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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

RARE Antique Germany HALLOWEEN BOY w/ Bobblehead on PUMPKIN CANDY CONTAINER

A series of similarly designed German composition candy containers was produced during the early 1920s to which this example belongs. Some incorporated metal strips enabling a head to nod but most didn’t. (Refer to page 85 to see several others.) The blue looks quite bright making me wonder if it may have been repainted, so be sure to ask the seller to comment. I like the seller’s description - to the point without a lot of needless verbiage.

Vintage Halloween SET OF 5 PUMPKIN HEAD CUT-OUTS w/ENVELOPE - BEISTLE VERY RARE!

This is a nice set - and hard to find. As these great sellers have indicated in their listing, their assortment of four designs over five cut-outs mirrors the set in the collection. I have often said that quality control back then, especially with Beistle, wasn’t to the high standard we assume and expect from today’s producers. Interestingly, many of the truly vintage bags Beistle used have the circular Moon Republic Bag Company mark. I’ve not been able to discover anything about this firm. Even though the envelope is not in stellar condition, it would look darn good framed. The sellers are top-notch, so deal with them with confidence. It’ll be instructive to see what this fetches.

05/21 Update: This sold for $467.99.

Rare Antique German Halloween Jack-O-lantern Candleholder Candy Container

It is so refreshing to see such a truly rare item on eBay. I feel it is the most compelling and single “must-have” piece from the relatively large set with the same JOL-based design. (Please refer to pages 58-60 to see other items from the set. The large candlestick in the collection is shown on page 132.) This candlestick candy container was produced in at least two sizes. I was very fortunate to pick up a German example in a smaller size not long ago. (I provided a photo of the two examples to Kovels Antique Trader for their October 2023 issue.) The Japanese made an example, too, which falls WELL below the artisanship of any of the German designs. The seller took a risk by starting the listing with such a high opening amount but quality sometimes dictates abandoning that old strategy of starting things at $9.99. This is an item that should easily command a minimum of ~$4,000 even with the unfortunately visible facial wrinkle.

04/28 Update: I was surprised this only brought $2,500. Perhaps the seller’s strategy of starting it so high worked against a better ending price. Sometimes, high starting prices kill the sense of adventure and a hope for a coveted steal by collectors. That’s almost certainly what happened here.

Tim Ramzyk Does It Again!

Tim Ramzyk, the creative force behind Pulp Novelties, will soon be releasing these three “Spooky Sticks” designs in his Etsy store! He thought it would be fun to offer these smaller decorative elements in addition to his lanterns.
I don’t have the room to acquire much Halloween folk art these days, so unless the art is by true masters like Matthew Kirscht or Tim Ramzyk, I sadly have to overlook it.
Just look at the careful and detailed molding of this initial batch of designs, Red Devil, The Wicked Witch and Mr. Bones. If successful - and how could they not be - designs will be added annually.
They measure 12” long and 2.75” across.
Tim will begin offering these in his Etsy shop on April 30th for $24 each plus shipping.
Get in line now. I suspect they will sell briskly.

Vintage Halloween Black Cat Rattle Noisemaker

Of all the many vintage Halloween market segments, the tin litho noisemaker segment has been moribund for at least two decades, with exceptions for some tambourines and the odd duck example like this listing. This inventive design with the added expense coming from the act of attaching the “ears,” is among the earliest of T. Cohn’s Halloween output. I haven’t seen it much in 35 years of collecting, so when I saw the listing and its condition I knew it would bring strong dollars. And what dollars!

Vintage Halloween Paper Lampshade- 1930's Witch Flying On Broom

This shade, which sold for $70, is actually part of the 1916 Peggy’s Halloween Party Box set issued for a single season by Barse and Hopkins Publishers of NYC. The complete boxed set is HIGHLY desirable, meaning it is much sought after. I know of only two sets that are truly correct and complete with the directions/advertising sheet. One of these two are in the collection. You can see it displayed on page 127. (One set sold several years ago that had the numerically correct number of pieces but an incorrect assortment of items.) If you ever see one for sale, check its contents against the enumerated contents found on page 127.

RARE Vintage DENNISON Halloween Party Invitation Pop UP Witch Card

This pop-up invitation first appeared in Dennison’s 1917 Bogie Book with a stock number of H30. Given the date of the event, the party-thrower was an early adopter, shopping for the newest Dennison products. These weren’t cheap at the time compared to other products, so it is fair to assume the party-thrower may have been well-to-do. It’ll be fun to see what this fetches.

Antique Vintage Halloween Waving Skeleton Standup Diecut Decoration Mystery Item

As this seller now knows, the mystery of this item was simply solved. It is one component of a set made by the Pan Candy Company of Chicago for one year only - 1926. The set was given to confectionery retailers if they purchased Pan’s case assortment for that year. Although pieces from this set surface once in a great while, a complete set is a true rarity. I was blessed to acquire what I feel is the sole complete set in existence in September 2020. It was offered on eBay in a confusing listing that failed to attract interest, allowing me to acquire the set for $911, including shipping. It is now valued at many multiples of the purchase price. Not shown from the set in the second photo below is a broomed witch diecut, the pictorial packing sheet and mailing envelope. (I have them all.) This was one of my best acquisitions in many years.

04/11 Update: This sold for $152.50.

Vintage Halloween Skull Candle by Penn, 1950's, in original box

One of the few remaining affordable niches of the vintage Halloween market is candles. Most were produced by the wax kings, Gurley, but some of the smaller manufacturers, like Emkay and Penn, produced great designs. Look at this almost regal skull candle produced by Penn in the early 1950s. To find original packaging for candles is unusual. That, along with the candle’s condition make this an enticing lot. It’ll be fun to see what it fetches.

VTG LOT 12 Beistle Halloween Die Cut Out Decorations Cat Witch Pumpkin Skeleton

This interesting Beistle lot brought a good sum. The most interesting items are the four with the JOL bottoms. The complete set is comprised of six designs. (You can see others to this set on page 218.) Beistle produced them in an enveloped set during the early 1920s. These have been reproduced on a glossy stock, so be cautious when contemplating a purchase. The three rockers shown were part of a set of six designs produced in 1930-31.