Blog

Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Halloween Mechanical Tally, Candle in Candlestick, Owls on Branch

This season has seen some crazy, unsustainable results. This is an example. Looking at the bidding history, only two bidders are responsible for this result, else this tally would have sold for below $100. I worry about these steep, silly prices being paid for things and the effect it has on the hobby’s ability to attract new collectors over time. I’ve said it often and it bears repeating - I don’t want this truly fun hobby to become the exclusive province of the well-heeled.

Halloween German Miniature Diecut, Witch Stirs Cauldron, 1930s

This is arguably the very best design of the set to which this German mini-diecut belongs. Its intricacy while maintaining such a small form-factor is appealing. Prices this season have been extraordinarily strong, which causes me to wonder where all the money is coming from. Typically, at this point in the cycle, prices start to droop due to many, many listings and the depletion of the more casual collector’s monetary resources. I haven’t seen that repeated this cycle to the extent I forecasted. One theory is that our hobby is experiencing an influx of well-heeled new collectors. (Thankfully, I started collecting in the 1980s!)

VINTAGE DENNISON HALLOWEEN PARTY DECORATION STICKERS SEALS SKELETON BLACK CAT

There are several Dennison boxed seals sets that have a black background and that aren’t found in any Dennison references. Admittedly, I’ve been too busy lately to do an exhaustive search, but I haven’t found this design referenced in any of my Dennison Bogies, Price List pamphlets, etc. The design is interesting but not as intricate as their earlier ones, so the ending price was quite the surprise - probably for the prevailing bidder, too.

ANTIQUE HALL-O-WEEN PARTY FOR ONE,12 PARTY AIDS COMPLETE MADE IN USA, MINT NR

This is an interesting item. I think it shows how much leeway Beistle gave their wholesaling partners - allowing them to adopt Beistle’s graphical style while placing an assortment of thematically unrelated items together in what is essentially a grab bag. If you look at any of the many wholesalers’ catalogs from the 1930s through the 1950s, the main provider of goods is Beistle. The ending price seems reasonable. The header card is the rarest element.

Small Vintage Halloween Jack O Lantern JOL Candy Container Pumpkin hj6020

I’ve received lots of questions as to my opinion on this lantern. Given that I owned the larger and one-of-a-kind parade lantern made by the same artist or artist’s collective from 1997 through 2017, I am confident that it is genuine, dating from 1908-1912. (However, short of personally examining it, this is only an opinion. Don’t rely on it for anything.) I feel that the mouth insert is not original. Please refer to page 129 for more on the parade lantern.

10/04 Update: This lantern brought $5600, significantly in excess of the $2500-3000 they’ve brought over the last 5 years.

New Lantern Design from Tim Ramzyk of Pulp Novelties!

Tim Ramzyk is nearing release of his latest fantastic creation, The Mystic! Just look at the craftsmanship! Where does he get his inspiration? This lantern proudly joins my collection of Tim’s limited edition releases he has been creating for the last several years. The eyes and jewel on this chilling lantern are a 3-D colored resin. I put it at eye level so visitors will be a bit unsettled!

Tim is a Wisconsin-based artist who meticulously and painstakingly hand molds his own designs from a heavy, durable material. I am in awe at the workmanship and the true craft Tim brings to pulp design. I proudly have six of his treasures now on exhibit in my main display room. (For those who I've been lucky to host at my home, you know that in order for something to be placed in that room, it has to carry its own weight.)

Tim is offering The Mystic for $132 plus shipping, way too cheap for an item of this quality! He’ll begin selling them on Etsy on September 29th. The name of his Etsy shop is PulpNovelties. You can also contact him directly at pulpnovelties@aol.com.

For those who know me, you know that I rarely buy anything Halloween unless it is vintage. I've made an exception - and you should too. Snap this wonderful design up before they are ALL GONE.

TR1a.jpg
TR1b.jpg
TR1c.jpg
TR1d.jpg

Pre-1960s Halloween Die Cut Lot of 4

Whomever was lucky enough to swoop in and acquire this lot for the laughably low price of $90 should be doing a happy dance for eternity. The Gibson tombstone diecut alone is one of the most highly coveted products made by that firm. Listed alone, it would have easily brought multiples of what the entire lot brought. The large piece to the left is part of Dennison’s Hobgoblinville set.

RARE Vtg 20s EMBOSSED German HALLOWEEN Decoration CRAWLING Baby PUMPKIN Die Cut

Here is a German diecut you don’t see often. This crawling baby boy hinged diecut was produced in Germany during the late 1920s. (There is a chance that it was made during the mid-1930s. Other hinged products were made then.) The Germans made two different crawling babies. The girl shows up a tad more often than the boy, but both are rare. You can see both on page 169. With over 5 days to go, the bidding has already reached $431. It will be instructive to see what price it reaches.

10/03 Update: This brought $770.

Vintage Halloween Large Walking Witch Diecut Decoration Standup, Germany 1940s!!

The Queen of the Golden Doily is offering a very nice example of a German diecut that, although common, isn’t commonly seen in this great condition. Ziz is one of my favorite dealers. She typically offers a wide variety of vintage goods that appeal to both new and experienced collectors. She firmly believes in the auction format, beginning her listings at $9.99. You would do well to watch her listings!

Halloween Pressed Paper Hanging Decorations Large OWL, small cat & small bat

It’s pretty rare that I am able to get a bargain on eBay outside of the mispriced BIN listings. This auction-format listing actually ran for a full week. I put in a bid significantly higher than what I ended up paying for this lot - a relative pittance of about $110 with shipping. Lots of collectors were asleep at the switch or were inundated with the avalanche of listings that materialize at this time of the year. Although the owl is quite nice, it was far eclipsed by my interest in the two mini-diecuts - both rare enough that I’ve never seen them. Although the bat is not in the condition normally required to become part of the collection, it is energetic and full of personality. I have a similar cat with the tail demurely by its side, but not this great design. For once - an auction bargain!

Later Update: Well, not so fast. A good friend pointed out to me that the mini-diecuts I was so excited about look to be cut-outs from two of the set of six German diecuts of characters with crescent moons that you can see on page 184. I don’t know how I didn’t see that before. So, the only person asleep at the switch was me. The lesson here is that even someone who has been collecting for 31 years can be dumb enough to waste money on remnants! Very good catch, CR. How I wish I would have had your wise counsel before bidding on the lot!