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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage 1925 HALLOWEEN Large Die-Cut Accordion Crepe WITCH & Fiery Caldron

This cauldron decoration was produced by Beistle from 1928-1932. I believe it was originally part of their Rustic Fireplace due to the streamers at the bottom meant to simulate flames. See page 127 for more information. The seller needs to include more and higher resolution photos. It is hard to tell whether the arch has been repaired. It appears as if it has been restored in some fashion.

03/10 Update: I feel the lack of good photos hampered this item from bringing the dollars it deserved. It sold for only $162.50.

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.