Antique Vintage Halloween Lantern Knorpp Candy Co Cat Owl Devil Skeleton

This was one of the first lanterns I acquired, not knowing at the time just how few times I would see another complete example. Knorpp was a candy company in Brooklyn. The firm patented the “Four-In-One-Lantern” design in 1916, so this is an early commercially manufactured item. Like almost every example I’ve seen, this one is missing its bottom. This is more important than usual because the bottom attaches at one side to the lantern’s interior. (With most other lantern designs the bottom is a separate piece.) That and the overall condition of the lantern mitigates against this bringing strong dollars, although the current bid of $248.50 with over four days to go is already strong.
Knorpp really got into this lantern design. Not only is the exceedingly rare envelope a visual treat, but they adapted each side into a tiara. Please turn to page 128 to see for yourself.

06/17 Update: This lantern brought a strong $387 despite its missing bottom.

Vintage Halloween (Owl) Trix or Treats Candy Holder Card E. Rosen Prov RI

Prices for the five-card Rosen set that this design is from, Set B, have risen dramatically over the last three years. The owl is arguably the least interesting design. Moreover, the condition of this listing is perhaps very good+, making the end result all the more surprising. A sustainable price is $85.

Vintage Halloween Germany Windowpane Diecut Decoration Owl Antique 1930s HTF

The Germans produced four windowpane designs. If you are going to see one design, chances are it will be this one, the owl. (You can see the others on page 170.) What makes this particular example noteworthy is its condition. It seems to have a minimal amount of surface paper loss and crackling. The seller states that this was produced during the 1930s. Although that cited date is more often than not correct, it isn’t in this case. There is a black circular mark on the reverse of the diecut that indicates it was made during an interval of 1946-1949 in an occupied zone of Germany. This shouldn’t have a material difference on valuation.

06/10 Update: This fetched $732.53.

MINT Large Vintage Halloween Paper Party Plate Decoration Beach & Arthur 1930s!

This has been an interesting year to watch market trends. One segment that, inexplicably to this collector, has risen rapidly is the Beach & Arthur plate segment. This lot that ended on 5.21.23 for $216.07 was far below what an identical plate offered by the same seller brought just three weeks earlier, $353. This is the correct trajectory as the market is reacting to perceived abundance. If other identical plates are listed, the prices should continue to drop. (Interestingly, this seller listed a plate with an identical design but with a different size, 6”x6” rather than 8”x8”, that also fetched an eye-popping yet unsustainable sum of $233.05 on 5.14.23.)
Plates aren’t rare. They were made by the tens of thousands and sold 6-12 to a pack. So, a good practice to adopt is to ask sellers if they have duplicates they plan to list. If so, wait. If one is too eager, they will almost always overpay.

Dennison Vintage Halloween Spook Ghost Seals sticker holiday H 468 box

Based on the stock number, this box of seals was probably released in 1915. It is a rare design - one that I had not seen before. I decided not to be a bidder as I have a bias against products that don’t have at least half of their stated contents. This arbitrary cut-off may be dumb, for it is possible I won’t see this again. However, other factors weighed against a bid. The seller didn’t provide many photos and puzzlingly said the box was “full and unopened.” The seller later added a needed clarification. So, the central question for me is this: Was the ending price of $405 justified for a box with 4 of 25 seals? I say no, but at least two of the bidders disagree.

Vintage Halloween Ghost Place Card with Saying Movable..RARE...

This ghoul place card was produced by Beistle during the interval of 1930-1931 as one of a set of four sold in an envelope. At least one of the stock numbers used for this set was 757. The ending price of $97 seems high given that the place card’s condition is so compromised. The two topknots are missing and the toning is too noticeable.

Original Vintage 1920's Halloween Lantern 12 Panel Collapsible Made in Germany

There was a stretch during this year on eBay when items I’d consider B and A-level weren’t bringing strong dollars. Given a few results in the last two weeks, that stretch MAY be at an end or considered an anomaly. This twelve-panel lantern is a good way to illustrate the point. I’d consider this item to be C-level, a good display item that is very common, even given its age. For many years this design in perfect condition would trade in a narrow range around $150. (Similarly, the hard plastic Rosen witch-on-motorcycle would trade in a narrow range around $300.) Lately, though, even lantern examples in rougher condition like this one are bringing prices well in excess of the “historical” norm. As of this typing, this lantern has been bid up to $185 with over three days to go. What accounts for this? The ready answer is that the interest in common yet eye-catching designs is prompting bids from an influx of new collectors who may feel intimidated by some of the more stratospheric prices being bid and paid for vintage Halloween items. As the continuation of any hobby depends on new hobbyists, this may be considered a “green shoot” to purloin a phrase used by a former Fed Chair, Ben Bernanke. We’ll see…

05/09 Update: This sold for $278.89.

Vintage Halloween JOL Accordion, Japan, 1930’s Working!

This 1930s accordion item, from Japan, is a design I had never seen before. This narrow market segment seems to have at least four known designs, comprising the ones I’ve seen. Often the yellow bellows are compromised in some way, but not in this case, which makes the ending price all the more puzzling.

Vintage Halloween PartiPuzzle

This 15-piece puzzle was produced by Gibson during the 1920s. There are two known designs, viewable on page 22. Neither surfaces often, so I was again struck at the relatively low selling price. There were no photos of the envelope’s reverse, so that may have depressed bidding.

RARE Dolly Toy Company Vintage Halloween Candy Container P-6

This Dolly Toy candy holder sold for $275, the best offer. The ending price seems to be somewhat of an anomaly in that given its condition, the candy holder brought fairly strong dollars. I’ve noticed a strong down trend in overall eBay results since early March, a welcome development for buyers. My conviction for many years is that prices have gone up too far, too fast - freezing out the new blood any hobby needs to thrive. It’d be nice to see a substantial reset of valuations across the board, enabling those with normal budgets to actively participate. Given some recent ending prices for items that would have brought significantly stronger dollars even just six months ago (the Beistle Rustic Fireplace, a Bogie Book retail display box, a Beistle Tickler and a Bogie Book envelope as examples), perhaps this is the beginning of a sustained down trend. It could also be nothing more than a reflection that this is a time of the year when interest is low after my annual auction and collectors are calculating their past year’s tax obligations. As with all things, time will tell. I, for one, am taking advantage of this short or long lull by looking for bargains.

Dennison, Vintage Halloween, 1920’s Boxed set of 6 Dazed Cat Halloween Cut-Outs

This seller has a nice assortment of Dennison boxed items up right now, a hotter market segment at the moment. I appreciate their straightforward and spare description verbiage.

04/18 Update: This sold for $123.50.

RARE! VINTAGE HALLOWEEN BEISTLE RUSTIC FIREPLACE & WITCHES’ CALDRON W/ENVELOPE!

It’s great to see such a nice Beistle item up on eBay. The Rustic Fireplace was almost certainly a marketplace misfire. Beistle was trying to achieve some economies by finding another purpose for one of their iconic honeycomb designs. They customized the cauldrons by attaching orange crepe streamers to the bottom to simulate flames. (If you see a cauldron without these streamers at the bottom paired with other elements of the Rustic Fireplace, it very well may be a marriage, so be mindful.) The props and crossbar are awkward and bulky, which I feel depressed sales. Offered for only a season or two, today finding one complete with an envelope is tough. I sold my complete set in my 2020 auction. It fetched $1,825, so it will be fun to see what this listing brings. The cauldron’s arch looks wholly intact, another big plus. The seller’s are knowledgeable and nice. I appreciate their concise, data-filled description.

04/11 Update: This brought only $1,113. I was surprised it didn’t bring more.

Dennison, Vintage Halloween, 1920’s Boxed set of 6 Owl Diecuts

One of my favorite market segments is the boxed Dennison products. I began collecting these early and that fervor remains unabated. There has been a noticeable and sustained uptick in interest (and therefore, prices…) for Dennison boxed items, especially for those items produced with their Art Deco look issued from 1928-1932. I had two Dennison boxed items in my recent auction. Both were strong performers. This box of owl cut-outs is a stolid design, yet is doing quite well with over six days to go as of this typing.

Vintage Halloween German diecut, Devil face, 1920’s

This is a beautiful example of this hard-to-find German diecut. Many diecuts will come in three states: matte, glazed and matte with a faux-distressed look. (The last is restricted to relatively few designs.) I typically like the glazed versions best, but this matte devil face is very appealing. I hope it does very well for this fine seller.

04/11 Update: This brought $317.99.

Beistle Vintage Halloween decoration, 1920’s

Beistle produced this decoration as part of a set of six during the 1920s. You can see an example of the original envelope and three of the other designs on page 218. I have issued a “Repro Alert” on these decorations. The entire set was reproduced on glossy stock paper about 7 years ago, so be careful. This listing (and the other by the same seller) is on matte stock with the fine line detailing consistent with truly vintage items. I haven’t seen pieces from the set being offered for some time, so it will be instructive to see what it fetches.

04/11 Update: This brought a scant $86.01.