What was the purpose of Dennison’s Bogie Books? They were printed and sold for either a nickel or dime directly to consumers by Dennison or indirectly to consumers through the numerous stationary shops that once thrived in this country. But, why? The answer was to foment market excitement so that Dennison’s products would sell. They wanted to get these advertising booklets in the hands of consumers who were expected to repeatedly turn the (generally) thirty-two pages while they created their list of buys. Hence, these Bogies are almost always well-thumbed, heavily used ephemeral items. Which leads me to my point: to have one offered in this condition is unusual. Its unmolested pages and tight binding bear testament to its gentle handling over these nearly 100 years!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Vintage Halloween Die Cut Wall Decor WITCH w/ Cat & Pot m/ in U.S.A is 17 " Tall
I wanted to write about this design as it differs from most of Beistle’s output from that time - the mid-1950s through the early-1960s. This diecut was made for many seasons and is common. The design sensibility is not. Most of Beistle’s output at this time was cartoonish as the market swung sharply toward satisfying the nascent tastes of children and their parents’ desire to create a fun, light-hearted decorating environment so consistent with that relatively carefree time. It seems that some Beistle art director reached back in time for the imagery that caused so many units to be sold in stores throughout the United States. The witch and cat are cute but not entirely devoid of some level of menace. (I especially like the witch’s skull top button.) After this time, Beistle sagged into Halloween design obsolescence, not to really emerge with any consistency until they wised up and began re-releasing their 1930s greatest hits 10-15 years ago, with these sufficiently tweaked so that the newly released designs didn’t interfere with the secondary collector’s market.
Markdowns on For Sale Items
Hi Faithful Reader,
I’ve reduced prices on most everything on the For Sale page in order to clear the decks for many new items I have to list. Once 10-15 items have been sold, I’ll list new For Sale items in advance of my upcoming auction.
Auction emails will begin going out around February 9-10th. The preview period will begin the the 19th. The auction will begin on the 26th. The auction will end on March 5th. The line-up is quite strong this year.
6 Vintage Halloween Skull Skeleton Cardboard Paper Lantern Die Cut Decor Rare
The six imperfect but complete Beistle lanterns sold for ~$143 each, quite a bit considering condition and lack of scarcity. Beistle produced this unvarying design for many seasons, so if you are going to see a Beistle lantern, this is the design you’ll see. Far harder to find is the Beistle skull lantern that is primarily orange. Produced during the early 1930s, you can see an example on page 32.
EXCEEDINGLY RARE MINT Vintage Halloween Mechanical Witch Nut Cup Beistle 1930s!!
Beistle produced a set of four of these mechanical nut cups in one year only - 1938. I was fortunate to acquire four complete sets of these nut cups in 2014 from a seller in Massachusetts, plus a few singles. I kept one set, sold one set each to two close friends and offered the fourth and final set in my inaugural auction in 2015. That set was acquired by the person consigning this to zizsdream. So, this is one of the very nut cups from that 2015 auction. (I would expect the other three designs to follow from this great seller in short order.) These are intricate and delicate confections made from art Beistle recycled from earlier seasons. This recycling was common during these later Great Depression years when companies were just trying to survive.
RARE Vintage HALLOWEEN Scary WITCH 7.5" Die Cut PLACE CARD? 20s 30s Decoration
This odd item was produced by Gibson during the early 1930s. It was meant as both a place card and a napkin holder. I’m not sure how receptive the public was to this combination as they are seldom seen today. (There was another design, an owl. Both can be seen at the bottom of page 269.) The actual selling price was $110. I feel the buyer received a solid deal.
Vintage Halloween Dennison Gummed Seals Leaf Complete Set Antique Ephemera
After months of seeing mostly garbage, it warms the heart to see this listing. Dennison produced these unsettling seals beginning in 1924 and through 1929. (Thanks, Anita, for the specific date range!) They were originally sold with stock number H684. I hope this brings strong dollars.
01/26 Update: This great item fetched $351.
Old Vintage Halloween Cardboard Diecut Die Cut Out Table Decoration Beistle 1955
I have concerns about this item being a poorly done reproduction. I’ve asked the seller, who is a regular seller of vintage Halloween items, to include photos of the interior so that potential buyers can see how the sides are connected.
Update: The seller quickly added additional photos. After reviewing everything, this is what I wrote to the seller just now: “Hello, Thanks so much for adding the photos so quickly. Although the interior construction is consistent with a known vintage item in my collection, I feel this is a somewhat less sloppy reproduction than what another eBay seller offered recently. My primary concern is the lack of white in the piece. Truly vintage such items have a pleasing three-color presentation. The one you are offering has a two-color presentation. My feeling is that this was made to fool the newer collector. I feel it is a reproduction, not a truly vintage item. Best, MBL”
Another Update: The seller changed the listing after my input, offering it for a BIN for $59.99, with private offers to those having it on their Watch List at $49.99. Given that I feel it is a poor reproduction, the BIN price is much too high.
Yet Another Update: Some person acquired this reproduction for $47 plus ~$7 shipping. The listing shows it sold for $59.99, but that is just an artifact of eBay’s studied lack of transparency.
VINTAGE BEISTLE’S ‘HALLOWEEN PARTY HELPS’ - UNUSED SET TALLY CARDS W/ENVELOPE!
It’s nice to see a quality listing amidst all of the out-of-season listings of items produced only in the last few years. (There has been some great small paper offered by netantiques!) Beistle made these tallies for many seasons. The original strings are always pink, so what would have been the original color? Orange? The tallies typically don’t fetch much as they are common, but to have a complete set with its original thin-paper envelope elevates this listing. The fact that the sellers are A-1 people with deep knowledge of our fun hobby absolutely should spur collectors to bid. Don’t let this great item escape your grasp!
