Blog

Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

My First Micro-Auction Ends Sunday

My first-ever micro-auction ends Sunday, May 18th, at 7:00 PM, Pacific. This exceedingly rare diecut is the single lot in the auction. The opening bid of $1,100 has been met. If you have an interest in acquiring this item, be sure to bid. You probably won’t see another for a long time, if ever.

This great item sold for $1,450.

Vintage Halloween 4" Metal Round Noisemaker Crow Cat Germany Very Old Rare

The seller definitely made a mistake in offering this rare German tin litho noisemaker for $198.95 or Best Offer. (Whomever stumbled across this listing didn’t even bother to make an offer, but wisely scooped it up for the too-low offer price.) The form of the noisemaker is odd in that the main cylinder is bare with only the two ends having any imagery - spare as it is. This guy was probably produced sometime between 1930-1935. I’ve never seen it before. The Germans didn’t produce that much Halloween tin litho - and the market coverts it. I feel if the seller had simply started it at $198.95 under an auction format it would have fetched no less than double what it did.

Gurley Reproductions

A reader alerted me that The Vermont Country Store has bought some vintage Gurley molds and have been reproducing a few of their candles. When I visited their site (great stuff…) I saw three different Halloween candle designs and three different Christmas candle designs. The Halloween candles could be mistaken for vintage items, so be cautious when purchasing these specific ones. Who knows if TVCS has purchased other vintage molds, so be sure to check their site if you are contemplating purchasing candles you assume to be vintage.

Vintage Halloween Dennison Leaf Face Gummed Seals Complete Box W 6 Seals 1920's

Dennison produced an amazing variety of seals, illuminated silhouettes, cut-outs, etc. housed within slide boxes. Designs range from the forgettable to the disquieting to the beguiling. (Give me all the disquieting ones!) Wouldn’t you agree this fits the disquieting bill? One of my favorite designs, this seller is offering this 1924 box complete with the correct complement of seals - two designs, three each. Yes, the box is tattered but can be restored. Dennison slide box products have been on a nice tear of late, so it will be informative to see what this lot brings.

05/22 Update: This sold for $465, a strong result.

Vintage 1940s Halloween Tin Ratchet Black Cat

This exceedingly rare tin litho design was made by an unknown firm during the late 1920s. There is only one other use of this particular litho design known. The near-identical litho was used on a pair of cymbals. (One pair of these cymbals sold on eBay in September 2023 for $2,050.) Given their great rarity, I am confident the cymbals and this clanger were produced for a single season. I have only seen this clanger four times in 35+ years. One is in the collection, one was in another collection and one was sold on this site ~9 months ago for $1,650. This fourth example is in significantly lesser condition than the three others, so it will be informative to see what it brings. I’ll definitely be watching.

05/22 Update: Even though the litho was significantly compromised, this ultra-rare noisemaker brought $636.99!

Vintage Halloween 9" Witch Bat Skull Skeleton Devil Paper Noise Maker Horn

This horn actually sold for well below the price shown. It sold for $135.00, which I feel is somewhat of a bargain. Given the imagery, one might think this horn was produced by Beistle. It wasn’t. Instead, as I write on page 207, “This is surely an unauthorized adaptation of Beistle’s imagery.” I feel this was produced in Japan. These horns don’t often come available, so I was surprised there was such a delta between the reported selling price and the actual selling price. Whatever entity produced this horn made them in at least two sizes: 9” and 15”. I have only seen the latter size once.

Merri-Lei skeleton Clapper Noisemaker

This is a reproduction, made sometime after 2010. Truly vintage Merri-Lei skeleton clappers have lithography on one side only, will be marked at the bottom and are not as thick as this reproduction.

Vintage J. Chein Lg. Halloween Tin Clacker Noisemaker - Green Handle Patent 1906

This large tin litho pan clanger is the earliest appearance of this art. Produced by Chein, the form of this noisemaker is the hardest iteration to find. The seller has a BIN price of $275, or Best Offer. This is a steal. I hope one of my readers snags it before it sells.

05/04 Update: …And one reader did snag it. Congrats to KH of MO!

Newly Stocked For Sale Page Coming Sunday

Hello Collectors,
I have been busy stocking my For Sale page with new items. There will be some great items debuting this coming Sunday, May 4, at 1:00 PM, Pacific.
There will be a new experimental feature - a micro-auction - featuring a single lot. This inaugural effort features a rare German diecut, so check the page out on Sunday.
Best, MBL

Rare Vintage Halloween Hard Plastic Kokomold Pumpkin Coach Cat & Witch

This result blew me away. Virtually all market segments have been soft for months, then this sells for what I think is a record price. The same seller had other hard plastic items that all did quite well, so that market segment appears healthy based on those data points. I have become enamored of Kokomold hard plastic items over the last two years and would have loved to add this to the collection, but not at this price. Three bidders were vying for this until the last second. I admire their chutzpah! The seller, who doesn’t appear to have Halloween as a typical offering, must feel like they’ve won the lottery.

Vintage Halloween EXCEEDINGLY RARE CARDBOARD JOL's AND FENCE CENTERPIECE 1920's

I enjoy reading clear, spare writing so how could I not enjoy this listing? Part of one sentence brought a rare smile to this face: “…we honestly feel that finding one in better shape will be daunting.” I concur. This is only the second time I’ve seen this Whitney fence in my time collecting. The fence has a pleasing energy to it, different from some Whitney fences that are static in their designs. If you appreciate these fences - and I have quite a nice collection - you simply cannot let this one get away. When will you see it again?

04/28 Update: This fine fence sold for $355.51.

Antique 40s G.M. Co Die Cut Halloween Candy Container Witch Black Cat RARE

The G.M. Company produced a number of slot-and-tab candy holders during the 1940s and 1950s. They produced a set of six Halloween designs of which this witch stirring a cauldron is one. (You can see the others on page 54.) All of these designs are common, so if you want to add one to your collection just look for those items in near-mint or better condition. This one, which actually sold for $170, is in such poor condition that I am mystified by that price.

Vintage Halloween 2-sided Black Cat Jack-O-Lantern With Paper Facial Inserts

This identically dual-sided cat face lantern was produced by Dolly Toy for many seasons beginning in the 1940s and extending well through the 1950s. These lanterns are usually found in poorish condition due to the irregular borders, the thin inserts and the wax almost found at the bottom. Hence, these generally fetch in the $50-75 range. However, this example is in unusually nice condition with the only real flaw being a hole at the one on one side. That accounts for the ending price, as condition does (and should) heavily factor into desirability. (Always buy the best, fellow collector!)