About 15 years ago, a folk artist made replicas of the iconic Beistle lantern from 1930-1931. These replicas were high-end and a credit to that person’s folk art roots. I believe this is one of those well-made replicas. The connecting slot at the bottom is the tell. You can also be confident that something isn’t actually a vintage item when the seller states such things as “Possibly vintage? unsure of age or maker”.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
32 Pieces Vintage Halloween Decorations Posters Embossed Pieces
This lot achieved a lofty ending price even though the condition of most of the lot’s elements was only fair. The key driver was almost certainly the Dennison JOL-headed traffic officer. First produced in 1930 right when the first effects of what would become The Great Depression were being felt, relatively few were produced. (I have a good friend who has been searching for one in collectible condition for years.) The dancing witch poster is a mystery. I’ve never seen it before.
Vintage Halloween SCARCE DUAL SIDED PUMPKIN HEAD GARLAND BANNER 24" EARLY
Dennison produced small garlands for two seasons starting in 1926. They were sold as enveloped sets called String-Em-Outs. I know of only two designs. This listing shows 6 JOLs. A complete string consists of 27 identically dual-sided connected JOLs. The real treasure with the String-Em-Outs are the envelopes. Feast your eyes on the two in the collection on page 263.
VINTAGE 1950's HALLOWEEN Party Invitation Card BOY, GIRL, BLACK CAT, BAT, OWL
A new market segment is developing in our fun hobby. I’ve noticed real energy in the unused greeting card market segment with only slightly less energy in the used greeting card market segment. (The amount of use is key.) Some of the imagery ranges from sweet, like with this listing, to scary. There are cards with elaborate pop-ups and with moving parts. In short, it is fun to watch this segment gain currency. This long-time and very fine seller seems to have a deep inventory of unused greeting cards, so be sure to watch her listings.
Vintage Halloween 1920’s Dennison Cat Face 12” H X 10”wide VGC
This diecut was a big seller for Dennison during the late 1920s. First appearing in 1927, Dennison produced three sizes - all otherwise identical. This is the middle size. The smallest measures ~5.5” high. The largest measures ~17” high. It is the largest version that is seen the least.
3 Antique Vintage Halloween Decorations, Crepe Witch Gibson Bat Beistle Skeleton
When bidding, keep in mind that the wings of the Gibson bat have been creased and folded. They were produced with flat wings. Please see page 272 for a photo of this hard-to-find Gibson item with its wings as they were originally manufactured.
ANTIQUE VINTAGE HALLOWEEN BEISTLE PAPER PARTY GAME JACK-O-LANTERN PUZZLE PIECE
These Beistle items typically trade in the range of $100-125, so this result is an outlier.
ANTIQUE PUMPKIN FACE MINIATURE WASTE BOWL Germany Jack-O-Lantern 1"
Although unmarked, I agree that this rarely seen waste bowl is a product of Germany rather than of Japan.
Vintage Halloween J. Chein Tambourine
Chein produced some of the best classic tin litho tambourines, all avidly collected today. This has long been one of my favorite designs. I remember shopping a long-defunct collectibles show called PMA in 1990 or 1991. I saw this tambourine for sale for $35 and bought it, wondering if I was crazy to pay such a high price for something I rally didn’t need. Sure glad I made the purchase!
08/15 Update: Especially so, since this tam fetched $503.97!
VTG RARE Beistle PINK SKELETON W/ JACK-O-LANTERN ON HORSE Diecut HALLOWEEN 1960
I love this diecut - and am surprised I do. (My opinion has changed {matured?} since 2014.) The darker designs with ominous portent are those that appeal to me the most - and this is galaxies away from that design aesthetic. From my anecdotal pulsing of other collectors’ opinions of this design, I find it be divisive. Few are ambivalent. Others either love it or despise it. Beistle released this for the 1960-1962 seasons. I have grown to appreciate the weird colors and out-there design. Beistle produced similar designs during this small window leading me to believe they had hired - and soon parted ways with - an art design manager with an eccentric outlook. Given these don’t turn up that often, I also suspect it wasn’t a strong seller.
08/15 Update: This brought $189.50.
Rare Vintage Halloween 3 Piece Witches & Pumpkin Fluorescent Die Cut Decorations
These diecuts were produced by Beistle. The witches were released as a trio of designs during the later 1950s. Even in rough condition like these two are, they bring strong dollars as evidenced by the ending price. The large JOL was released during the years between 1952-1963, inclusive. It is not as sought after as the witches. I feel the seller would have have achieved higher gross dollars by listing these items separately.
Vintage Halloween Bat 1920’s Dennison
This non-embossed bat was produced by Dennison. A slightly more colorful iteration first appeared in their 1920 Bogie Book with a stock number of H62. I suspect this one was produced in 1919 or 1920. What I do know is that either variant seldom comes available, especially in this near-mint condition. I appreciate this seller’s no-nonsense listing style. It is something Jack Webb would love with his “Just the facts, Ma’am” demeanor. (Am I dating myself?) I would love it if more sellers would adopt this efficient style.
08/15 Update: This diecut fetched $104.
Vintage Halloween Tin Metal Tambourine Noisemaker Witches Bats Skulls Pumpkins
The manufacturer of the large line of noisemakers with this design was too long unknown. Finally, I can say the manufacturer was Spearhead Industries, Inc. of Eden Prairie, MN. They incorporated in 1968 and have long been out of business.
08/12 Update: This tambourine in such nice condition fetched $296.03.
Vintage Halloween Beistle Pie Fortune Game. Late 1940’s
Beistle produced this game during the late 1940s when they were clearly running out of gas from a design perspective. They were so adrift at that time they actually produced three in the series. Although this is a fine seller with an item in unused condition, the only word it evokes is meh.
08/15/Update: This fetched $72.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN JACK-O-LANTERN CANDY CONTAINER. VINTAGE 9" TALL
This soulless item has modest (very) decorative value only. It is a folk art item made for that market during the 1995-2005 interval. The design is based on the genuine item long part of the collection, even down to the nose. (See page 132.) The seller describes this as in “very vintage condition.” What does this even mean? The answer: nothing.
