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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Owl on Branch Germany Embossed Cardboard 1940s - 1960s RARE

This great perched owl diecut was produced in Germany during the 1920s. The preponderance of German diecuts were produced during the 1920s. The most popular designs like the walking witch, many of the black cats - dressed and not - and the perched owls were produced for many seasons spanning most of the 1920s and into the early 1930s. There is a subset of German diecuts made for export to Canada in 1935 that tend to be the most coveted, rare and the most expensive. Then there was a handful of German diecut designs made from 1946 through 1949. These tend to bear stamps indicating “Made in USSR Zone” and the like. Once 1950 dawned and thereafter there were few, if any, heavily embossed German diecuts produced in Germany.

Vintage Tin Halloween Noisemaker Bugle Made USA VG condition black cat and witch

Bugle Toy’s tin litho Halloween noisemakers always have zest to them. The designs are less staid and more in-your-face than those from their much larger competitors, like Kirchhof, US Metal Toy and T. Cohn. I have long coveted their designs. This seems to be in better-than-average condition for a Bugle tin item. As I slowly type this out, the bidding is only up to $33. Smart money says it has much further to run. We’ll see.

12/31 Update: This brought $86.

Vintage Mechanical Halloween Witch & Pumpkin Q&A Die-Cut Card

Gibson produced a line of these witch fortune place cards during the mid-1920s. There are two designs. One shows a witch standing holding a pumpkin, like this one, while the other design shows a witch stirring a cauldron. The latter is more involved and harder to find. The buyer got a bargain on this, as they typically change hands in the $65-85 range.

Vintage 1950s Merri Lei Cardboard 10.5” Witch Halloween Die Cut Wall Hanger

I was surprised to see that this sold for what it did. This non-embossed diecut produced by Merri-Lei is common. It is part of a packaged set that typically includes a black cat, a JOL and a skull. None have the design aesthetic that elicits a “wow!” (That is a polite way of saying they are uninteresting.) This particular example has water-staining and some speckling, yet it brought nearly $50. They generally trade in the $18-25 range, so the buyer paid a premium.

*1930s Halloween Party Invitation Card Tri Fold witch black cat jack-o-lantern 1

This is a tough invitation to find. Whitney produced it during the late 1920s. The seller has two of them up for a BIN of $60 each. Even though the interior is full of writing, for those for whom this isn’t a bother the price is a solid bargain, as these typically trade for $125 and up.

12/15 Update: Both were snapped up within a short time after publication of my post.

Vintage Halloween Party Favors Table decorations Tie-on Decor NOS Unopened

One of the fun challenges of curating Halloween items is to discover a specific name attached to the myriad regional producers of Halloween goods. We all know the big names, but for every big name there would be several lesser known producers, few very adept at publicizing themselves. In listings like this one another piece of the extensive mosaic falls into place. I had seen references to The K Line before (…and I’m not talking about the long-time Detroit Tigers phenom…), but never more than that. Whenever I see listings of items in original packaging I hope that there will be something worth learning. This listing delivered. The K Line was produced by the Kuepper Favor Company of Peru, Indiana. This old dog learned something new today.

Vintage Halloween Cat Head w/ Bow Cellophane Mouth Cardboard 1940s - 1960s MINT

Someone paid dearly for what is essentially a remnant. The front looks good, but when the sold item is flipped over the back is flat because the “Toy Packs” box that should be attached is missing. (The second photo showing the back is one I took of the same item in the collection. It appears on page 56.) The candy box was produced during the 1950s by Candy Crafters Inc. of Lansdowne, PA. The price paid, coupled with the indefensible shipping charge of $15.79, makes its acquisition far from a bargain. The buyer should return it.

Candy Crafters.jpg

My Posting Break Has Concluded!

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your kind inquiries wondering why I haven’t posted anything for a month. I wasn’t hit by a truck, nor did I fall down a crevasse. COVID hasn’t (yet…) wrapped its scaly fingers around my lungs. I simply like to take a month away from the tyranny of the blog during a year.

However, it is now December 1st and I am eager to post. The problem is that eBay has truly been an unending cavalcade of crap for weeks. (I chose a great month to step away.) There have been few exciting lots on that forum. There was one, though. Did you see the Beistle witch table-top decoration with an exceedingly rare multi-colored skirt (see page 224 for the one in the collection with an orange skirt…) that zoomed to $1,725 in the last few moments? Both the prevailing bidder and the underbidder are collectors with discerning eyes. Although I knew the color combination existed in theory, I had never seen one surface before. Bravo to the acquirer!

Bertoia held a spectacular auction featuring many Halloween items from Bob Merck’s collection in early November. I watched the bidding, made some half-hearted bidding attempts, and marveled that collectors would actually dish out $15,000 for a German scary tree candy container or near that amount for a lettuce leaf lantern. Those figures don’t even include the steep buyer’s premium or shipping costs. Buyer’s premiums are a real brake on my acquisition urges. Seeing these prices make me even more grateful I started collecting so long ago.

I’ve been busy preparing for my next auction. I’ve already photographed 50 lots. I am pleased with the strong line-up for next year’s auction, open only to those who have purchased a copy of my third edition from me. By the way, be sure to acquire your copy of my third edition before the price hike. The price per copy will rise from $65 to $77 shortly.

Let’s hope some worthwhile lots surface on eBay soon.

Happy Halloween!

Hello Readers,
This sure has been a memorable year with Covid warping the “normal” process of acquiring vintage Halloween goods. Shows and flea markets were largely cancelled, and many antiques malls and smaller shops were closed for months, but collectors marooned at home itched to acquire something - anything. Consequently, it seems that dollars that would have been spent on air fare, lodging and other travel-related expenditures were shunted to on-line auctions. We saw unsustainably high prices paid for most everything much to the delight of many sellers. These high prices flushed out many great items from collections. I suspect we’ll see a small avalanche of candy containers, figurals and lanterns brought to market as the first generation of collectors either sell before the Grim Reaper visits or as a result of such a visit. For the medium-term I suspect that such market segments will soften, as the market can only absorb so much at any time. So, keep this in mind as such collections present themselves.
I’ve been saying for some time that the paper market segments are the ones that will deliver scorching returns if you are into that sort of collecting calculation. (Although that shouldn’t be THE primary consideration, it should be a consideration.) The first generation of collectors largely shunned these segments so there is a true shortage of paper items in collectible condition. (What I specifically mean are tallies, invitations, place cards, Dennison and Gibson boxed sets prior to 1932, anything Beistle produced prior to 1932, 1912-1917 Bogie Books, and Dennison and Gibson diecuts. I might have missed a few things but you should get the general idea.) In my view, it is these segments that will remain white hot for years as there simply is so little of it out there.
Interestingly, post cards don’t make my list as there are simply too many of them floating around. Ones from Tuck or ones featuring art by Clapsaddle, Winsch and the like have been frosty lately. The ones bringing solid dollars are from the lesser printers like Rose. That said, Halloween postcards in near-mint or better condition are worth a look as there are few meeting that condition threshold.
It’ll be fun and instructive to see what this next season brings.
Thanks for being such faithful readers. My site analytics have never seen the kind of traffic that has been recorded these last 6-9 months. My 2020 book sales have significantly outpaced the sales from 2018 and 2019, even with a stiff price hike. For those wanting copies either for the first time or to replace copies worn out from use, now is the time to order. The overall number of copies I have available is low and I will not be reprinting. Nor will I invest the time to produce another edition. Another stiff price hike is coming soon, so again, now is the time to order a copy.
Happy Halloween!
MBL