RARE Vintage Halloween BEISTLE Pumpkin Head Scary Black Cat Rat Owl Nut Cup HTF

This is the first time I’ve noticed one of these exceedingly rare “nut or candy trays” offered for sale. Beistle sold these in enveloped packets of four for, I believe, one season only around 1930. Sold with a stock number of 760N, you can see the oh-so-rare complete set on page 221. The seller greatly understates the condition. It has been repeatedly folded and is quite faded. Still, outside of when I acquired the complete set in 2007, I’ve never seen even a single example offered for sale.

10/16 Update: This sold for a strong $171.50.

TWO HALLOWEEN JACK-O-LANTERN DECORATIONS, STOP SIGN AND PUMPKIN 50's

This is a diecut that is almost impossible to find. Made by Dennison, it first appeared in their 1930 Price List pamphlet. This definitely has serious condition issues, most notably the punched hole in the hat area. Still, if you are a Dennison completist, this may be an example of rarity trumping condition. When I bought the one in the collection, I had no idea just how elusive this would prove to be for others. (It was acquired decades ago.) As I’ve covered before, Dennison’s output plummeted in the early 1930s, so items from this period are seldom seen.

10/09 Update: This sold for $372.88!

DENNISON HALLOWEEN LADY CLOWN WITH OWL AND FULL MOON DIE-CUT 1923

This is a tough Dennison cut-outs set to acquire. The seller is correct in attributing it to 1923. It took me over 20 years to find a complete set in a condition good enough to join the collection. It’ll be informative to see what this sells for in this bubbly time for the hobby.

10/09 Update: This sold for $274.99.

"Magic Pot" Mechanical Black Cat Halloween Candy Container,E.Rosen Co.,1940's

Isn’t it odd how exceptionally rare items will surface soon followed by another? I’ve seen this offered for sale now three times - once in 2007, once last week and now this listing. This specimen is in much lesser condition than the one sold last week, although the orange highlights are arguably more visually appealing. What will it sell for?

Vintage Halloween Wheel Witch Fortune Game For Kids

Beistle trademarked this mechanical fortune game in 1936 and released it for sale in 1938. The seller states that it is in excellent condition. There are a few bends scattered throughout, the most serious of which seems to be at the end of the broom. More problematic for those understandably concerned with condition is the missing point at the front of the JOL. I would say the condition is at best “very good.” The header card, something often missing, is a nice supplement to this listing.

10/13 Update: Condition aside, this item sold for a VERY bubbly price of $338.33.

MILTON BRADLEY CO. JACK O’ LANTERN GAME “COMPLETE”

This great seller, stnick22, realized generally very bubblicious prices for their many listings. This game is one that has eluded my grasp for decades. It still eludes my grasp. The cover is where all the value resides as the game’s pieces and interior are ho-hum. I made a valiant effort to acquire it, but the ending price was simply too high. I am a patient man.

Vintage Halloween Candy Box with Nice Illustrations - Bats, JOL's, Witches

Even this faded candy box with pedestrian graphics sold for $167.50, another bubbly indicator.

HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS Hallo' Inn Door Hanger and Bat 1960

This door hanger was made by Dennison and first appeared in their 1930 Price List pamphlet with a stock number of H6601/2. My reference assigns it an RSIN of “3” but I feel a change to “2” is warranted. The condition is not ideal. Is this one of those instances when rarity trumps condition? See page 143 for the “Come In’ door hanger which should have a changed RSIN of “1”. I’ve seen it once in 30 years.

10/09 Update: This duo sold for $230.94.

Vintage Halloween Siren Horn Screech Owl -Cardboard Noise Maker

This is a horn that doesn’t often come up for sale. Most of these lithoed-paper-over-cardboard horns are pretty forgettable, but whichever firm produced this had a great eye for design. The graphics are fresh and energetic. The metal top seems right for the horn. The overall condition is quite good. This was produced during the 1930s. SGV is $125, but we seem to be in a vintage Halloween bubble market right now, so who knows what it will bring.

10/13 Update: This sold for a bubbly $211.38.

Vintage Halloween 3-SIDED LANTERN Paper Decor Witch w/ Glowing Eyes

This scarce witch face lantern was produced by Gibson in 1929, probably for a single season. The lantern was designed to be three-sided and held together by a black circle of construction-type paper with slits that would then slide down the points of the three witch’s hats. (There is a JOL lantern of the same design by Gibson you can see on page 43.)

Vintage 1920’s HALLOWEEN Gibson WITCH on Broom SEALS in Original BOX +Black Cat

Prices for boxes of Gibson seals have increased dramatically over the last 24 months with this result being the latest data point. The box of 1920s broomed witch seals originally contained 12 seals. With only 4 remaining, the lot still brought $88.

NEAR MINT. -RARE- EARLY 1930'S HALLOWEEN HOUSE OF FATE FORTUNE- WHITNEY CO.

Any of the House of Fate cards are desirable and very rarely surface. It was exciting to see this listing. This card comes from a series manufactured by Whitney in the early 1930s that they called The House of Fate. The cards are superbly designed with pull-away roofs containing the printed fortune. I believe that nine constitute the complete set, although that is just a guess. At first glance, the differing base designs look similar. However, when you closely examine the cards, there are always very minute differences present. I'm puzzled as to why Whitney would have introduced these subtle differences. It doesn’t seem cost effective. Perhaps we'll never know. Whitney went out of business in 1942. (Check out the eight examples on page 278.) This card is in stellar condition and is being offered by a stellar seller.

10/04 Update: This sold for an unbelievable $550, deep into bubble territory. If someone wants to buy the eight shown on page 278 in my book, they can be yours for $4400. Shipping would be free.

VTG 1920'S 30'S PAPER CARDBOARD BAT HALLOWEEN MASK MADE IN U.S.A.

This item was produced by Beistle as one of their four domino mask designs from 1926-1931. (Check out two other designs on pages 236-237.) This example is missing its nose piece, a significant condition issue. In near-perfect condition, these typically bring close to $300.

10/04 Update: I’m not surprised this brought only $58.31.

Vintage 1940s H.E. Luhrs Black Cats In A Band Paper Decorations

These are not vintage items. Around 2003 for just one, possibly two, seasons Beistle allowed another firm to offer reproductions of the eight-member black cat band. As I point out on page 54, these reproductions can be identified by their white accents, two bottom slots on each for a folded cardboard stand and orange/brown backsides. These reproductions have zero vintage value.

RARE ROSEN MAGIC POT CAT CANDY CONTAINER STORE DISPLAY

As of this writing there are over 8100 items listed on eBay in the Vintage Halloween category. Only ~3% of these listings are worth a second glance, and this surely is one of them. I’ve only seen this for sale one other time - when I purchased it in 2007. The one in the collection is more visually appealing in that the highlights are orange rather than light blue, but if you are someone who wants rare and amazing items in your collection - this listing is for you. Rosen produced a small but very desirable array of mechanical candy boxes and holders. (Look at pages 116-118 for some others.) This small segment of the market is surely within my top five loves. In 30 years of collecting I’ve only located seven different examples. There is at least one design I don’t yet have. I saw it in another collection several years ago. I’ll be watching how this listing fares with great interest.

10/02 Update: This rare item sold for the opening bid of $1,195, a relative bargain in these bubbly days. I wonder if the price would have been higher if the seller would have started it at a much lower price?