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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage Child's German Halloween Tea Set Pitcher Germany Jack o lantern pumpkin

When I first began collecting 30 years ago, pieces from this set were among my favorite finds. All these years later, I still love the inventiveness of the German artisans in fashioning the many interesting items in so many sizes that comprise the Halloween porcelain tea set market segment. (To see many more, turn to pages 119-121.) I'm glad this outstanding seller received such a strong price for the creamer. He is on my recommended dealer list. 

Vintage Halloween German Pumpkin Germany Jack O' Lantern Teapot

Every now and then something surfaces on eBay that astounds. I've been collecting a long time and have never seen this before. That said, I don't care for it much. It seems to be a rather clumsy and nonsensical pastiche of pieces. The factory obviously found another use for the candle holder body, grafted a small cup to the top and added a handle and that unfortunately-sized honker. Going through my wholesaler catalogs, I can find no description of this item, which means nothing in and of itself. Wholesalers often didn't get every item and things were much less formal back then. This is almost certainly a one-off, perhaps made by a bored worker, but I completely speculate. Because I am a completist, I'd typically make a play for this, but the damage is too extensive for it to be part of the collection. 

10/09 Update: This sold for $787.77. 

Vintage German Halloween Tea Set Cup. Porcelain Pumpkin Face JOL

The seller, Sandy, also a long-time collecting friend, wrote to me while the auction was still ongoing, quite happy with the attention her handled cup was getting. I mentioned that the small cups are seen relatively frequently compared to other pieces from the set, but that handled cups are particularly desirable. Not only does the handle distinguish it from being a nut cup, but emphatically defines it as a teacup. Still, the ending price is probably not replicable. It is the result of three very determined bidders. 

RARE Vintage Halloween German Children's Teaset JOL porcelain CREAMER 1908-1932

When I first saw this result I thought the price was surprisingly low - until I read the very full description. Pieces from the large and compelling tea sets issued by the Germans are very much in demand right now, so given the noticeable chip at the rim, I feel this piece brought top dollar. A very nice array of pieces from the trio of differently sized sets can be seen in my newly published third edition on pages 119-121. 

"VINTAGE HALLOWEEN JOL1908-1932~GERMANY~CHILD'S JACK-O-LANTERN PORCELAIN TEA SET

I'm surprised this listing lasted as long as it did -and even then it was only a handful of hours. I was preparing to comment that someone should snap this up asap when the listing changed mid-post to indicate that someone had bought it. Kudos! This medium-sized tea cup is a just a tad harder to find than the smallest size, even though both are assigned a Relative Scarcity Index number of "3." The guide price, though, illustrates that difference. If you want to see the finest array of pieces from the various sized tea sets the Germans made early in the last century shown in any reference, pick up a copy of my newly revised and greatly enhanced third edition of Vintage Halloween Collectibles. 

Vintage Halloween porcelain box

This is an interesting item. This is a piece from the German adult-sized porcelain tea set that was produced from 1908-1932. Few of the items from this specific set were marked, so the lack of a mark shouldn't be any cause for alarm. It's unclear what the function of this lidded container was. I surmise it may have been a tea or coffee container. Although rare, because of the chips and its lack of a clear function, I value this item at $300. A recent comparable was the exquisite and perfect candle stick holder from this same set that brought $610. The buyer did get a good deal at the selling price of $178.50.

Set of 4 Antique German Pumpkin Face Cups from a Child's Tea Set Jack O' Lantern

It is good to see this lot of wonderful porcelain cups sell for such a strong price. The Germans made pieces of this largish set from 1908-1932. These cups were made in three sizes, with the ones in the lot all being the smallest size made. The next size up (2" h x 2.25" w) is the most commonly seen size with the largest size (3" h x 4.5" w) being made only with handles. In both the small and medium-sized cups, it is harder to find the handled iterations. They tend to sell for more, all else being equal. Examples of other items of this set can be seen on page 117. 

Old German Porcelain Halloween Pumpkin covered box Jack o Lantern

This is a rare jam pot from the adult-sized porcelain "tea set" made in Germany as early as about 1914. This is only the second time in 26 years of collecting that I have seen this item. (I bought the one in the collection several years ago in a private sale.) This one has a number of surface flaws but brought what I consider to be a strong price nonetheless. The Germans made three sizes of these porcelain sets. The largest, to which this jam pot belongs, was marketed to adults. Any pieces from this set are extremely desirable. Kudos to the prevailing bidder!!