Beistle produced four designs of what they called favor baskets between 1927 and 1931. This particular example from a stellar seller looks fresh - almost as if someone bought it, never folded it open and left it in an envelope. The colors look bright and the honeycomb perfect.
09/28 Update: This item in exceptional condition brought an exceptional price of $481.99.
This great favor basket is from the era when Beistle’s dominance of the marketplace was in full bloom. Made during the interval 1927-1931, each of the four designs is well-executed. They make great display items. The damage to this example is minimal considering the stress the item was put under each time the honeycomb base was open and closed. (I’ve opened mine once - and they stay that way.)
08/15 Update: This sold for a sum in a vicinity of normality - $250.
I feel $1200 is an enormous sum to pay for this trio of favor baskets. Beistle produced four designs of this size from 1927 through 1931. The best design, the witch wearing a dress decorated with skulls, is not amongst this trio. Even at $300 each, the envelope isn’t worth the remaining $300. It might be if it was something to look at, but being a plain glassine envelope limits its appeal and brings the “wow” factor down to nothing.
Wow, people were asleep at the switch here, including me. This is one of those increasingly rare, true bargains for a great piece of truly vintage Halloween memorabilia. This is one of four favor basket designs Beistle produced from 1927-1931. (I think it is the least interesting of the four designs. The best is the witch wearing a skull-festooned dress.) You can see them all on page 225.
This Beistle favor basket looks to be in exceptional condition. Beistle ultimately produced four favor basket designs, selling them from 1927-1931. This version tends to bring the most dollars second only to the witch wearing a skull decorated garment. (You can find all four designs on page 225.) A few of Beistle's early advertisements to dealers showed four favor basket designs with one featuring skeletons. That one was never produced. Instead, the skeleton design was dropped in favor of the pedestrian owl design. There is no documentation explaining this seemingly last minute change.
08/28 Update: This sold for $373.88.
Beistle produced four different honeycomb favor basket designs. Although the four designs surface with roughly the same level of frequency, this particular design is the hardest to locate in collectible condition. (Why, I don't know...) What I do know is that the condition on this one, by a fabulous seller, is the best I've seen in some time. SGV is $325. With over five days to go as of this writing, the price is on-track to attain that pricing level. This design is, without doubt, the most eye-catching one Beistle produced.
03/07 Update: This desirable Beistle favor basket ended up fetching a very strong price of $425. The second underbidder stopped at SGV, while the ending price was as a result of two determined bidders.
03/21 Update: To illustrate the importance of condition, another one of these sold on eBay on 03/20. It was in fair to good condition and fetched only $73.
This nice little grouping is interesting. Beistle produced and sold these from 1927 through 1931. There were four designs overall. This listing is missing the one I like best, which shows a witch wearing a skull laden robe stirring a cauldron. The honeycomb sections that have separated from the main bodies, ostensibly due to dried glue, should be easily re-attachable. The extant glassine envelope is dull and shouldn't be much of a factor in what you may wish to bid on this lot.
Beistle produced these small honeycombed favor baskets in four designs from 1927 through 1931. Although they are seldom seen, this design is arguably the best and most coveted of the four. The seller describes it as having a lot of wear, but I would say the condition is average for one of these delicate objects. The entire set is shown at the bottom of page 225.
06/11 Update: This sold for $138.50.
I feel whomever prevailed upon this listing got a real bargain. Vintage Beistle material is hard-to-find and typically brings very strong prices. To find honeycomb items in the condition the seller states is unusual, so I am mystified as to why this trio didn't bring stronger dollars, especially considering there have been so many recycled listings on eBay for so long.
And the pleasurable avalanche of quality Beistle continues...It is great to see such a wealth of vintage Halloween being made available for sale this season. This favor basket, one of four designs of this size, doesn't come up for sale often. Issued by Beistle from 1927-1931, these survivors are hardy specimens as these favor baskets are inherently fragile with their honeycomb bases. Turn to page 225 to see all four to the set.
10/23 Update: This sold for a surprisingly low price - $170.17.
Has vintage Beistle from the Golden Age ever been hotter? These favor baskets surface from time to time, but their prices, like the prices for so much of the much-coveted early Beistle material have gone right into the stratosphere. I'm really glad these wonderful things are finding their way to home where they'll be cared for and appreciated!
It is such a pleasant surprise to see an exceedingly rare Beistle item on the rather sad selling platform that Ebay has become. (This decay began when their management chose to compete with Amazon rather than focusing on cultivating sellers of rare, vintage goods.) This favor basket was sold from 1927-1931. Beistle made four different designs, all measuring ~4" x ~4". All of them have an RSIN of 2. The condition issues on this example could be easily rectified by a careful, competent paper restorer. (I can recommend ACA Paper Restoration in Devon, PA.) These baskets almost never become available for sale, so it'll be fun to see what this brings.
03/09 Update: Whomever was the prevailing bidder received a true bargain, snatching this up for less than $160. Bravo!
