This rare German crank noisemaker is one I’ve not seen before. It was almost certainly produced sometime from 1930-1935 for export. The DRGM mark was used through 1949 but the Germans pivoted from using metal for these export items around 1935 to accommodate their expansionist policies that resulted in WWII. The ending price is fully justified. Very nice item, indeed!
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
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.
2 1/2" ANTIQUE SCARY EVIL PUMPKIN HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER GERMANY
This is a very rare form of this design. I've only seen this small form factor tin litho noisemaker a handful of times since I began collecting in 1988. Even with the noticeable wear, I feel the buyer got a solid bargain. A similar item, although made much earlier, can be seen on page 192.
