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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

DEAD MINT Complete Set Vintage Halloween Table Decorations Favors Germany 1920s!

It is great seeing so many of these German table decorations, especially in such nice condition. A common error is to think ten comprise a full set. There are actually eleven designs comprising the full set. The standing arched-back cat has two variations: the one included in this offering with eyes looking away from the viewer and one with the cat looking directly at the viewer with a slightly different face and stance. (The latter is much harder to find.) There are also stand variations. Later in the run the wood red stands were deeper and slotted making the table decoration more functional as a place card holder.

08/17 Update: The result was surely a disappointment as these regularly bring over $100 (sometimes well over…) when listed individually.

1940s Vintage Halloween BEISTLE Diecut Two CATS w/ Anthropomorphic Moon EMBOSSED

This design belongs to a set of twelve that Beistle produced for a long time beginning in 1932. All are common enough that you’ll see each design multiple times every year. The trick in collecting diecuts from this set is to get the earliest pressing you can. (Admittedly, many collectors couldn’t care less about this distinction. I get this. However, for those kindred spirits, read on.) I arbitrarily divide the pressing history for these diecuts into three phases. The three embossing levels can be generally described as heavy, moderate and light with the production dates roughly corresponding to 1932-1941, 1946-1949 and 1950-1954 respectively. When the stamping plates were new, the embossing was deep and rich. As they became worn, the embossing became shallower. The example this fine seller is offering is from the third embossing phase. The value delta between phase one and phase three is about 20%.

ULTRA RARE Vintage Halloween Pumpkin Pops Mechanical Countertop Display 1930s!

If I had to name my top 5 vintage Halloween market segments, Rosen “Pops” boxes and their related output would make the cut. If you look on pages 116-118 you’ll see examples of these mechanical and non-mechanical gems. I bought three from a 1997 Dunbar Gallery auction: Spook Pops, Owl Pops and Pumpkin Pops. Since then, I’ve never seen complete examples of the first two and only two other complete examples of the third - and that would include this listing. (The last one, offered in October 2015, had noticeable damage. The clueless seller offered it then for a BIN of $79.99.) This listing has a lot going for it: the condition seems to be nearly as good as the one I purchased in 1997; the seller is tops and the opening price of $9.99 invites bidding. (In fact, within hours of debut the bidding was $350.) Given that an envelope for a Flaming Fortune game brought nearly $2,000 recently, this should command a significant premium to that result. If this market segment appeals to you, get a HELOC and bid! :)

08/07 Update: The result surely didn’t meet the seller’s expectations but should be cause for relief if not delirium to the prevailing bidder, having sold for $1511.99. This underperformed the what-it-should-have-been case. I wonder if there are simply too many high-end items being offered in too short of a time frame and in too steady of a cadence.

RAREST Vintage Halloween Fence Diecut Decoration JOLs Black Cats, Germany 1935!!

This is considered by many collectors to be THE German diecut to own. Its length, complexity of design and overall scarcity are three of the more important factors making this statement a true one. These don’t surface often. The last one was on eBay in late October 2021 and it sold for $5,000. That example was in significantly better condition than this one, so this one’s condition may act as an upper limit gate on the valuation, although with prices unsustainably frothy, who’s to say?
This diecut is rare enough that I wasn’t able to locate one good enough for the collection until just ~3 years ago. A couple of notes: This diecut design was factory folded at the center then shipped. The fold line is between the second and third figures. Although I haven’t seen more than a dozen of these in 34+ years of collecting, a majority of the ones I’ve seen have separated at this fold line. Several were missing the left-most figure for some reason.
I chatted with the great seller this morning. She stated that sometimes great rarity trumps minor-to-moderate condition issues. I agree with the sentiment. It’ll be fun to watch this auction!

08/07 Update: The result was shockingly low given the rarity of this diecut. Yes, $2551 is a lot of money but considering an example in somewhat better condition sold just nine months ago for almost double tells me too many high-end items are hitting the market within too short of a time frame. Whomever the buyer was should pat themselves on the back for such an unbelievable score.

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.