Of all the many vintage Halloween market segments, the tin litho noisemaker segment has been moribund for at least two decades, with exceptions for some tambourines and the odd duck example like this listing. This inventive design with the added expense coming from the act of attaching the “ears,” is among the earliest of T. Cohn’s Halloween output. I haven’t seen it much in 35 years of collecting, so when I saw the listing and its condition I knew it would bring strong dollars. And what dollars!
Blog
Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Antique Vtg 30s HALLOWEEN Tin LItho Clanger Noisemaker T. Cohn? Ghost Black Cat
The tin litho segment has been somnolent for many years, but lately there has been sharpened demand leading to much higher prices for many items. The tin tambourine sub-segment has largely retained its appeal over the years, but others have shown little signs of life until recently. I’m selling a large collection I acquired out of New York with a high percentage of the collection consisting of tin noisemakers and hard plastic. Basically, as fast as I can list items they quickly sell. In the tin segment, tambourines have gone for $375-475 and certain noisemakers like the Kirchhof slide whistle were snapped up for $425 within minutes of listing. If you haven’t been following my For Sale page, you may wish to do so. (I will be taking a break from listing for a short time to ensure I enjoy the season.)
This T. Cohn shaker has surged in value over the last few months with two examples bring close to $500. This one shown is in lesser condition so that should affect value.
SCARCE Vintage Halloween Tin Putty Knife Clanger Noisemaker Decoration, Cohn 30s
The overall market for tin litho has been the slowest to strengthen these last ten years, although with the famous Bernanke “green shoots” sprouting here and there, hope springs eternal that this market segment will finally get some momentum. One of the green shoots has been the two “putty knife” designs T. Cohn produced during the 1930s. (You can see the other on page 201.) When either of the designs come to market, they routinely bring strong results. With nearly five days left on this listing, the price is already at $217. What will be the ending price?
Vintage Metal Halloween Noisemaker Snaggletooth Witch 8"
You can confidently date this long-produced gypsy witch clanger to the 1950s. How? Earlier versions used wood balls for both sides. As with all tin litho manufacturers, T. Cohn had to find a way to compete in the cutthroat 1950s thanks to an onslaught of cheaply made Japanese products. One of their cost saving measures was to replace the wood balls with these unattractive flat-stamped pieces of tin. I prefer the earlier versions.
RARE ANTIQUE NOS TIN LITHO HALLOWEEN WITCH BLACK CAT NOISE MAKER
What's rare about this is that it is purported to work. Most of these no longer make a sound at all, or a strangled one at best.
05/01 Update: This sold for $155.50.
Vintage Halloween Witch Pumpkins Tin Noise Maker w Red Wood Handle T Cohn Nice!
This 1930s tin litho noisemaker is fairly common. What makes this example of this T. Cohn item different and somewhat more desirable are the colors. This is normally seen in black, orange and white. The use of green is powerful and really makes the design pop. SGV for this item is $25, but I could see this bringing somewhat north of this price point.
04/08 Update: This sold for $29.99.
Vintage Halloween Tin Litho Tambourine Noisemaker T. Conn
This seller obtained very nice results across the board for his tin litho offerings, a genre that has been flickering back to life. This tambourine is quite rare. I've been wanting to acquire one for the collection, but this one escaped my scrutiny as I was traveling. Produced by T. Cohn during the 1930s, this design has that motion and energy the best Art Deco designs were meant to convey.
Vintage Halloween Ratchet Noisemaker Tin Nice Witch MAKE OFFER
The buyer made a solid purchase scooping up this rare variant of a T.Cohn tin litho ratchet for a mere $18. I don't know if I've ever seen this design with its very pleasing inclusion of green. I love it and will keep an eye out for one for the collection.
Vintage Halloween Themed Mechanical Noisemaker Toy
This great siren noisemaker was made by T. Cohn during the 1950s. There aren't that many tin litho siren designs relative to clangers, ratchets and shakers, and this is arguably the best one. The form is compact, the design creatively takes advantage of the space available and the siren is LOUD! Generally, these have become silent over the decades, but the seller describes this as fully functional. Working examples come up rarely, and the seller started this at a reasonable price using the auction format. Sustainable guide value is $80.
11/03 Update: I suspected this would bring strong dollars as it was in beautiful condition and described as fully functional. But the predominant factor is the ending price of $154.50 was that one hadn't been offered for awhile. With a cadre of impatient collectors these days, people want their collectibles now. If several were to surface within relatively close proximity to one another, the price would settle at its sustainable level of ~$80.
COHN NOISEMAKER~RATTLE HEAD~HORN HANDLE~WORKS!~1920'S
Given how cool and early this design by T. Cohn is, I've long been surprised that the marketplace doesn't more highly value this hard-to-find noisemaker. This looks to be in superb, all-original condition. Sustainable guide value is $145.
10/04 Update: Someone bought a great item from a great seller for a reasonable price, $135.83.
Vintage Halloween Tambourine - U.S. Toy Co. - Jack-O'-Lantern with Witch
Too bad there is so much rust on this rare tambourine, one of the better designs out there. This Art Deco inspired noisemaker was manufactured by T. Cohn of Brooklyn, New York, sometime during the 1930s. It has an RSIN of 2, so you know it doesn't surface often. Guide value in near-perfect condition is $375, but I doubt this well-loved piece will approach that figure.
Vintage Tin Toy Halloween BLACK CAT Tambourine Noisemaker Litho T Cohn Inc. USA
This is an unsustainable price for this often-seen tin tambourine. Produced during the 1950s by T. Cohn, the tambourine's RSIN is "5," meaning it is common. These surface with great regularity, and typically do not bring much beyond guide value of $60. As is so often the case in these situations, one determined bidder is responsible for the ending price.
1940 Halloween Tambourine Vintage T. Conn Witch on Pumpkin 6 Inch Diameter
I was surprised at this listing. The seller is someone who was one of the earliest collectors of vintage Halloween memorabilia - a true trailblazer. When I was a fresh-faced collector in 1988, this seller was already an old hand at the hobby. This seller is savvy, so I was surprised that she offered this rare tambourine at such a bargain. (That this was a bargain is demonstrated by just how quickly some lucky buyer snapped this up.) Also, she should know that there was no such firm called T. Conn making these items. It is T. Cohn.
1930s-1940s TIN LITHOGRAPH HALLOWEEN WITCH TOY NOISE MAKER
This nicely engineered siren horn noisemaker was made by T. Cohn during the 1950s. In working order, these typically bring $80, so this went for a strong price.
