I’ve always liked this great Beistle band hat design. They released it as a stand-alone hat in 1933 and discontinued doing so in 1941. Beistle entered into what I call their fairy mania phase in 1923, so this hat was released well after that mania had ended. In the year this hat was released the country was ensnared in the icy grip of the Great Depression. This is a good example of how companies with a reservoir of designs to call upon used already completed work to try to make some money when the retail markets were oh-so-tight. Production was ceased as WWII began for the USA in December 1941.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Halloween Clock Beistle 1923 Very Rare Nice Shape
This 1923 fairy clock diecut manufactured by Beistle is a real eye-catcher. Imposing, brightly colored and pretty far out there in terms of overall imagery, this diecut doesn't come up for sale very often - perhaps twice a year on eBay. With all that in mind, I was surprised that it didn't fetch more. The seller did a good job at pointing out the blemishes, and there were many, but all in all I would have expected this to fetch in the $500-600 range.
3 Vintage Cardboard Halloween Lamp Shades! JOLs, Cats, Fairies, Rats. Mint!
These fairy motif lampshades were originally part of Beistle's 1923 party set. The set was issued in three packaging variations: as a booklet, an enveloped set and a boxed set. I'll have the booklet variant as one lot in my auction that begins May 3rd. It is the very one photographed for and appearing in my third edition on page 217. The preview will begin on April 26th. The auction is open only to purchasers of my third edition. If you haven't yet purchased your copy, now would be a good time to do so.
Vintage Beistle Elves Fairies Halloween Party Hat, Honeycomb 1920’s
Beistle issued a set of four of fairy-themed hats in 1923 only, so these are hard-to-find and desirable. The condition of this particular hat appears to be superb, so it will be instructive to see what this great item fetches.
VINTAGE 1924 BEISTLE HALLOWEEN HONEYCOMB HAT? CENTERPIECE? JOL JACK O LANTERN
Beistle issued a set of four of these fairy-themed party hats in 1923, the singular year of their fairy mania. Every example of this hat I have seen seems to have that top-most bit of the wing missing. The artist was even then pushing the boundaries of Halloween imagery. I suspect these were not produced in the large quantities associated with other Beistle products from this year - like their fairy-themed Halloween Party book - as these hats almost never surface. It will be fun to see what this fetches.
05/14 Update: This wonderful hat fetched $405, far above what I consider to be the sustainable price of $250. If you look at the bidding history, it rocketed off from about $225.
VINTAGE RARE MINT BEISTLE HALLOWEEN PARTY HORN NOISEMAKER WITCH BAT SKELETON WOW
Another true bargain...
VINTAGE / ANTIQUE BEISTLE HALLOWEEN HAT W/ HONEYCOMB CREPE PAPER TOP - FAIRIES
It is heartening to see some rarer items popping up on Ebay of late. This hat with a fairy motif was made by Beistle in the 1920s. It is one of a set of 6 that were packaged together in a very colorful envelope. I have only seen the envelope surface twice and have never been able to obtain one for the collection. Others from the set can be found on page 203. The prices for these hats have increased fairly substantially since 2007. I would expect this hat, which appears to be in excellent condition, to fetch in excess of $200.
08/14 Update: The hat brought a remarkably strong $260, showcasing just how hot early and rare Beistle items remain.
