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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Halloween Owl Get Wise Pick a Feather Rare Collectible

Although it is great to see such a rare item on eBay amongst all the garbage, I sure wish this seller would have spent more time taking photos and providing a detailed description of condition rather than the formal gobbledygook they employ. This rare game was produced by Gibson during the early 1930s. There should be twelve feather fortunes. It is unclear just how many remain. There seems to be spotting at the bottom. One ear seems bent. Are there any other condition issues? What does the reverse look like?

01/02 Update: I’m glad to see the seller added a photo of the reverse.

01/14 Update: This game fetched $559.89. I can’t help but wonder if the ending price would have been higher if the seller had better photos and a more concise description. Sellers should always remember that buyers are just interested in many clear photos with a concise description devoid of nonsense.

vintage Halloween decoration

Beistle produced a set of eight small diecuts during the early 1950s, of which this is one. It is a great set overall although there is one clinker - the maniacal clown. (You can see the full set on page 157.) The smoking JOL, the skull with the racing cap and the witches are truly super designs. Diecuts from this set have been bringing strong dollars for the last few years as collectors wake up to the set’s appeal.

T Cohn Vintage Scarecrow Halloween Tin Litho Clanger Noisemaker wood Handle

T. Cohn made a wide variety of tin litho items for the holidays, but their two putty knife designs have remained strong sellers for many years - even when the tin litho noisemaker segment was colder than a brass toilet seat in the Yukon. This was produced during the later 1930s. The other design can be seen on page 201. With over four days to go, the bids stand at almost $61. The month of December is hands-down the worst month to sell vintage Halloween items, so it’ll be interesting to see at what price this listing ends. Sending good thoughts…

01/01 Update: The time of the year really worked against this listing as the noisemaker fetched only $188.05

Vintage Halloween Owl Cat Bat Jack O Lantern Honeycomb Band Hat Beistle # 1

I’ve always liked this great Beistle band hat design. They released it as a stand-alone hat in 1933 and discontinued doing so in 1941. Beistle entered into what I call their fairy mania phase in 1923, so this hat was released well after that mania had ended. In the year this hat was released the country was ensnared in the icy grip of the Great Depression. This is a good example of how companies with a reservoir of designs to call upon used already completed work to try to make some money when the retail markets were oh-so-tight. Production was ceased as WWII began for the USA in December 1941.

Vintage German Halloween Die Cut Paper 3 Owls Pirate Tiara

It’s great to see a few nice things amongst all the off-season garbage strewn along eBay’s alleys. I’ve said it often, but why can’t eBay offer more defined holiday categories so that lookers don’t have to wade hip-deep in garbage? There are work-arounds, but why should we be put in a position to devise work-arounds when the solution is simply that eBay should better respect their users? Stepping off the soapbox, these German tiaras have had quite a run these last 2-3 years. For a short time they were bringing very strong dollars - primarily due to one determined buyer who simply didn’t care what she paid. Knowing that the tiara market was being driven skyward by one person, and more importantly, that market values would plummet once she was sated, I hurried to sell a few for $2,000 each to finance the acquisition of two truly rare German porcelain pieces. Since then, values have been reasonable - in the $400-750 range. Although there have been blips up with a few listings, I wonder if those heady days when any tiara in decent shape would fetch $2,000 aren’t permanently behind us.

12/25 Update: This tiara sold for $639.

Vintage Halloween Party Invitation Opens Up Grandfather Clock USA

I was initially excited when I saw this listing, then I realized that it is missing the mechanical piece that should be present between the front and back. This piece was meant to move both to the left and to the right sides revealing spooky imagery. (See page 124…) One complete example sold in my March auction for a record $3,600, so the missing component has a major bearing on value. Even though the remaining invitation looks great - what is missing is important.

For Sale Page Deactivated For The Holidays

Hi Everyone,
Thanks to all of those who have purchased my vintage Halloween offerings throughout the year. I mightily avoid going to the Post Office during the holidays, so have now deactivated my For Sale page through December 31st. The page will reappear with new offerings in January for a few weeks until I pull it again to make way for my annual auction, on which I’ve been toiling away. I’ll have somewhere north of 100 lots of great items for the March 2024 auction. Additional details will be released in early February. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
MBL

Happy Halloween!

Hi Readers!
Happy Halloween! This season sure has gone by too quickly. I hope you all enjoy the day.
I’ve already started photographing items for my March auction. I’m going to have many great items, so stay tuned.
MBL

Vintage Halloween JOL On Haystack Blow Mold Pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern

One vintage Halloween market segment that has strengthened considerably over the last five years is the blow mold segment. Even designs that seems to be omnipresent bring strong dollars. More unusual examples like this one bring strong dollars indeed, although I think this particular result was constrained by the high shipping charge.

VTG Halloween Japan Tin Siren Horn Noisemaker Dennison BLACK Cat Bats ART WITCH

Kirchhof first produced this tin litho horn in 1928 and continued production for a handful of years. This is the version produced in Japan. It is unclear whether the production was authorized by Kirchhof or if the Japanese simply copied the design. Whatever the case, this version typically brings ~50% less than the Kirchhof-produced design.

UNCOMMON Antique Vintage Halloween Cat Diecut Decoration Germany, 1920s!!

This is a rare and desirable diecut, indeed. Don’t confuse this with its smaller cousins. This is a honker of a diecut - measuring over 19” high! The immediate tip-off that this is a rare seated cat German diecut is the wide mouth full of what appears to be razor-sharp teeth. This design nearly always includes an easel. It makes an eye-catching display.

Vtg Boogie House Candy Box for Ghosts & Spooks TLC Condition VHTF

I love this little candy holder. I’d love to know for sure which firm produced this gem, although I suspect it may be Brach’s of Chicago. The artist surely had fun designing this structure. Take a close look to see how much was packed into the design. Made during the early 1950s, I hope this brings some strong dollars.