Wow! This excellent reference sure is bringing a pretty penny. Ben should re-issue this so more collectors can afford to get a copy.
09/25 Update: High prices are flushing out other copies. As with so many other instances, the first movers get the best price. A copy sold today for only $102.50.
Even as an aficionado of vintage Beistle items, I'm puzzled by the ending price for this sample book. Sure, based on the photos there was a number of interesting and rare items contained within the pages, but they were all glued in, making their collectible value a fraction of what some of these items would have brought otherwise. I wonder, too - how is something like this displayed?
I tell you, as more of the 1930s Hallmark paper ephemera surfaces, it grows on me more and more. Their designs are clever and involved. Just look at this invitation! I love the trompe l'oeil aspect. My typical policy is not to buy any such item with writing inside, so I passed on this, but wonder if I made an error. My interests have been gradually changing - away from candy containers and lanterns and much more decidedly toward paper items made by Beistle, Dennison and Gibson. I have added 1930s Halloween items produced by Hallmark to my search list, so hope to find unadulterated examples to add to the collection.
The most notable thing about this listing is that this nondescript book was published by Barse & Hopkins, the New York-based publishing firm responsible for creating and distributing the fantastically rare "Peggy's Halloween Party Box" in 1916, a scant four years after this plain title was issued. The Party Box can be seen on page 127 of my new third edition.
Prices for this particular book have escalated dramatically in the past year. The interior is pedestrian so the allure must be the awesome cover illustrations and detailed endpapers. One in much better condition sold last year in the neighborhood of $450.
I believe this to be the first book published that showed a selection of high-end vintage Halloween items. First available in 1985, no doubt many of these treasures have now been dispersed into other collections. Although the book profiles artifacts from all the major holidays, it is still a worthwhile addition to any collector's reference library, although this particular copy is a bit rough.
06/18 Update: This well-loved book brought $37.99, a surprising amount.
