This is a variant of the somewhat common Tommy Whiskers lantern issued by Beistle that I have not seen before. Typically, these were made with folded tissue sides, beginning when they were first issued in 1938. By 1941 these tissue sides were dropped, leaving the sides open. The lantern in this listing has cardboard sides attached to one side with staples and to the other through slot and tab construction. I don't know what to think about this third variant in terms of authenticity. What I can see looks right: the color of the sides, the thickness of the cardboard and the rust on the staple. What doesn't look right is the rather ugly slots being pushed through the one face. One way to sum it up would be to say that for $100, the buyer got an interesting item at a reasonable price.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
