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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Labels Witch Design Original Box

The seller left a tidy sum on the proverbial table by offering this rare boxed set of Whitney seals as a BIN for $32. Surprisingly, the listing lasted ~2.5 hours before some knowledgeable soul snapped the set up. These green-boxed Whitney seal sets have become quite desirable.

Vintage German HALLOWEEN Candy Container GHOST Grim Reaper on Log Composition

I don’t think this has much age to it. (I’d know for sure if I’d have the opportunity to examine it personally.) Little about the item is consistent with German candy containers I know to be genuine. The paint on the skeleton is mottled, the scythe is too glossy, the disk upon which the skeleton sits is too decorated and the ornateness of the tree stump base is inconsistent with truly old candy containers. The interior of the base is painted - another anomaly. I could see this being made anytime after the mid-1960s through yesterday. If you are interested in it, get the provenance from the seller and a money-back guarantee if your research indicates that it is a newer item.

1927 Denison goods Halloween harvest price list 5th avenue New York Thanksgiving

I’m glad to see these important references get the respect they do in the marketplace. Dennison produced a dizzying array of well designed items from the early teens through the early 1930s before their design aesthetic tapered precipitously. Their nearly annual Bogie Books and their brethren through about 1924 are a great resource for what Dennison was producing and their stock numbers. After that, Dennison used the Bogie Books less as a great resource for both retailers and end consumers and more for just the latter, jettisoning their informative listings for illustrations. For those of us interested in understanding what was produced when and for how many seasons the Bogie Books become less important, supplanted by these annual Price List pamphlets. I have nearly a full run and turn to them frequently for data. They are still fairly cheap, something I expect to change. These pamphlets are significantly harder to find than their corresponding Bogie Books.

Rare Kirchhof Vintage Metal Halloween Noisemaker Detail Design

This noisemaker is one of the hardest Kirchhof tin items to find - and I say that even though another one sold within the month. That one seemed to be in far lesser condition and brought the still surprisingly low price of $129.12. Kirchhof sold this as one of a pair. I feel this is the more interesting of the two. Turn to page 204 to see the other design.

02/18 Update: This brought $357, much more in line with what this typically brings. The other one mentioned above was a true outlier, even given the lesser condition.

Vintage Gibson Embossed Halloween Seals Jack-O-Lantern IOB Germany

As I write on page 264, “These may be among the first boxed sets of seals Gibson issued. Unlike all other Gibson seals I have seen, each of the seals…is marked on the reverse, “Gibson Line Made in Germany.” I assume this was a very short-lived association …. “ The example in the collection doesn’t have a quantity sticker, so the fact that this listing shows the box held 35 seals is good information.

Vintage Halloween Party Invitation Black Cat [4x5]

This is a beautiful invitation - by size alone a real stunner. I’ve only seen this a handful of times in 30+ years of collecting. There were matching tally and place cards produced as well to round out a three part set. The maker is Masters. These designs were produced under Masters’ Unique Line label. It’ll be interesting to see what this sells for during this slow time of the year.

02/05 Update: This sold for a respectable $110.27.

Vntg Art Deco Halloween Scorecard Bridge Tally Booklet Unused The Buzza Co.

Pickings have been slim for months on eBay, but there have been a number of lots sold even within the last week that brought far less than they should have. Then I see this lot. Great tally in great condition - but is the price sustainable at $74?
There are a few hardy souls that brave the slog through eBay Halloween garbage listings. They have been rewarded by being able to scoop up the few nuggets at decent prices, but overall the first quarter of the year is the worst time to list vintage Halloween items. There seems to be more crap now than I remember in past post-Christmas listings. I’m hoping this will change soon. There is little to write about.