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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Fabulous Rare Halloween Celluloid Owl Rattle! VERY Detailed Must See

This is a particularly unattractive piece. Why would the factory have marked it in this way? The black markings mightily detract from the item’s eye appeal. This was almost certainly produced by the Dupont Viscoloid Company post 1925. More information can be found on page 110. This wasn’t produced in Germany.

This seller added the following to her listing:

Mr. Mark Ledenbach says that this item is actually American Viscoloid. I do appreciate the attribution. It would have been helpful had he contacted me and not posted in the blog instead. I did NOT say it was German just that I have been told that.

I have stated many times that I cannot find his books) and frankly I am not going to shell out the money to rebuy them as the information is helpful but the books are increasingly out of date and the prices were probably out of date as soon as it was printed- as is the case with most price guides.)

He also says it is not attractive. That is a personal opinion and he has a blog to which no one can refute his unpleasantness. Personally I DO think it is fabulous. Difference in opinion.

Mr Ledenbach has taken it upon himself to attack mine and other peoples listings on his blog. Perhaps people should realize that much of the commentary in the blog is based on his opinion.

The seller rendered a huge service to the hobby with her publication of “Boo News” decades ago. I subscribed and still retain every edition as I find them informative. Her comments about my book are odd. Yes, some of the pricing is not current - especially in this environment - but that doesn’t render them “out of date.” There is a wealth of information in all three editions, but the third edition is still considered the hobby’s gold standard. (The only edition of mine I would now buy is the third.) By this seller’s standard, her “Boo News” publications should be entirely worthless, but they aren’t, of course.

This owl item is a truly vintage item with an unusual color finish. I hope it does well. (As of this writing it is at a strong $202.50.) This seller, who has been a collector for decades - and dedicated enough at one time to issue her spectacular publication, “Boo News” - shouldn’t have had to rely on me to indicate the item wasn’t produced in Germany. Why she feels I should have contacted her directly rather than simply pointing out it was made by the Dupont Viscoloid Company is odd. Her comment that she didn’t state it was German but was told that it was is an example of parsing.

All or most of the observations in my blog are opinion. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. This seller sees my comments on her celluloid owl as an attack. Of course they aren’t. Providing information is not an attack. I rarely attack listings. I will often point out that a listed item is fake or fantasy. I offer my opinion as to a listing’s condition and appearance. I offer pricing and rarity guidance. That is why the blog is so widely read. The hobby is becoming increasingly perilous. Prices are rising too quickly across most segments. Fakes and fantasy pieces abound. Collectors need to be on their guard. Reading this blog and investing in solid reference books are ways to do this.

1920's Vintage Beistle Devil - Halloween Diecut SCARCE

What a magnificent example of this hard-to-find diecut. Produced by Beistle during the 1920s, this jointed, grim-faced devil makes a real statement. (Freud would have had a field day chatting with the artist.) Beistle made another design that surfaces a bit more often that doesn’t have a tail. The condition issues this fine seller flags are true nits. This one is in better condition than the one I own. If you are a Beistle collector, you simply can’t let this one escape your grasp.

Vintage Large Halloween GM Cat Driving Truck Candy Container

The G.M. Company produced several large heavy cardboard candy holders, all with unusual and memorable imagery. They also produced the much more common set of six smaller candy holders you can find on page 54. The larger holders almost never surface in nice condition. This one is in as nice of condition as they come. The bonus here are the sellers. They are close friends of mine who have a great (perhaps unsurpassed) eye for antiques and collectibles. You can wholly place your trust in their listings! Be sure to check out the other super items they have up for auction right now.

DEAD MINT UNused Vintage Halloween Paper Party Invitation, Dennison, circa 1920!

I love this seller and am happy that she got such a strong price!

OK, that said, this result just makes me shake my head. Who is spending such insane money on these small paper items? Granted, if it wasn’t for two determined bidders, this would have sold in the mid $200s, but c’mon. I fear these kinds of results will dampen the enthusiasm required for new collectors to join what I feel is a hobby with too many overheated segments. (Some collectors always consider ROI when making a purchase. Some collect just for the love of collecting. At this price, there won’t be any ROI. And for the latter camp, deep pockets and carefree spending are sadly, now seemingly required.)

BTW, any collector who has purchased my third edition from me can acquire my identical invitation - also in mint condition - for $615, shipping included.

Vintage Dennison Halloween Acorn Face Stickers Seals H732

I haven’t seen a complete box of these really well-designed anthropomorphic acorns available for quite some time. This is one of my favorite Dennison designs. They were first sold in 1926. Even though the box looks a bit tired, the contents seem unfaded. Given the prices seen lately for small paper, this deserves to hit or exceed $200.

Vintage Witch Halloween Die Cut Paper Seasonal Decorations

The seller, unclebooboo7, made a big boo boo indeed, listing this desirable Beistle Horrible Witch jointed decoration for a BIN of $35. It lasted all of 5 minutes before some lucky collector got a fantastic deal at the expense of a clueless seller. The decoration seems to be in quite nice condition. If the seller had let it run at auction, they would have surely received no less than 10 times what they did get.

1910 -1917 “Sacred Be Ye Fire O Halloween” RARE Early Mechanical Decoration

An unknown manufacturer produced four mechanical Halloween designs pre-WWI. Two are interesting but not too out there, whereas the other two are quite eccentric. (You can see the foursome on page 284.) I’ve seen this mechanical witch at cauldron decoration a good 12-15 times and in every case the cat’s tail is missing. This seller obliquely states they have one with a complete tail. I invite this seller to send me a photo. I’d love to see a complete example. If I get it, I’ll post it.

08/29 Update: The seller took me up on my offer and sent the two photos below. She made it clear that it isn’t for sale. This is the first time I’ve ever seen one of these mechanical decorations complete with a cat’s tail. Quite nice.

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1935 DENNISON'S HALLOWE'EN PARTIES BOOK / DECORATIONS FAVORS GAMES & STUNTS

This issue was the end of the line for Dennison’s nearly-annual Halloween publications. The 1930s was a tough decade due to the Great Depression. I’m surprised Dennison continued issuing these through 1935. (They did not publish one for 1932.) I’ve seen a fair number of these larger-format publications from 1927 on. Their issues from 1931 and 1933-5 seem to be especially hard to find in decent shape. This example up for auction may be in the best condition I’ve seen in many years. Most are folded, missing pages, have loose covers and other travesties. Not this one. I’ll be following what this fetches.

09/01 Update: This sold for a strong $193.50.

Vintage Dennison COME IN Halloween Sign with Jack O Lantern & Black Cats

Dennison issued at least four door hanger designs. Two are pretty common, two aren’t. This is one of the latter. I can’t recall seeing one for sale in decades. Given how thin the paper Dennison used at this time was, few of their products have traversed the decades well. The damage this piece has sustained is minimal. I am not surprised this door hanger fetched such dollars - as did its 1930 mate offered by the same lucky seller.

Vintage Haloween Tin Litho Kirchhof Metal Toy Party Horn Noisemaker

This seller, wildzombie, is far poorer than they could have been had they offered this very desirable tin litho horn produced by Kirchhof as an auction rather than the ill-advised BIN offering of $27.60. These have changed hands for upwards of $400. The colors and overall condition are exceptional with this example. Someone got a VERY good deal. I hope the seller realized their error when the listing concluded in 14 minutes.