This result is a mystery. Two nut cups with this same design sold recently from this same fine seller: one on 8/2 for $158.50 and one on 8/13 for $139.50. Just a tad over one month later five nut cups plus the envelope sell for a song. (The set was incomplete, but still…) Can we chalk this up to the vagaries of eBay? The buyer of this lot received a true bargain.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
NEAR MINT UNused Vintage Halloween Invitation with Jack o Lantern Dennison 1920s
Looking at the price progression on three identical items offered by the same fine seller in less than ninety days is interesting. The first one brought $230 on 6/28. The second one brought $157 on 9/1. The third and final example brought a mere $55 yesterday. It may be wise to routinely ask sellers if they have multiples. If so, don’t be first in line!
RARE Large Vintage Halloween 2-Sided JOL Lantern Cardboard Sides Beistle 1933-35
This particular form of lantern from Beistle is hard to find. The yellow cardboard sides and the outline of the JOL in yellow differentiate this lantern from others they produced. I suspect that Beistle found the stiff cardboard sides connected to the two faces with metal clips to be a pain both to produce and to ship. I also suspect that management decided to lose the outline to make the items a tad smaller, maybe to save on shipping. (I don’t know why for sure.) In any event, this is a nice bright example marred only by the inserts.
Vintage Halloween 1920s German Tiara Diadem Diecut Jack O' Lantern Clown RARE
These German tiara or diadem diecuts had their moment in the sun four years ago. Many examples were bringing $1800-2300. I sold several of mine privately then as I felt the market segment was wildly inflated. It was. Today the tiaras bring significantly less money (50 to 70% less). I like that the seller included a copy of the box top showing all twelve designs. This is a box that has eluded my grasp these many years.
VINTAGE ROSBRO HALLOWEEN CAT KITTY ON WHEELS SPRING BOBBLE HEAD GREAT CONDITION
The hard plastic market segment is one that has, inexplicably, remained steady for ~15 years. Prices seem not to move much all the while items in collectible condition steadily find new owners. I find this inexplicable because manufacturers made many tens of thousands of these hard plastic creations for at least ten consecutive seasons. There is plenty of supply and a seemingly endless demand. This isn’t so true for Kokomold products. Fewer were produced and for an abbreviated time so their prices have increased. It isn’t too often that you’ll see a Kokomold item in collectible condition surface.
Original Vintage 1930s BEISTLE Halloween YELLOW DOG Ghost JOL Fence diecut GOOD
This Beistle diecut eluded my grasp for too long. I finally found one that met my condition threshold in late 2018. Beistle wasn’t the design powerhouse it once was at the time this design was released, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at this great item. There is a lot going on. Along with the busy, compact design the color choices were inspired. It’ll be fun to see what this fetches. Check out the other items this seller has listed.
Exceedingly Rare Early 1920’s Vintage Beistle Halloween Tissue Paper Fan
I think this is an interesting Beistle design. I am certain the firm produced this for no longer than two seasons as they simply don’t come available often. I have seen fewer than ten examples in 34 years of collecting. The slight creasing at the grommets this great seller points out is always seen with these fans and shouldn’t be a concern to collectors. (In order to open the fan, that area will always be bent. It is simply part of the design.) The extraneous numerals in black are irksome but essentially not a big deal either. I suspect this will bring strong dollars. Be sure to check out the other items Chris is selling. They are all worthy of your attention.
1929 Vintage Halloween DENNISON Diecut SKULL & CROSSBONES w/ *Blue* Eyes 9"
I’ve really come to appreciate this wonderful seller’s descriptions. They are typically jammed with helpful information presented in an orderly, clear manner. Other sellers should take notice. The extreme description sparsity on one end and the froufrou encrusted descriptions on the other end should give way to more of a no-nonsense presentation of the item, when it was produced, by which firm when known, dimensions and finally a detailed account of description.
Antique Halloween Nut Cup USA Minty
This is arguably one of the most colorful nut cups ever made. The symmetry of the design is appealing. What is truly great, however, is the seller. She is someone I met in the early 1990s when I had only been collecting for ~5 years. She and I gravitated to the same sort of things, including folk art by the best folk artists. Among many other artists, she has many items by Scott Smith and best of all, Matthew Kirscht. I treasure all the many hours we’ve spent together. Bid with the highest level of confidence! Be sure to check out her other listings.
Vintage Halloween Placecards Cats on Fences Rare!
These five colorful place cards were produced by Whitney during the 1930s and were sold only as a complete set of six in glassine envelopes. The one missing shows an arched-back cat similar to the one at the lower right, only facing right. The complete set can be seen on page 273.
09/18 Update: This incomplete set brought $187.50.
Vintage Halloween Milky Way Mars Candy Advertising Box with Scarecrow & Witch
Retail candy boxes from the bigger brands in the candy world is a hot market segment. Even examples like this beat-up Milky Way box has been bid up to $81 with over three days left. Perhaps 18+ months ago, something in this condition would have prompted only yawns, not bids.
09/18 Update: The ending price didn’t move. It brought $81.
Vintage Halloween Rosbro Witch on A motorcycle Plastic Candy Container
The constancy of the valuation of this item over 30+ years amazes me. When I first began collecting in 1988 this hard plastic design routinely sold for $150. It jumped to $300 around 1993 and has largely stayed there across these many years. (I am referencing the most common color variation of green and orange seen in this listing.) Rosbro made these in great quantities for many years. They are not rare yet the pricing has been largely static, certainly since 1993. I find this curious. I never was much interested in the hard plastic market segment, although I do wish I would have picked up all of the Kokomold designs when they were cheap.
RARE HUGE EARLY Vintage Halloween Johnny Pumpkinhead Diecut Decoration, Beistle!
I think this seller’s conclusion that this is a design from the first year of production of Beistle’s Johnny Pumpkin family, 1919, is spot-on. I checked my ultra-rare 1921 Beistle catalog to look at the illustrations. The nose seen on the one up for auction is nowhere to be seen. My theory is that a Beistle art/design manager wanted the Johnnys to look more like traditional JOLs, hence the rhinoplasty job. I love learning this kind of design info. Thanks for being so observant, Cindy!
2 Vintage Halloween 12 Panel Paper Lanterns •Germany• See Pics. & Description
In perfect condition, these very common lanterns will bring $150-175 each. The seller has the damaged pair for $575 OBO. A fair offer would be around $225.
Vintage Halloween Dennison Hallowe'en Suggestions Magazine, 1931 New Bogey Book
I’m glad to see this Dennison publication get some love. The publications after 1926 are devilishly difficult to find in collectible condition, none more so than those published in 1931 and 1933-35. I’ve often wondered why this is the case. The weight of the paper used doesn’t seem to differ from Dennison’s earlier publications. Perhaps the booklets were used more rigorously and for a longer time since the Great Depression was causing serious economic havoc then. I don’t really know, but this one that fetched solid dollars seemed to be in better condition than many I’ve seen.
