Rare Halloween Paper Mechanical Decoration "Sacred Be Ye Fire O Halloween"

This early mechanical was made in the United States by an unidentified firm with an interestingly distinctive design aesthetic. This witch at cauldron mechanical was one of a set of four made between 1910-1917. The seller states he/she has seen an example with an extant cat's tail. I have seen many of this design and have never seen one fully intact. The condition issues identified as pertaining to this example are precisely those most commonly seen. All in all, the buyer got a helluva bargain, scooping this up for $199.95, when the sustainable guide value is more than double that. I think placing such high opening prices deters activity, something that more sellers should take into account when deciding to sell on eBay, using an auction format. The more successful sellers of vintage Halloween items start their auctions at $9.99 or less and typically get very solid results. If you'd like to see the others comprising this set, please see page 284.