Buzza was known for many innovative designs. Their output is avidly collected - and most of the time I get why. In this case, I don't see the attraction for these to have sold for over $27 each. The design is plain and uninspired. As is so often the case when something sells for significantly more than is sustainable, two bidders were vying for supremacy.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Halloween Witch Black Cat Cardboard Candy Holder E. Rosen Company Lantern
I have never seen this Rosen candy box before. Every once in a while some new Rosen-made artifact surfaces to my surprise. They were surely prolific with their designs! Rosen-made items are difficult to date with accuracy. They left few clues to help collector/curators like me. The acme of Rosen paper is surely their various "Pops" boxes. Check out pages 116-118 for a nice selection in the collection.
Vintage Halloween German Porcelain Jam Pot
This superb item was made in Germany between 1908 and 1932, with a bias toward the earlier time frame. The seller is correct in stating that the top edge is typically rough and cannot be considered a flaw. I personally looked this very item over some years back and can attest to its quality. In my opinion, the leaf repair can be done better. A qualified restorer could make this jam pot's lid leaf look nearly as good as new. The RSIN on this item is a "1," making it exceedingly rare. If you collect German porcelain - and what discerning collector wouldn't want to - snap this item up.
09/19 Update: This sold for an astounding $1,225!
Vintage Super Small Halloween German Pumpkin Lantern
This near-mint diminutive JOL was made in West Germany during the 1950s. These typically sell for between $75 - 125. Whenever you see the mark, Container Made in Germany, you can assuredly date the marked item to the 1950s. You cannot go wrong doing business with this seller!
Early Halloween Folded Candy Holder OWL 3.25" ~ Used / folded
This is an item clipped from a 1930s Whitman Halloween Party Book. Several designs appeared on a page and were meant to be clipped and used as place cards. The entire book typically changes hands for $50-65, so I feel the price for the three designs from the book this seller is offering is too high.
Vintage Orig. 1923 "Halloween Party Decorations" 30 Pcs. Beistle Co. Org. Env.
Beistle made three iterations of their 1923 party set: boxed, enveloped and in a booklet form. (The latter was produced with both orange pages and white pages. The color of the pages doesn't seem to impact value.) The boxed and enveloped sets are quite a bit harder to find than the booklet form. The envelopes of the enveloped set are nearly always in poor shape, as was this example. Still, it nearly reached SGV of $400.
1930s Vintage Paper Halloween Light Lamp Lantern Owl Unusual
I wish I had remembered to place a bid on this rare shade. It is quite nice - one that I've not seen before. Gibson wasn't diligent about marking their goods, so it is possible this shade was made by them. I haven't seen it in their catalogs I have on file, so cannot be sure. I do think the ending price was in the right neighborhood.
Vintage HALLOWEEN 4 STACKED PUMPKIN JOL w/ CREPE PAPER HONEYCOMB HAYSTACK - USA
Beistle produced at least two table decoration designs that incorporated their signature honeycomb onto a diecut backdrop. They produced these only during the 1957-58 seasons. I don't feel they were big sellers. Not only did Beistle cut off production rather abruptly but you simply never see them. This is only the second time I've seen this in nearly 30 years of avid collecting. A friend of mine snagged this by floating a BIN offer to the seller. Although the offer was a generous one in that it exceeded SGV, I have to wonder what this item would have brought if the auction would have proceeded from the original starting price of $19.99. Refer to page 228 for the other Beistle design from 1957-1958.
Beistle Vintage Halloween Fortune Crystal Game Early 40's VERY Nice!
I don't understand why some collectors feel this has a connection to Halloween. Although it is a fortune game, that fact doesn't connect it to Halloween any more than a fortune cookie at your favorite Chinese food restaurant connects to Halloween. Because this game has no graphical connection to Halloween, I've never included it in any edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN ORIGINAL BLACK CAT CENTERPIECE GIBSON 1920'S
This rare table centerpiece was produced by Gibson during the later 1920s. It is nice to see one perfectly intact. It is more common to see individual sides wrongly offered as diecuts. SGV is $200. I don't recall seeing such a nice example of this centerpiece for many years.
1918 Vintage Besitle Halloween bat nut cup with an extra base party set, HTF!
Pieces from Beistle's very first boxed party set are tough to get. In my view, the bug base is the best one they issued. The 1918 set consisted of 74 different items. If you like the design aesthetic from this early effort (...and who wouldn't?), snap this trio up before somebody else does.
Flea Market Decor Article
The latest issue (Nov/Dec 2017) of Flea Market Decor hit the shelves today. It contains a profusely illustrated six page article on vintage Halloween collectibles. A portion from the fun interview I did with the writer is also included. Make sure you pick up a copy.
Fantastic vintage 1935 Beistle 57"" "Dangling Skeleton" with original envelope!!
This is a tough item to find in collectible condition. The seller is correct - this is a large, impressive item. The asking price is too high. SGV is $175. He has placed a "Make Offer" option to the listing, so he knows the asking price is aggressive. If you want this great item, I feel the outer edge of the pricing atmosphere is $225.
09/06 Update: Someone with a deep pocket actually paid $345 for this, surely a new record.
Halloween Two-sided Black Cat Face Lantern 1940's Old Original
I had an opportunity to chat via email with the last surviving son of the founder of Alberts Display and Novelty Company. He told me that his father, Philip Alberts, shut down the firm's operations in 1948. Their Halloween output was restricted to a period from ~1941-1946. Therefore, the dates attributed in the book to all items made by the Alberts Display and Novelty Company are slightly off. The correct date range would be ~1941-1946. Please see pages 29 and 58 where collectively three items made by the firm can be found.
The above verbiage was taken directly from my errata page. Please print a copy of this errata page and keep it with your book to ensure the information available to you while you shop or peruse is as up-to-date as can be.
VINTAGE 1920'S GERMAN HALLOWEEN SKITTLE GAME PIECES - PUMPKIN HEADED LADY
I'm glad to see these items selling so well even though they come up for sale often. I recently had an exchange with a long-time collector as to whether these items are really skittle game pieces or are simply decorative elements for a table. When I first began exploring the fun world of vintage Halloween collecting in 1988, I took my cues from dealers and collectors active in the hobby for many years preceding my involvement. Two of these folks, Paul Schofield and Mary Lou Holt, described these items the same way - as skittles. (No one ever described them differently.) Over the years, I've seen a few boxes surface for these items. These boxes do not describe them as anything other than Hallowe'en Figures. So, what is the real answer?
09/01 Update: I've received a number of meaty replies. Here is the one I like best: "The pumpkin head skittle you commented on presents another clue. The base on all three that are for sale on eBay currently have a bigger base than the usual. It has a double slot which would be for a place or name card in front I believe. That would lend credence to the table favor use. However I think this base is rather rare as I've usually seen only the narrow base with slanted sides. The narrow ones would be usable in a bowling type game. Skittles was a very popular game during this time so you can't totally discard that idea. Perhaps multiple sales ideas for the same product? Crazy how variations keep being unearthed in many of the German products. THANKS so much for your work!! It's means a lot to dealers and collectors to get this information."
