The tip of one ear is definitely missing on this glazed, rather than matte, German diecut. As with almost all of the glazed diecuts from this period of the 1920s, the colors appear strong.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween Decoration Cat Jointed Pull my tail Beistle RARE
What a delightful and grin-inducing item from the good people at Gibson! This is an item I had only ever seen in a Gibson catalog, so the opportunity to acquire one in superb condition was irresistible. Sadly for me, I was an underbidder.
RARE find. 1920s Vintage Halloween Gibson Store Window Advertising Display
It is exciting to see an item I’ve never seen before, especially on the markedly degraded eBay site. Gibson employed some clever designers to produce such a colorful and stunning store or window display as this. Gibson really tried to keep pace with their contemporary competitors, Beistle and Dennison. This would certainly be an example where they outshone these rivals. This is an instance where I was undecided on bidding as the condition was rough enough that I was uncomfortable bidding much even though I’m certain I won’t see another. I struggle sometimes with this balancing act. I felt it would bring more than what it actually brought, so perhaps I should have tossed a bid into the mix. I felt the lucky buyer got a solid deal on a stellar item that certainly enhanced the sloppy one-size-fits-all category that eBay shoehorns items into these days. Bravo!
Vintage Devil Halloween Party Invitation
This is actually a diecut. Dennison produced this only for the 1926 and 1927 seasons. They assigned it a stock number of H444 and weirdly classified it as a “large cardboard cut-out,” while also reporting its height as 5”. This design is exceedingly rare and typically trades in the $250-300 range. Sadly, the condition of this example is so bad it will surely struggle to reach 10-15% of that level.
Vtg Buzza Halloween Die Cut Witch Invitation Card Party
What a great invitation! I’ve gained a new appreciation for Buzza products after purchasing a large small-paper collection. I like how the hand would have been punched open to hold the “fence” open. Where did these companies find such talented designers?
ANTIQUE HALLOWEEN GERMAN DIECUT BLACK CAT VINTAGE
The Germans made three designs of this cat face diecut. This one looks down, one looks to its left and one looks right at the viewer. There are other differences as well, namely teeth shape and hat design. This design is the hardest one to find. Contrary to the seller’s description, this is actually in pretty decent shape!
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.
