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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Rare Early Paper Mache LARGE Head Jack-O-Lantern Germany

I have received a surprising number of emails regarding this listing, all wondering if the world has gone insane. This has to be one of the least compelling JOLs I have ever seen, other than a cowboy JOL monstrosity owned, sadly, by two close friends of mine. This French's Mustard yellow JOL with its glaringly contrasting red certainly is unusual and memorable, much like once seeing a morbidly obese woman walking along a Hawaiian beachfront topless. Additionally, the shape is off and the condition poor. Why would it ever bring such dollars? As an aside, the seller states that this could have been made as early as the 1880s. There is no record of such things being made prior to about 1910.