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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.

Vintage HALLOWEEN c1910 JOL MAN SAXOPHONE NOISEMAKER Horn Veggie Man Carpentier

This seller has been offering a range of C-Level to A-Level items for many months but all with head-shakingly high opening prices. I firmly believe this practice is not conducive to getting market prices for items. High opening prices don’t motivate collectors to bid as there is zero possibility of getting any sort of bargain. (When his listings end with no action, he simply relists the item again with rarely any change to the opening price.) Sellers that routinely do well on eBay are those like zizsdream and mysweetjanene who start their offerings, independent of rarity and desirability, at a low price and trust in the auction process. I sold a JOL saxophone horn just like this in my annual auction last month. After some spirited bidding, the horn sold for nearly $1,400. This seller’s horn, although in lesser condition, sold for a pittance relative to what I feel he would have gotten if he would have simply listed it with an opening price of something like $9.99.

Vintage Halloween Noise Maker

This is one noisemaker that you don’t see that often. The Japanese tin noisemaker output was typically minimally decorated. This follows that trend with a devil, a true crone witch and an odd crow. The seller is a newish member of our fun community who has a shrewd collecting instinct married with a sunny disposition. It is always fun hearing from her! I wish her great success with this listing.

DRGM Devil with Pitchfork Halloween Crank Noisemaker Germany 1930-40's

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!

Very rare vintage halloween tin noise maker excellent graphics

I’ve only seen this seemingly semi-finished, oddly-constructed tin litho clapper a handful of times in 35 years of collecting. Each one has that same plain-Jane handle. I have not been able to pinpoint the manufacturer with high confidence, but am confident that this tin treasure was made for a single season in the late 1920s. I see that it has been bid up to $300 with nearly six days remaining. It will be fun to see what this fetches. Tin litho items in fine-plus or better condition are overdue for some market love.

08/15 Update: This fetched $407.51.

VINTAGE 1930's HALLOWEEN Noisemaker SCREECH OWL SIREN HORN With Metal Top

This horn has long been one of my favorites due to its strong graphics. It doesn’t come available much especially in this stellar condition. (The seller is stellar, too!) This was produced by an unknown firm during the 1930s. I’ve often wondered whether Marks Brothers of Boston was the producer, but they were so diligent about marking their output that the lack of any such mark accounts for my uncertainty. The Germans produced a tin horn around the same time that they called a Screech-Owl horn (notice the subtle distinction), but their graphics are nowhere near as memorable as this US design. (You can see the German horn on page 193.) I hope this brings strong dollars.

02/24 Update: This great horn fetched $270.51.

Vintage Old Halloween Beistle Die Cut Shaker Whistle Noisemaker JOL Pumpkin

This noisemaker and the other two designs this seller is peddling are from the mid-to-late 1990s. They were imported new into the US by Blumchens. The seller uses the word “vintage” but doesn’t define it. I suppose in some universe an item that is at most 27 years old could be described as vintage, but I would use more specificity, like “newish” or “from the 1990s.”

SCARCE Vintage Halloween Horn Noisemaker Decoration, USA, Patented 1921, WORKS!!

I am certain that the seller, a true delight, is over the moon with this result. The buyer shouldn’t be in that celebratory of a mood, though, as they vastly overpaid. This horn surfaces frequently enough that I’m surprised there were 5 bidders who had a hand in driving the ending price up to such an unsustainable level. The one in the collection is in significantly better condition. Anyone who wants it for $450 plus shipping is welcome to it.

KIRCHHOF HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER WITCH BAT DRUM ORIGINAL VG COND

It is great to see a healthy selection of nicer items on eBay. This is a desirable tin litho noisemaker, made by Kirchhof during the 1930s. It is one of a set of two designs. Both can be seen on page 204. Both are exceedingly rare, with this one just a tad more commonly seen. The design is sometimes found in ratchet form, too. For some reason, the condition of the noisemakers with this lithography is typically poorer than with others. Overall, this example is in the upper third relative to condition.

09/22: Update: This sold for $283, slightly below what I would have expected at any other time of the year.