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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Dennison's 1913 Bogie Book (Original Edition)

What a true steal some lucky eBay prowler got in acquiring this exceedingly rare 1913 Bogie Book for a mere $185, with free shipping to add insult to injury. This edition is the only one that has escaped me these 31 years of collecting. It is the second hardest Bogie Book to get, with the 1909 edition being the hardest by far. (There is only one known copy.) I’m sure this listing didn’t last more than minutes. The seller left gobs of money on the table.

Vintage Halloween Scratch Jointed Black Cat Beistle Original Envelope c1920s

If you ever have a chance to acquire an early Beistle envelope like this one, jump on it. By the ending price, it is evident that at least two people understood just how rare and desirable early envelopes are. This isn’t even one of Beistle’s masterpieces. Take a look at the Hallowe’en Elf envelope on page 125 to see what is arguably the pinnacle of their artistic care of something truly meant to be disposable.

Vintage Halloween German Minature Tea Set Saucer Early 1900’s

Here’s a great item worth having. The Germans made a line of porcelain Halloween-themed tea set pieces in three sizes from 1908-1932. This green leaf saucer should measure 3.25” in diameter, and would have been made for their smallest tea set size. An otherwise identical pattern in orange was also made. Please refer to pages 119-121 for other items from these desirable sets.

10/15/Update: This sold for $392.77, quite strong considering a cup and saucer set sold the same day from the same seller for $421.

HUGE BEISTLE GERMAN DEVIL BAT DIECUT VERY RARE HALLOWEEN, FRAME INCLUDED

Although I am so very happy that this seller received such prices for many of their listings, I am confounded by this ending price. The seller very clearly outlined the condition issues, yet this devil bat diecut still brought a record price. Was it simply auction fever? I worry that results like this signal that the hobby is becoming restricted to the well-heeled.

Halloween Dennison Vintage Invitiation, Witch with Green Face Envelope 1928

This season has seen some crazy, unsustainable results. This is an example. Looking at the bidding history, only three bidders are responsible for this result, else this Dennison invitation 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. If someone wants to purchase the one in the collection, I will happily sell it for $450, shipping included.

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.