Blog

Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

2 RARE VFINE Vintage Halloween Diecut Decorations Silver Highlights, Witch, Owl!

Hallmark produced few Halloween diecuts relative to their overall Halloween output during the pivotal ten-year period beginning in the mid-1920s. I don’t know why this is so, but my guess is that their overall diecut output was so uninspired vis-à-vis their competitors (especially the Holy Trinity of Beistle, Dennison and Gibson) that sales were scant - so the firm poured more efforts/resources into their small paper items: invitations, place cards and tallies. Hallmark small paper items from this period are generally outstanding in terms of humor, an eccentric design ethos and the use of a subtle, complicated color palette. I covet these hard-to-find items and have assembled a respectable collection.
The description of their diecuts as uninspired doesn’t apply to these two beauties. The direct gaze of the witch is arresting, and is the stronger design of the two. (This design was also sold as a gummed silhouette around 1925. These were sold in enveloped sets of ten. An example is on page 287.) I like the use of brown with the owl. There are two Hallmark diecuts shown on page 165. The date attribution of these two diecuts as being from the early 1950s is wrong and has been corrected in the Errata. They were both produced in the mid-1920s, the same as with these two diecuts sold as a lot. I feel the skull and crossbones is the best design of the four and the rarest. I think I’ve seen it only the one time I acquired it. It’s great to see these rare treasures get the secondary market respect they deserve. Congrats to the buyer for their good taste!

Vintage Halloween German Pumpkin Head Man w/ Stand Pressed Board Candy Container

This result defies my belief. There was a time not that many years ago when any such-sized member of the Veggie “family” would bring - at best - $300. I think this aberrant result is explained by the fact there were two bidders who were locked in a Pyrrhic battle-to-the-death match over ownership, surely to the stupefied glee of the seller.

1933 DENNISON WALT DISNEY HALLOWEEN W/ MICKEY & MINNIE MOUSE PARTY PACKAGE SET

I’ve had numerous opportunities to acquire this one-off boxed set collaboration between Dennison and Disney and have always passed. The colors scream Halloween but little else about this set evokes much of a Halloween association. The effort put into this set by the companies was pretty minimal. I feel both firms were reeling from the Great Depression hard-set by 1933, and figured maybe something thrown together would sell. The centerpiece referenced on the box lid is simply a sad looking JOL with pasted on eyes, nose and mouth made from plain orange crepe bunched together at the top. The rest of the contents are forgettable enough that I feel the draw for the set would mainly derive from Disney collectors rather than Halloween collectors. That said, this incomplete set in so-so condition did bring strong dollars. I’d love to know if the dollars came from the Disney or Halloween side - or was the prevailing bid from someone who loves both fields?

1920s DENNISON MIDNIGHT REVELERS HALLOWEEN DIE CUT FULL MOON OWL PICTURE PUZZLE

Three of these interesting items were offered recently. Rather than Dennison producing these “Midnight Revelers” puzzles, I think it more likely Dennison licensed several examples of their diecut artwork to what is now an unknown firm. Dennison was arguably the most diligent of paper manufacturers at this time in marking their products and packaging. Although the contents of the envelope are marked, the envelope itself is strangely silent as to the manufacturer. I think the market recognized this at least subconsciously as the ending prices for the four on auction weren’t electrifying.

Vintage Paper Mache Halloween Black Cat Candy Container

I believe the buyer got a solid deal here. This pulp black cat candy holder is harder to find than the similarly constructed orange witch - and that one is no cinch to acquire. The highlights look good and it appears to be structurally intact. I had this on my Watch List but forgot to bid.

Halloween Skeleton Jitterbug Jones Glow In Dark 1940?

There has been a pronounced frothiness to the vintage Halloween market over the last year, similar to the frothiness seen in many other collectible categories. This result is a good indicator of that frothiness. This 1930s Jitterbug Jones table decoration with an easel is not often seen - even less so complete with its placard - but given the item’s poor condition, the ending price was much higher than was expected.

sold252.PNG

RARE Vintage Halloween Jack o’ Lantern Tea Set Waste Bowl Germany 1914-1932

This super example of a waste bowl from the German porcelain set is a much-coveted item, affirmed by the impressive price the listing has already attained with ~6 days left to go. (It surely doesn’t hurt that the seller is so respected in our collecting community!) What many collectors don’t know is that there are three variants. The most common variant looks just like the one in this listing but is missing a face. The more uncommon variant looks like the one in this listing. The most uncommon variant - so rare that I’ve only seen it once - has a face and a “bubble skirt.” (Look under the Acquisitions tab and scroll down to about August of 2017 to see the one in the collection.)

03/30 Update: This sold for an astounding $735, a record. I’m not sure what drove this waste bowl to such heights, but am skeptical we’ll see such exuberance too often.

Unusual Gibson? Vintage Halloween black cat moon diecut napkin holder placecard

This is a nice dual-sided candy box, not a napkin holder. It was produced by an unknown firm with a good artistic aesthetic. There is a good bit of energy in this piece rather than the static designs more commonly seen. I have one in the collection and enjoy displaying it prominently. That said, the BIN price doesn’t seem to have taken into account condition. The asking price is $199.99 with an ability to make an offer. If you are inclined to make an offer on this item, an offer in the $60-90 range would be sensible.

Partial Vintage 85 Page Catalog: Halloween, Christmas, Dolls, Toys, Favors, Etc.

Based on the Halloween items shown in this catalog, the catalog wasn’t issued prior to 1928. Now, notice the two Halloween baskets referenced at the right, lower middle of the page. The design with the 2 skeletons warming their bony hands over a JOL cauldron was almost certainly never actually produced as a basket. The text references only that there are four designs. The four designs actually produced can be seen on page 225. Go ahead and read the caption to that grouping to understand what I think Beistle switched up at the last moment. (The skeletons were used as cover art for a stunt game that Beistle produced from 1931-1932 in both enveloped and boxed versions. Beistle seldom wasted finished art.)

Vintage Halloween Beistle die cut Tissue paper honeycomb Witch 1931

The seller left a considerable amount of money behind with this listing. They cluelessly gave a BIN option of $69.99. A smart buyer swooped in a scant 7 minutes later, surely chortling over the fact that they scooped up something that had the reasonable potential to bring $500-600. Congrats to the buyer!

Vintage Halloween Witch Die Cut Invite Unused Black Cat Old Card w/ Envelope

This well-designed and unusually hued invitation was produced by Dennison. It first appeared in their 1922 Bogie Book with stock number of H89. Early Dennison items have been on a tear these last ~2 years. Especially given that it is unused, I feel this item undershot the price trend somewhat.