a spring tail. I suspect the chenille tail is something added to it sometime after its purchase from a store.  

The seller of this pleasing candy container contacted me, saying that photos of another such container show a red chenille tail. She asked if it was possible the container was made both with chenille and spring tails. Here was my reply: "Thank you so much for your email. (By the way, I very much enjoy the quality of your listings!) It is absolutely possible that the Germans made two versions, one with a chenille tail and one with a spring tail. Existing documentation on when such things were made and what original materials were used is quite incomplete. Production of goods back then was idiosyncratic, something not really true today. My guess is that if the Germans actually used chenille when completing this whimsical candy container, they used it when the supply of metal springs for such decorative purposes was low to non-existent. (This would have been the case ~1935.) A plausible unifying theory is that the earlier candy containers had spring tails and a few produced very late in the run may have been made with chenille. A discordant note about the use of chenille is the color. I would have guessed black or orange would have been used, not green and red. In the end, we’ll never really know why such decisions were made. Thanks again for your email!"

Pre 1920's German Halloween Veggie Child Candy Container Carrot Arms & JOL Head

This is a great little candy container being sold by an outstanding and knowledgeable collector. I appreciate the many excellent photos, the no-holds-barred description and the chance to acquire such a solid piece at a potential bargain price point!

08/25 Update: I sure was glad to see this wonderful item brought such a strong price, fetching $351. Congrats KL!

ANTIQUE BEISTLE LITHO CARDBOARD HALLOWEEN HORN WITH WOO

For many years I mistakenly believed this was produced by Beistle due to the imagery. It was only when I couldn't find any reference to Beistle actually producing such products that I looked closely at the artwork and noticed many differences between the art in such things as their Party Books and hats and this horn. It finally dawned on me that this horn was almost surely an authorized adaptation of Beistle imagery. There is a likelihood the horn was made in Japan, but I don't know this for certain. In any event, it is a nice item, and still has a SGV of $125, but it wasn't made by Beistle.