Vintage Halloween German Die Cut

This is actually one of the hardest German diecuts to score - especially in this condition. The Germans produced a mate to this one, presenting a side view rather than this full-on view. (You can see both on page 172.) The other design surfaces far more frequently - but that might be overstating just how often that one actually surfaces. I see this full-on crow perhaps once a season, and typically not in this condition. I had a nice telephone conversation with the lister who told me that someone offered her a good sum for it. Although I said the offer seemed fair, I counseled her to “Let the Auction Run,” truly not thinking of Carly Simon and Working Girl until just now. I said letting the auction run to its natural conclusion is a risk, but that it simply seemed like much more fun to me. She agreed.

10/03 Update: This super item fetched $536.

Antique Halloween BEISTLE - "HALLOWE'EN COMPLETE PARTY OUTFIT" Games & Dances

It’s great to see how the various pieces to this hard-to-find Beistle Complete Party Outfit were laid out on their original cards. This appears to be the set issued in 1922. Beistle began issuing Complete Party Outfits in 1918 and tweaked contents somewhat as each season passed. In 1923 Beistle issued their fairy-themed set and didn’t vary from that imagery for the remainder of that decade.

1920's / PAIR HALLOWEEN TIN CYMBALS NOISEMAKER / GREAT GRAPHICS / NO RERSERVE

These are so beautiful! I’ve only seen this set of cymbals a handful of times. They surely were produced for a single season. I’ve never been able to acquire a set. I estimated for a good friend of mine who also happens to collect vintage Halloween that I feel they are worth every bit of $1,500. I’ll be watching to see what they fetch.

09/24 Update: This awesome set fetched $2,050. The best thing about it is they went to a great home - a good friend who lives in southern California.

Super Rare 1915 Antique VINTAGE DENNISON’S HALLOWEEN BOGIE BOOK With Envelope

Wow! The paper segment is my favorite, so seeing a listing with the truly rare envelope for the 1915 Dennison Bogie Book is bracing! I have only seen this three times in 35+ years of collecting. It appears to be in stellar condition. I’ve seen virtually all of the envelopes Dennison created for their Bogies. Some are duplicates, indicating Dennison began to lose interest in creating a new envelope every year. I can say that of all the envelopes, this is hands-down the very best one. I am eager to see what this fetches.

Vintage Halloween Place Cards Four Cats On Fences - Rare Great Condition

This set of place cards was produced by Whitney during the 1930s. The full set of six is shown on page 273. This seller shows the rare glassine envelope. The information from the envelope indicates that Whitney sold two sets of these place cards in one envelope. They probably sold these as one set in one envelope early one, then switched to greater quantities per envelope as the design aged. I’m speculating but that would be consistent with practices by other producers.

RARE Antique Vintage Halloween Mini Witch Diecut Decoration, Germany Early 1930s

This mini-diecut, produced in Germany both before and for a few years after WWII, is part of a set of at least five designs - all shown on page 185. What I’ve discovered after seeing so many of these min-diecuts over the years is that there are quite a few variants with subtle differences. For instance, on page 185 I show two broomed witch mini-diecuts. Look at the subtle difference at her cape’s edge. My advice is to do what I do - when I see any of the minis I closely examine it for subtle differences rather than assuming I have it already. Who knows how many variants have escaped my grasp!