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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Four Sided Halloween Paper Lantern / DieCut Cats Tear Missing Top Circle

This lantern was produced by Gibson during the 1920s. They used a grade of construction paper that is rather unforgiving - meaning that once you have assembled the lantern, woe to you if you dissemble and re-assemble it. The soft paper will often just crunch up and then split and drop off. If you obtain one, it is best to leave it unassembled. I’ve learned the hard way! :)

Vintage HALLOWEEN Black Cat Face German Die Cut w Transparency! 30's.

I have long said that selling vintage Halloween on eBay in October is risky. Most collectors have spent their budget by the time they begin decorating in early October and so wonderful items sell for much less than they might have at other times. There are notable exceptions, but this is largely true. This diecut is a great example. Two similar ones sold within the last ~15 months for $2,000+. Even though the inserts are faded on this example, I feel the seller would have done better if they had offered it sometime from March to May.

Vintage Halloween Paper Plate USA

When I think of all the many market segments that comprise the universe of vintage Halloween collecting, I often forget about plates. Most plates, especially those by Reed, don’t fetch much, but one manufacturer stands well above the others - Beach & Arthur. Plates by that firm have been fetching very strong dollars for some 2-3 years now. Their designs tend to be unusual and creatively use colors not typically associated with Halloween like yellow and red. The plate listed is one of the more tame designs and has some staining. Even so, I expect the final result will escalate beyond the initial bid of $9.99.

10/17 Update: The plate sol for $38.99.

Halloween Collecting Podcast

I had the pleasure of speaking with Eric Dwinnells of Salem, Massachusetts by phone on the subject of collecting vintage Halloween for his podcast about two weeks ago. His podcast is called Spooky Times with Eric D. The conversation was wide-ranging and lasted about 90 minutes. If you care to listen, the link can be found below. Let me know what you think.

Just letting you know the interview has been posted and you can find it here:

https://spookyas.libsyn.com/205-vintage-halloween-collecting 

That's also a good link to use if you want to share it yourself or post it on your website.

 

Rare German Mini-Diecut

I attended an event last week in southern California’s California Adventure park called the Oogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party. It replaces the significantly superior Mickey’s Halloween Party in Disneyland. As a bonus during the trip, I had the opportunity to view Jason Walcott’s collection for the first time since 2018. Jason’s collection is amazing and wide-ranging. One of the true pleasures of seeing his collection is the quality of each piece. Jason, like me, places a very high value on condition. Anyway, as I was perusing his wonderful displays, I spied the German mini-diecut shown below. I had never seen it before. It makes me wonder just how many German Halloween mini-diecuts were made. Congratulations, Jason, on having such a fantastic collection so nicely displayed. Thanks for letting me visit!

mini diecut.jpg

Embossed Antique German MINI Diecut Halloween black cat RARE!

I have learned to really examine these mini-diecuts for variations. This arched-back black cat mini-diecut has differences from the one I own and that is shown on page 185. Look at the positioning of the legs and the shape of the tail. I don’t have a theory as to why these variations surface so regularly with these mini-diecuts. This went for less than I would have thought.

Nice Antique Vintage Halloween Bridge Tally Card, The Unique Line

This is an exceptionally hard-to-find tally produced by Unique. I’ve seen it only 2-3 times in 33 years. There is a companion tally that was sold with this one. (It can be seen in the Acquisitions section of the blog.)

10/12 Update: This sold for much less than I would have thought - $86.

Vintage Dennisons Halloween Seals Black Cat Witch Pumpkin In Box 1920s Stickers

Dennison had a very distinctive look for their output from about 1928 through 1932. I’d love to know who this/these artist/artists were. This superb box of seals is one of their best designs. Just look at how much energy is exuded in this small seal. I’ve noticed a general softening of prices across all segments so it will be fun to see what this brings. I feel it is a $400+ slide box.

Vintage Halloween Pom Pom w/ Cardboard holder by Beistle 1.25"W x 12"T

This is an odd Beistle item - most assuredly from their early days. The iconography supports this. Since the item has such a limited function, I understand why the production of these pom poms was short-lived. I placed a bid just out of idle curiosity of how this was constructed but was outbid. Will I see another?