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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

HALLOWEEN VINTAGE PAPER MACHE PULP WINKING WITCH CANDY CONTAINER 8" BROOM SACK

I’ve long noted how unusual it is to see this pulp candy container in near-perfect condition. I wonder if it stems from the quality or formulation of the pulp itself. Pulp is a hardy substance - just look at the many pulp JOLs that regularly pop up for sale. Many JOLs have emerged relatively unscathed through the decades. I speculate that whatever firm made this design used a different pulp formulation that simply doesn’t fare well over the years. Thoughts?

New Lantern Triumph from Tim Ramzyk!!

Feast your eyes on this fantastic work of art by the inestimably talented Tim Ramzyk, owner of Pulp Novelties. I received this lantern a few days ago after a jaunt to California Adventure for their annual Oogie Boogie Bash. What a fitting coda to a fun week!
Tim’s ability to generate fantastic lantern imagery astounds me. This dual-sided lantern is intricately molded and colored. It is a true eye-catcher, large and well-proportioned. Tim calls this latest masterwork Shock and Menace: Two-Faced Jack-O-Lantern. I find it hard to fathom that it is priced at only $230 plus postage!
Those of you who regularly read my blog know that I seldom buy new items, no matter how good, as space is at a premium. I prefer to decorate with old items. However, I long ago decided that Tim’s annual creations deserve a place in my home - a decision that certainly was better than my call decades ago to turn my nose up at Kokomold hard plastic! :)
If you like quality items made in limited quantities, I encourage you to snap up Tim’s output whenever you can.
He plans to release Shock and Menace in limited quantities through his Etsy shop on both Sunday, October 15th and Sunday, October 22nd at 4pm Central. After the latter date, Tim will switch from selling through Etsy to fulfilling orders for the lantern by request. To get on his request list, one need only send an email to pulpnovelties@aol.com and provide a zip code. There is no obligation to buy. Requests will be filled in the order in which they were received via a PayPal transaction. 
Don’t delay. Happy Halloween!

Vintage Acorn Halloween Jack O Lantern Candle German Pumpkin Candy Container

The moment I saw this listing I thought the seller is going to be shocked at the price it fetches. (Whether the seller was, in fact, shocked is something I don’t know for sure, but I suspect they were.) I have a fair number of lanterns in the collection but have never been all that partial to them as I am more of a paper guy - but I was transfixed by the sheer oddity of this masterpiece. It does take financial resources to be a collector of vintage Halloween items, a reality that I rail against, but unlike so many items I’ve seen change hands this year for prices I laughed at, this result is one I completely understand. Congrats to whomever acquired this singular object!

Antique Vtg 30s HALLOWEEN Tin LItho Clanger Noisemaker T. Cohn? Ghost Black Cat

The tin litho segment has been somnolent for many years, but lately there has been sharpened demand leading to much higher prices for many items. The tin tambourine sub-segment has largely retained its appeal over the years, but others have shown little signs of life until recently. I’m selling a large collection I acquired out of New York with a high percentage of the collection consisting of tin noisemakers and hard plastic. Basically, as fast as I can list items they quickly sell. In the tin segment, tambourines have gone for $375-475 and certain noisemakers like the Kirchhof slide whistle were snapped up for $425 within minutes of listing. If you haven’t been following my For Sale page, you may wish to do so. (I will be taking a break from listing for a short time to ensure I enjoy the season.)
This T. Cohn shaker has surged in value over the last few months with two examples bring close to $500. This one shown is in lesser condition so that should affect value.

Vintage Halloween German Die Cut

This is actually one of the hardest German diecuts to score - especially in this condition. The Germans produced a mate to this one, presenting a side view rather than this full-on view. (You can see both on page 172.) The other design surfaces far more frequently - but that might be overstating just how often that one actually surfaces. I see this full-on crow perhaps once a season, and typically not in this condition. I had a nice telephone conversation with the lister who told me that someone offered her a good sum for it. Although I said the offer seemed fair, I counseled her to “Let the Auction Run,” truly not thinking of Carly Simon and Working Girl until just now. I said letting the auction run to its natural conclusion is a risk, but that it simply seemed like much more fun to me. She agreed.

10/03 Update: This super item fetched $536.

Antique Halloween BEISTLE - "HALLOWE'EN COMPLETE PARTY OUTFIT" Games & Dances

It’s great to see how the various pieces to this hard-to-find Beistle Complete Party Outfit were laid out on their original cards. This appears to be the set issued in 1922. Beistle began issuing Complete Party Outfits in 1918 and tweaked contents somewhat as each season passed. In 1923 Beistle issued their fairy-themed set and didn’t vary from that imagery for the remainder of that decade.

1920's / PAIR HALLOWEEN TIN CYMBALS NOISEMAKER / GREAT GRAPHICS / NO RERSERVE

These are so beautiful! I’ve only seen this set of cymbals a handful of times. They surely were produced for a single season. I’ve never been able to acquire a set. I estimated for a good friend of mine who also happens to collect vintage Halloween that I feel they are worth every bit of $1,500. I’ll be watching to see what they fetch.

09/24 Update: This awesome set fetched $2,050. The best thing about it is they went to a great home - a good friend who lives in southern California.

Super Rare 1915 Antique VINTAGE DENNISON’S HALLOWEEN BOGIE BOOK With Envelope

Wow! The paper segment is my favorite, so seeing a listing with the truly rare envelope for the 1915 Dennison Bogie Book is bracing! I have only seen this three times in 35+ years of collecting. It appears to be in stellar condition. I’ve seen virtually all of the envelopes Dennison created for their Bogies. Some are duplicates, indicating Dennison began to lose interest in creating a new envelope every year. I can say that of all the envelopes, this is hands-down the very best one. I am eager to see what this fetches.

Vintage Halloween Place Cards Four Cats On Fences - Rare Great Condition

This set of place cards was produced by Whitney during the 1930s. The full set of six is shown on page 273. This seller shows the rare glassine envelope. The information from the envelope indicates that Whitney sold two sets of these place cards in one envelope. They probably sold these as one set in one envelope early one, then switched to greater quantities per envelope as the design aged. I’m speculating but that would be consistent with practices by other producers.

RARE Antique Vintage Halloween Mini Witch Diecut Decoration, Germany Early 1930s

This mini-diecut, produced in Germany both before and for a few years after WWII, is part of a set of at least five designs - all shown on page 185. What I’ve discovered after seeing so many of these min-diecuts over the years is that there are quite a few variants with subtle differences. For instance, on page 185 I show two broomed witch mini-diecuts. Look at the subtle difference at her cape’s edge. My advice is to do what I do - when I see any of the minis I closely examine it for subtle differences rather than assuming I have it already. Who knows how many variants have escaped my grasp!

VTG Early ROSBRO Pirate's Auto Plastic Halloween Candy Container 5.25"L x 4.5"H

Another market segment that has remained strong for decades is the hard plastic segment. Hard plastic, most from the 1950s, didn’t appeal to me when I began collecting in 1988 as I felt it was too new. Anything I acquired I sold off. I have a much greater appreciation for 1950s hard plastic now. Sadly, the prices are high and never seem to decrease. My favorite producer was Kokomold. Their design aesthetic was so different from other producers at the time, setting them apart then and now. Today, their output commands the highest prices. This unusual piece from the prolific Rosbro has already garnered bids up to $192.50 with over one day left.

GERMAN WITCH IN JOL CANDY CONTAINER HEAVY COMPOSITION VINTAGE HALLOWEEN ANTIQUE

The smaller form factor German compo candy containers seem to have the best molding detail. Just look at the contours of the JOL. This is truly a small work of art. There is at least one other design that comprises the set. You can see the devil next to the witch on page 65. The lister, stnick22, has listed ~150 lots, many quite good. There has been a fair amount of higher-quality items this calendar year. Has this unusual abundance pulled too many dollars out of wallets/purses, limiting the chances for things to bring gasp-inducing prices? (I have remarked to several collectors that prices seem soft overall.) I projected that the hobby would see several years of unusual abundance as the first generation of serious collectors dies off. This first generation focused almost exclusively on German lanterns and candy containers, so it follows that is what we’ll be seeing more of. This now-dying or already gone first generation didn’t pay much attention to paper, so we won’t be seeing much of this. I project that paper, especially small paper, has much room to run.

VINTAGE SNICKERS HALLOWEEN CANDY BAR BOX

I enjoy watching the vintage Halloween market percolate as it matures into middle age. Certain market segments cool while others heat. One that has been heating rapidly over the last year has been for candy boxes basically sent to retailers. Butterfinger seems to be the most common box with other candy bars not as well represented. The graphics are simple yet denote so well the era of their creation. Prices have been escalating. It’ll be instructive to see what this one fetches.