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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Nut Candy Party Cup Containers Lot 3 ea. Black Cat Witch

Beach & Arthur products, especially their plates, have been desired items for several years. Their design sensibilities were far better honed than their competitors like Tuttle or Reed. Whereas the latter made a dizzying array of party basics like napkins, plates and cups, their designs are largely forgettable. Beach & Arthur, on the other hand, had a stable of artists that sought to differentiate their products - and succeeded in doing so. 

ANTIQUE VINTAGE HALLOWEEN PAPER WITCH HAT GERMANY

Here is another result that defies understanding and will never be repeated. I think the pop-up 1920s German hat has superb graphics, but not $500 worth. Looking at as much of the bidding history that eBay now allows, it is apparent that two collectors with deep pockets were vying for this. I'd say the one who walked away without the hat is better off. There are at least three pop-up hat designs. They typically fetch a sum in the range of $150-200. I am shaking my head as I type this. Ridiculous....

Rare Boogie House Ghost & Spooks Halloween Candy Box

I really like this diminutive gem. I had one many years ago, sold it then spent the next several years regretting letting it go. It took me that long to find one in good enough condition to be part of the collection. I bought it flat, have folded it together exactly once and now it sits serenely in one of my many display cases. It wasn't designed to have a bottom as I feel it was made in the early 1950s to fit over a box of candy, probably made by Brach's. SGV is $100. The last one I saw sell was in 2014. It fetched $81. 

08/11 Update: This brought a strong $159.05. 

Small Vintage Ceramic Halloween Pumpkin Jack O'lantern Made In Germany

This is a coveted waste bowl from the German porcelain Halloween set produced from 1908-1932. The seller was a true oaf to offer it as a BIN with scant knowledge of what they were offering. This reminds me of a favorite quote: "The sum of the intelligence of the planet is a constant. The population is growing." Instead of netting out $15-16 for this, if run as an auction it surely would have fetched four to five times as much. People - use the auction format!

Vintage Halloween Beistle Sitting Black Cat 9 x 4.5 (5242)

This is merely a remnant of the Beistle centerpiece discussed directly below. It should have no real collectible value. If you look closely, you can see where someone with scissors cut along the bottom and both haunches. Unless you don't mind having a remnant, I wouldn't be a bidder. 

07/31 Update: I was sad to see someone waste $86.75 on this remnant. 

Large Vintage Halloween Table Top Diecut Display (5242)

This exceedingly rare festive centerpiece was produced by Beistle for one season only in 1955. They issued two designs. (The other is shown on page 233.) In my view, this is the stronger of the two designs. SGV is $375, but these come up so rarely that who knows what it may bring. As of this writing, the item, in solid collectible condition, has already been bid up to $315. Good luck to the pursuers!

07/31 Update: This sold for a startling - and surely never to be repeated - $909. I've had conversations with close collecting friends since this auction's end wondering if there is a bubble firmly forming in the vintage Halloween market. Is this the time for me to begin selling my collection in earnest? 

H E Luhrs Embossed Halloween Crow Decoration 1940 Beistle Company

I had to chuckle when this seller states with bravado that this crow diecut "is unmistakably an H E Luhrs creation." Not only has the possessive gone missing, but the assertion is, in fact, mistakenly made. As you, my faithful readers know, this is a heavily embossed diecut made in Germany during the 1920s. It has nothing to do with Beistle or Luhrs. 

Vintage Lot of Die Cut Halloween Decorations Witch Pumpkin Bat Frankenstein Cat

Nothing pictured is truly vintage. The three members of the cat band were made during or after 2003. As I write on page 154, "Reproductions are easily discerned by the white accents, two bottom slots on each for a folded cardboard stand and their heavy paper stock with their orange/brown backsides." The cat atop a JOL was made a bit later. The give-away on that items is the glossy paper stock. 

Halloween Dennison Tally Smiling Spade Face Atop JOL

This is one of the exceedingly rare Dennison small paper items produced in the golden window of 1928-1932. The other thematically similar item in the collection first appeared in Dennison's 1930 Price List pamphlet, so I suspect this is from the same year. (You can see it on page 260.) This has that kooky design aesthetic so coveted by Dennison collectors. I had to pay a princely sum to acquire this, but I have no regrets. 

VINTAGE JOL DIECUT~US MADE ~ STAND OUT FACE

Beistle produced this line of at least four different designs during the mid-1950s to wide yawns from the marketplace. They didn't catch fire then and haven't to date. The 3-D effect is rudimentary and the differently lidded JOLs are forgettable. Beistle was largely empty of creative juice by this time - and this line clearly shows it. 

ANTIQUE HALLOWEEN - mini JACK-O-LANTERN pumpkin cup & saucer RARE

This is a doubly great item. The diminutive cup has a handle and the saucer is exceedingly rare. Although unmarked, these items are German-made. The Japanese made rather crude reproductions of only the basic items like the teapot, sugar and creamer. The Germans produced a wildly inventive range of these porcelain wares from 1908 through 1932. If I had to pick my top three segments of the vintage market, this segment would be amongst them. SGV for the handled cup is $125. SGV for the saucer is $175. The saucer was also produced with an orange and burnt orange finish. 

07/19 Update: This super combo sold for $344.