The star of the lot is the pair of cymbals. They were made by the Gotham Stamping and Die Corporation of NYC. These rarely surface and typically fetch $450-600.
09/13 Update: This lot brought $810.51, a very strong result, indeed.
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Mark B. Ledenbach's vintage Halloween collectibles blog.
Two Vintage Halloween Metal Noisemakers Tambourine J. Chein & Co Bats Black Cats
This is a smart way to list similar items. Chein used their party scene imagery on a plethora of tin litho items: tambourines, horns, ratchets, clangers - you can pretty much name it. Some forms are more common - like this pair. This imagery on a concave clanger is less common. Whether that makes it more desirable is a valid question!
1920's -1930's Bundle of 5 Halloween Noisemakers--Collector Pieces, Hard to Find
This seller, who routinely vastly overprices her items, is asking $570 for this lot. This nosebleed price is significantly higher than the component parts would warrant. For the wish-upon-a-star price, you’d think the seller would provide a host of decent photos rather than making a potential buyer guess as to condition.
RARE COLLECTION OF EXTREMELY RARE AND NICE HALLOWEEN NOISE MAKERS, MANY SIGNED
When I saw what this seller set as the minimum bid price for this OK lot of relatively common tin litho noisemakers I laughed aloud. For that price I wonder if they are planning to toss in the pictured hand soap? If the seller would be open to offers, a reasonable offer would be no more than $375.
VINTAGE HALLOWEEN 2 OLD- NOISE MAKERS AND A LANTERN AS FOUND
The best item in this trio is the tambourine. I've been looking to add one to the collection for years but cannot find one in good enough condition. (There is another iteration using a different color scheme that you can see on page 216.) Made by an unknown US manufacturer during the 1930s, the simplicity of the design is compelling. SGV is $225.
Vintage Halloween Noise Makers lot of 4
Someone got a solid deal buying this lot. The star is the round Kirchhof rattler/clanger combo, a form I've not seen before. Kirchhof made that noisemaker, as well as its companion piece that can be seen on page 204, for one season only in the early 1930s. Its RSIN is 1, so you know it simply doesn't surface often. When you do see them, they are almost always in poorish condition - faded, scuffed, dented. (I don't know why.) SGV for that item alone is $325, so bravo to the prevailing bidder.
VINTAGE U.S.A. HALLOWEEN NOISEMAKER COLLECTION - LOT OF 9
This set of nine tin litho noisemakers from a variety of manufacturers is offered at an eminently reasonable BIN price of $125. Although the two-piece rattler looks problemtatic, the others look great. I'm surprised the listing has lasted this long, frankly. US tin litho items have cooled down considerably over the last decade, yet this is still a great deal. Someone snatch this right up!
Vintage Halloween Noisemakers T Cohn Kirchhof US Metal Toy
The star of this great lot is the clanger with the green stripe made by T. Cohn during the 1950s. Although the RSIN is a solid 3, it did take me a surprisingly long time to find an example in good enough condition to be in the collection. The one in this lot looks mighty good. You can't beat the seller, either. He is a newish collector who prizes knowledge and is about the most foursquare and honest person I've met in a while. Bid with total confidence.
Antique Vintage Halloween Noisemaker Rare Double Clapper Black Cat Witches Bat
I'm surprised this rare tin litho noisemaker lingered on Ebay for almost precisely a full day with such a reasonable BIN price. Yes, it definitely has some surface condition issues, but this is one rare item. I've seen it only a few times in 26 of collecting. Guide value is $225. Congrats to the lucky buyer. (Wish I would have seen it!)
Large Lot Vintage Tin Litho Halloween Noisemakers Clicker Horns US Metal Cohn
The smart buyer of this lot got a very sweet deal for $125. Bravo! The star of the lot is the rattler with the cat faces ringed by bats and owls. That alone would bring $45. Bravo!
THREE 1930'S GERMAN MADE NOISEMAKERS ON STICKS WITH SQUEAKERS ON BACK THAT WORK
These noisemakers are modern fantasy pieces made in the mid-1990s and imported into the US from Germany by Blumchen's. They have zero collectible value.
3 Vintage U.S. Metal Toy Litho Halloween Horns Noise Maker NOS Sealed in Package
I enjoy seeing things in original packaging as it provides data on what, when and how items were originally offered to the public. Tin litho noisemakers typically had plastic tips beginning in the 1950s and always did into the 1960s. This header card used by U.S. Metal Toy has a zip code, meaning that it was used after July of 1963. The rather banal imagery used on the header card was typical of that time, although the firm didn't alter the actual tin lithography of the horns for decades. This is a great packaged set that doesn't surface often.
05/31 Update: This package ended up bringing $148.49.
