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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

RARE Vintage Halloween Cymbols

The buyer got a bargain - rare in these days of irrationally exuberant valuation on eBay. My advice to collectors of vintage Halloween is to wean yourself from eBay. Check out sites like Ruby Lane, icollect247 and Etsy. Although there’s not much up now, get in the habit of also checking out my For Sale page. Get out to shows and flea markets where you are more apt to find bargains.

NEAR MINT RARE Vintage Halloween Stunt Place Card Right Off the Bat Gibson 1920s

Gibson tried hard to compete with its better funded competitors like Dennison and Beistle. They developed innovative and interestingly colored small paper items that, being made in much smaller quantities than either of its two main competitors, today strongly appeal to discerning collectors. I haven’t seen this stunt place card design surface all that often. I hope it does well.

07/28 Update: It sure did well, selling for $403.99. Who wants mine for $400 plus shipping?

RARE Vintage Halloween JOL Nut/Candy Container Party Favor Decoration

The Japanese tried their best to get into the holiday item export business to the USA, but the vast majority of their output seldom compared favorably to the innovativeness and production standards of the typical holiday export item made in Germany. Their use of crepe and cut-outs to “finish” their items screams how willing they were to cede their seat at the quality table. This market segment, which does have its adherents, never appealed to me. This item is already up to $71 with four days left.

RARE Antique Vtg BEISTLE Halloween Party Invitation PopUp Witch JOL Cauldron 20s

This iconic pop-up invitation was produced in great quantities and usually sold in boxed sets of six. To my knowledge there is only one other Beistle pop-up invitation with a similar design and construction. This second version can be seen at the top-right of page 223. This version, with a now-revised RISN of “1” was sold singly in the early 1930s when Beistle was in a financial bind due to the Great Depression. At this time they rarely began a new design from scratch, instead co-opting elements from previous designs in order to save money. Consequently, the scarecrow pop-up invitation was made in significantly smaller quantities. (I’ve never seen one aside from the one in the collection.) The RSIN for these two items, 1 and 3, reflect this fact. The seller of this witch pop-up is long-time collector who is actually knowledgeable about the hobby. Honest as the summer day is long, you can buy from him with great confidence.

RARE Vintage Halloween Envelope Only for Owl & Bat Diecuts, Beistle Early 1920s!

There are at least three iterations of this envelope. The earliest one, dating from the early 1920s, is white and has no markings indicating it was produced by Beistle. This iteration, made from a medium-weight cardboard, is the rarest, and in my opinion, the most desirable. I upgraded from the one shown on page 145 in 2009 to this first variant. I haven’t seen it since. The second iteration is the one shown on page 145, made from orange tissue and having no manufacturer’s marks. The third iteration, being offered on eBay, is also made from orange tissue, but has the diamond mark. This iteration was produced between 1925 and 1931, probably toward the latter part of that range. Beistle produced this packaged duo for many seasons.

08/07 Update: This sold for just $125.50.

Vintage Halloween Orange Skeleton Die Cut, Gibson Art Skull Diecut Face, 1930's

Gibson produced a solid array of diecut designs that cede little to nothing in creativity to either Dennison or Beistle. This simple yet compelling design is a great example. Produced during the 1930s, Gibson issued identical designs in white and orange. I sold the white version in March’s auction. It fetched $305. (The auction, an anticipated event by collectors, happens in March and is open only to those who have purchased a copy of my third edition from me.) This is a nice example. It’ll be fun to see what it brings.

NMINT SCARCE Vintage Halloween JOL & Crescent Moon Diecut Decoration Germany 20s

With an imminent birthday, I’m feeling my advanced age! I remember when I could pick all items from this set of six all day every day for $45. How do newer collectors afford such things today? This item with nearly eight days left is already bid up to $255. I’m so glad I began collecting in earnest in 1988.

07/24 Update: This common diecut sold for $285.

SUPER RARE Vintage Halloween Large Jointed Devil Diecut Decoration Beistle 1920s

Beistle released this suggestive devil design during the mid-1920s. They then released one without the tail, possibly due to feedback from their more prudish retailers, which is more commonly seen. The designs have never done much for me even though I generally appreciate the grimmer designs. The three-legged version and the more modest version both lack the charm of most of Beistle’s output at this time. I feel the designs lack inspiration. That said, this version typically brings strong dollars. Given the wealth of upscale listings from this fine seller, it’ll be informative to see if the number of listings impact the overall prices fetched.

07/24 Update: This sold for $555.

Vintage PAPER MACHE 8 1/4" Orange Witch Candy Container

You are looking at one of the most elusive USA pulp figures out there - not that the item itself is all that rare - but to find one in near-mint or better condition is the rarely done trick. For some reason 9+ out of 10 I see are in this approximate condition. I delayed adding one to the collection for decades as one in the condition warranting inclusion eluded my grasp. Even in this condition, these pulp witches command prices in the range of $175-225 or more.

1950s Vintage Halloween HAPPY HOLIDAY Jointed Mechanical FOIL Red Devil Minty

This is another surprising result. Up until about one year ago it was difficult to give these 1950s and 1960s foil decorations made by Happy Holiday away. Now, this pretty small market segment seems to have strengthened mightily. The seller has developed an excellent reputation within the collecting community for her pithy yet complete descriptions, many photos and quick shipping.

RARE Vintage Antique Halloween Black Broomed Witch Diecut Decoration Germany 20s

The Germans produced quite a few broomed witch diecuts, not surprising given the iconic nature of the image. Most of these diecuts are seen often, but this is an exception. The coloration with a touch of gray by the eye is appealing. The condition is outstanding, as is the seller, although her penchant for naming diecuts isn’t something I’m fond of. I’ve heard from a number of readers that this seller’s descriptions are much too wordy. Although I definitely agree, and feel reasonable yet substantial edits can be made, one cannot deny that zizsdream typically receives strong results. I know that the hobby will be pleased with a plethora of high quality listings she’ll be offering over these next few months, so I will be mentioning many more of her listings than normal. My typical practice is not to mention a seller too often as I’ve been told that a positive mention on my site tends to goose ending prices upward, and I don’t want to have any perceived favoritism, but the reality is that eBay has largely become a “quality vintage Halloween desert,” so when good things are listed I’m going to be inclined to mention them regardless of seller.

Whitney Vintage Halloween House of Fate Ghost Fortune Telling Card

No better illustration exists of the crapshoot nature of eBay than this result. So many collectors, including me, were asleep at the switch when this listing ended, surely thinking it will go to the nosebleed levels cards from this series have been bringing, that we missed out on an opportunity to acquire an example at a reasonable price. Hence, it ended at $125.95 surely to the pure delight of the buyer and the consternation of the seller.