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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

NEAR MINT RARE Vintage Halloween House of Fate Fortune Paper Card, Whitney 1930s

I love the House of Fate fortunes issued by Whitney during the early 1930s. What I’ve discovered about these little design treasures is that every single one I’ve ever examined is subtly (sometimes very subtly) different than any other. If you compare the one being offered for sale by this wonderful seller by the ones shown on page 278, you may think it is identical to the one shown at middle left or bottom right. You’d be wrong. For reasons I don’t understand, the lines comprising the windows are subtly different as are the lines and shapes of the lowest roof border. (Take out a magnifying glass and see for yourself.) Now, in terms of value and desirability, I acknowledge this is a distinction without a difference, but isn’t it a mystery? Why would Whitney have printed so many meaningless variations? That said, these are VERY desirable items. It’ll be fun to see what this brings.

07/30 Update: This brought the near-record price of $385.22!

Vintage halloween Sign Grim Reaper Skeleton Right this way and watch out RARE

Gibson produced this fantastic non-embossed diecut during the early 1930s. I’ve now seen this three times. Given that the hand is neither detached nor missing, the ending bid isn’t outlandish, especially given the visual statement this piece makes. Gibson differentiated itself from its better capitalized competitors, Beistle and Dennison, by bold designs that catch the eye even nearly a century later. Their output was far less than their named competitors, so it may be a while before another surfaces.

Rare 1920's Chein Tin Lithographed Halloween Tambourine Black Cats Witch JOL

The seller states that this tin litho tambourine “needs” a new home. One way to hasten the finding of a new abode is to offer it at a reasonable price. It is being offered at $500 with an invitation to make an offer, a sure tip-off that a seller knows the asking price is ridiculous. I’d say a reasonable offer given the softness of the market segment is in the $250-275 range.

1920's Beistle Fairy Clock Halloween Die Cut

This wonderful, colorful and large Beistle fairy clock was produced for a single season, 1923. Overall, it is in better condition than average. However, in addition to the missing large hand, notice the crease to the body and the missing tip of the fairy’s wing. Again, these are minimally material given the clock’s size and irregular border. As I type this out, the bidding has reached $482. It still has room to run.

07/21 Update: This sold for a respectable $910.

Vintage Halloween BEISTLE Witch Mechanical Invitation with Envelope

This primitive set of mechanical invitations is arguably among the earliest Halloween items Beistle offered on a retail basis. If you look at the last photo this seller includes, you’ll see what I wrote about the set in my third edition. Every example I’ve seen of this envelope - and I have seen ~30 examples - has the same handwritten strikeout over the printed quantity with the same number, 5, handwritten on the envelope. I don’t know why this was done, although my theory is that the quality of these early offerings caused Beistle senior management to get rid of excess inventory as quickly as possible without the added expense of reprinting the envelopes. I speculate…

07/23 Update: Surprisingly, this didn’t bring strong dollars - $72.

Die-Cut 1930s Halloween Party Invitation Pop Up Ghost Black Cat Jack O Lantern

This invitation is rare but in terrible condition. Not only is the interior soiled with writing, but it was once stored in an album, with evidence of this too apparent on the reverse. If you look on page 277, you’ll find two different invitations almost certainly from the same set, all probably produced by Whitney. Prices for small paper are very high right now - unsustainably high. This is just another data point for this conclusion.

Vintage Beistle " Complete Party Outfit for Hallowe'en " 1918 Decorations &Games

If you’ve been waiting to get a nearly complete early Beistle Complete Party Outfit - this is your chance. As this wonderful seller says in the listing, I personally examined this. I was blown away by the condition. It seems that the original buyer used and discarded the lampshades then stored everything else away not to see the light of day for 100 years. This is a notoriously difficult set to complete. Interestingly, the shades are perhaps the easiest elements to find. The seller is a personal friend. She’s been in the vintage Halloween collecting field nearly as long as I have and is quite knowledgeable. She is eminently trustworthy. As I type this, the price is already at $1500. Given the quality and rarity - there is plenty of room to run!

Vintage Halloween Black Owl Seals Gibson Great Condition

I’m glad that boxes of Gibson seals are getting the market attention they deserve. (In fact, a box alone sold for $79!) Gibson was always the also-ran to Dennison in terms of seals - certainly both in artistry and quantity/distribution. Box for box, Gibson seals are much harder to find than Dennison. I began collecting them in earnest 20+ years ago and still only have maybe 30 boxes.